Alaska 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
- Beyond supporting women's right to make their own reproductive health care decisions, I strongly support efforts to expand primary health care for pregnant women and new families to reduce the US's unacceptably high maternal and infant mortality rates, which are higher than those of any other developed country on earth.

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
- Reducing Medicaid benefits would not save money, but would simply cost-shift while worsening primary care, harming children's health, and increasing addiction rates. Regarding the budget questions above: I support using earnings from Permanent Fund investments, but not taking money from the Permanent Fund itself, to help ensure a sustainable state budget and to protect the PFD. I also support restoring the option of a defined benefit pension for public employees, which would be cost neutral from the state's perspective relative to simply maintaining a defined contribution plan.

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. Other or expanded principles
- The 2010 Citizens United decision is a flagrant example of judicial activism that has had pernicious effects on our democracy.

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 Answer

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- Questions c and d are too complex to be answered "yes" or "no." I support steps to improve public safety comprehensively, and it is not sensible to categorically prosecute all minors as adults, although in some cases it may be appropriate in limited circumstances.

Economic

1. Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No Answer

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

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

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 Alaska?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- Questions a-c are too complex for yes/no answers. Do I support a well-funded public and higher education system as a cornerstone of a healthy state economy? Absolutely. That is different from direct government support for particular businesses--such corporate welfare has often proven to be a waste of money.

Education

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

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

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Alaska high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No Answer

4. Other or expanded principles
- Anchorage already has public charter schools, and I support Anchorage's system of public school choices. I do not support vouchers in which public money is diverted to for-profit, private, or religious schools.

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?
- No Answer

4. Other or expanded principles
- The state's Renewable Energy Fund investments have proven successful at helping reduce energy costs in Kodiak and other communities, and the state legislature should examine a wide range of policies to help save consumers' money while reducing carbon pollution from electricity generation, not limited to direct grant funding of projects.

Gun

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- No Answer

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- No Answer

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

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- Most Alaskans own guns and use guns for traditional hunting and to provide food for their families. The binary gun control debates from the Lower 48 don't take into account realities of Alaska. I would support efforts to ensure domestic violence perpetrators and individuals with mental illness cannot easily procure guns.

Health

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

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

3. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- No Answer

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. Should able-bodied Medicaid recipients meet a work requirement to be eligible for benefits?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- On c), private health insurance is often too expensive for families to afford in Alaska, and since Congress has nullified the individual mandate, this is a moot point. What the state should do is seek to improve primary care and health care affordability so families can afford coverage.

Social

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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.
- 1) Fight crime through expanded resources for police, prosecutors, substance abuse treatment, reentry programs, and pre-natal/neonatal primary health care to reduce the incidence of ACES/trauma that are highly correlated with addiction.2) Expand public health programs to improve access to affordable health care, quality of care, and improve outcomes.3) Raise wages and support good jobs with benefits that can support a family.I support new revenue that is progressive in nature, and does not fall on working families who can't afford to pay more.