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John Payton's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

John Payton did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2024 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

What is the Political Courage Test?
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.

Arkansas State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test

Pro-life a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
Yes b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy?
No c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
Yes d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
Yes e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor?
Yes f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
Yes g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures?
Yes h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
Conception is our Creators Choice

1) State Spending:Using the key, indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.2) State Taxes:Using the key,indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.3) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Arkansas's budget.

Slightly Decrease a) Education (higher)
Maintain Status b) Education (K-12)
Slightly Decrease c) Environment
Maintain Status d) Health care
Maintain Status e) Law enforcement/corrections
Maintain Status f) Transportation/infrastructure
Slightly Decrease g) Welfare
h) Other or expanded categories:
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Maintain Status b) Cigarette taxes
Slightly Decrease c) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status d) Gas/Oil taxes
Slightly Decrease e) Property taxes
Slightly Decrease f) Sales taxes
Maintain Status g) Income taxes (low-income families)
Maintain Status h) Income taxes (mid-income families)
Maintain Status i) Income taxes (high-income families)
j) Other or expanded categories:
a) Tapping into Arkansas's "rainy day" fund
b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities
c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining
Yes d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions
Yes e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees
f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
g) Other or expanded principles:

a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?

No 1) Individual
No 2) Political Action Committee
No 3) Corporate
No 4) Political Party
b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
Yes c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
No d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
Yes e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
[d) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?] Maybe Contributions should be direct From Contributor To Candidate, Reported and Viewable by the Public. We need To Educate the Voters on where to View These Reports.
Yes a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?
No c) Do you support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges?
Yes f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
[b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?] Maybe [d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?] Sometimes [e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges?] Maybe We are a society based on the rule of LAW We Must Have Good LAWS and enforce Them.
Yes a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
No b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
No c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
No d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
No e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation?
No f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
g) Should Arkansas allow casino gambling?
[g) Should Arkansas allow casino gambling?] Should be decided at the County & City Level Government Should Not Compete with Private SectoR
a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
Yes d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
e) Do you support state funding for charter schools?
Yes f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Arkansas high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
I believe in Returning Control of Schools to The Local Level Empowering School Boards and School administrators to make these decisions then modeling after the Successes
Yes a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy?
No b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
c) Do you support increased regulations on hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"?
No d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Arkansas's energy infrastructure?
No e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
No f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change?
[a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy?] Research [b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?] No funding Nessasary just permission [c) Do you support increased regulations on hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"?] Maybe
No a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
No b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
Yes c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
No d) Should a license be required for gun possession?
e) Other or expanded principles:
No a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
Yes c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
No d) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
Yes e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
Yes f) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
g) Other or expanded principles:
Yes a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman?
No b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions?
No c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Arkansas's anti-discrimination laws?
No d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Arkansas's anti-discrimination laws?
e) Other or expanded principles:
In the following area, on an attached page, or via e-mail, 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.

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