South Dakota State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

2. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- Yes

3. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- I am a registered nurse and a woman and I do not believe that the government should interfere in the most intimate and personal decision a woman will make in her life. I trust woman, and believe this decision should be left to them, their family, and their doctor.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions?
- No

2. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees?
- No

3. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates?
- Yes

2. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

3. Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
- Yes

4. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- No

5. Do you support South Dakota transitioning to an open primary election system?
- Yes

6. Do you support prohibiting out-of-state contributions to state ballot initiative committees?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- To expand on F, I do know that paying petitioners is expensive, and time consuming. That being said, we did have a ballot issue called Marcy's Law that was bank rolled by an activist out of California. The people of South Dakota voted for the law, and subsequently there were many unintended consequences. It made the jobs of law enforcement, at all levels, more difficult. I don't as a rule like outside influence on this state, but I also understand the people at the grassroots level run on a shoe string budget and money is scarce.

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- No

2. Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Yes

3. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- No

4. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- With the current meth and opioid epidemic in this state, I believe our law enforcement resources would be best used to combat that crisis. I also believe that it is unjust for people to be incarcerated for ingestion or possession for marijuana but of if they lived in another state they would be free. I do not believe children should be tried as adults for the simple reason they are not adults.

Economic

1. Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

3. Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector?
- No

4. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- No

6. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of South Dakota?
- Yes

7. Do you support legalized state-sponsored sports betting in South Dakota?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in South Dakota?
- No

2. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- No

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from South Dakota high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- I have spoken with teachers who believe our students are tested "to death." That proficiency rather that growth is more important, to bring up their numbers. But, many children in this state do not have the benefit of early childhood education and they start kindergarten an entire year behind. I do not support any dollars going to charter schools when our public schools are lacking in resources.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

3. Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- We all need clean air and water. Investing in renewable energies will benefit all South Dakotans and is an investment in the future of our state.

Gun

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- Yes

3. Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom?
- No

4. Should a license be required for gun ownership?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- I am a gun owner myself, but I support smart, common sense guns laws that will protect the safety of our citizens.

Health

1. Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse?
- Yes

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through South Dakota's health care programs?
- Yes

3. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- Yes

4. Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia?
- Yes

5. Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- Like many others who are more proficient in the opioid crisis than I, we cannot incarcerate our way out of this. We need more funding for mental health counseling and resources that are more readily available to those suffering from addiction.As a nurse I cannot support any reason for not vaccinating children other than a medical condition. As we have seen, diseases such as measles are making a comeback. This is unacceptable.

Social

1. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in South Dakota's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

2. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in South Dakota's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

3. Do you support greater efforts by South Dakota state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- This state did ratify the ERA, but other states have not and the law was not enacted. During this day and age, I cannot believe that women still make around 70 cents on the $1 compared to men. Every session our state legislature proposes some sort of anti LGBTQ bill. Some have passed and been vetoed by the Governor, some have just passed. It is clear to me that the LGBTQ community is actively being discriminated against and deserve equal protections under the law.

Legislative Priorities

In the following area, please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- Medicaid expansion was ready to be rolled out in the state, but after the 2016 election, the Governor decided to pull it. I will support a medicaid expansion.Universal Pre-k is a priority. If all of the dollars the state collects from lottery would go towards education, that would be a great start. The problem is, when we voted on that 20 years, the money was never earmarked for education, is put into the general fund, than some of that goes towards education. Education has never been a priority and that needs to change.