Heidi Bitton's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Heidi Bitton has demonstrated Political Courage by telling citizens where she stands on the issues she may face if elected.
Utah State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | |||
| No | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| Abortion is not such a yes/no issue. There are many details that have to be taken into account. On the subject of requiring parental consent, what if the parent was the the person who impregnated the minor? Being adopted, I believe every spirit deserves a chance. I don't believe abortion should be used as birth control. I also know some families will face situations that will be unheard of to others, and that safe, legal options are available for them. | |||
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 Utah's budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| h) Other or expanded categories: | |||
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | 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: | |||
| No | a) Tapping into Utah's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
| No | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | 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 | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | |||
| Growing up in a rural community, it was never an option to not have a drivers license. When I first heard that people didn't have identification when they went to vote, it kind of surprised me. But logically, the hundreds of thousands of people living in cities across the country, not to mention our elder generation, don't need a license. There should be some sort of validation of who you are when you go to vote, whether it be a government issue ID or not is something that needs to be addressed, and should have been before this year. | |||
| Yes | 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 decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support a ban on cell phone use for drivers under eighteen years of age? | ||
| g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
| I support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police when the individual has been involved in a violent crime. | |||
| No | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | |||
| c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | |||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support increasing the number of liquor licenses statewide? | ||
| On supporting increased state funding for job training programs, I think in certain cases when a company has moved in to the community and has a loyal workforce, families relying on their wages for their household needs, if that business decides to pack up and leave one day, that business should be held partially responsible for helping their former employees find new training and/or employment. It should not be the sole responsibility of the state. | |||
| a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | |||
| No | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| No | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| No | d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Utah high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I believe it's time to have a real-life actual conversation about education in Utah. I believe for the thousands of Utah families who homeschool, they should receive some sort of tax break for the money their family is not using in the public school system. There are many wonderful families who teach their children Leadership, Accountability, Greatness, Compassion, Service, along with their Math, Science, Language Arts, and have the opportunity for Music, Art and Religious studies according to their own beliefs. These families do what so many more families would do if given the opportunity. I greatly admire them. | |||
| 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)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increased regulations on hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Utah's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | f) Do you support increased energy development on federal lands? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| I support magazine limits. I also support an establishments right to not allow firearms. | |||
| Yes | 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? | |||
| No | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| No | d) Do you support Utah's participation in a "Healthcare Compact" that seeks to transform Medicare and Medicaid into block grants? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| I would support monetary limits on damages from malpractice lawsuits if they were reasonable. Who can say how much a family members life is worth, or what the cost will be for a lifetime of care for an individual with a problem caused by negligence or mistake? With so many issues, it's just not a cut and dry answer. Any time you give insurance companies the power to screw over the general population, they're going to do it. It would need to be done fairly be a neutral third party to ensure the equality of the outcome. | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Utah's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Utah's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| I believe that all individuals should be treated with dignity and respect. I believe the LGBT community deserves the same rights we all enjoy, and I fully support the Common Ground Initiative. | |||
| Utah needs to pass comprehensive Autism Insurance reform for ALL Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with no age cap! The national average for children being diagnosed with an ASD is 1 in 88. In Utah that number is 1 in 47. 31 states have passed coverage for their families and Utah needs to be the next. It's time to help our Autism families with the care and services they need every day. They should not be left on their own. I believe it's time to finally have a serious conversation about Education. I believe in Equal Rights for all individuals. |
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