Shelly Simonds' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Office:
- State House (VA) - District 70, Democratic
Key
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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.
Virginia State Legislative Election 2017 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | c) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Virginia's budget.
| No | a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| No | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket | ||
| I support internet sales taxes. I support making sure the top %1 of tax payers pay their fair share of taxes. I support raising the floor for the wholesale gasoline tax so that we bring in more revenue for transportation in Hampton Roads. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| No | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | e) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| I do not believe in "trickle down" economic theory or supply-side economic growth. I believe we will have economic growth by investing in infrastructure and education and healthy communities. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities in Virginia? | ||
| We did not adopt Common Core in Virginia because we have our own home-grown State SOL Standards which are superior. I do not support state charter schools because I believe in local control of schools. I believe all charter schools should be under the authority of local school boards. Currently, we welcome charter schools in Virginia but they must under the authority of local school boards, meet rigorous SOL testing and teacher certification standards. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I support the right to bare arms for law abiding citizens. I do not want guns in the hands of the mentally ill, criminals or domestic abusers. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| No | d) Should individuals be required to use a bathroom that corresponds with the gender listed on their birth certificates? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| My legislative priorities include education and making sure Virginia is the best place for teachers and students. I will promote smart use of funds for career and technical education. I will fight for land conservation and a clean Chesapeake Bay. I will be a watchdog for taxpayers to be sure everyone pays their fair share. I will promote the importance of public transit for working people and senior citizens while also fighting against wasteful and unaccountable government spending. |
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