Tom Herman's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
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.
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Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Tom Herman submitted the 2015 Political Courage Test after the official deadline and release of results to the media. The candidate's late responses are provided here as a public service.
New Jersey State Legislative Election 2015 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | |||
| g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | |||
| h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | |||
| i) Other or expanded principles: | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing New Jersey's budget.2) 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.3) 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.
| a) Tapping into New Jersey's "rainy day" fund | |||
| No | b) Decreasing funding for public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| 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 | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| a) Alcohol taxes | |||
| b) Cigarette taxes | |||
| Slightly Increase | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Small business taxes | ||
| e) Gas/Oil taxes | |||
| f) Property taxes | |||
| g) Sales taxes | |||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Addressing New Jersey's budget issues is important. However, it is short-sighted to reduce the deficit on the backs of hard working, middle class taxpayers. | |||
| How we choose to allocate tax dollars as a state demonstrates our values. We must choose investments that have been proven to help grow the economy and expand the middle class. It is not simply a matter of increasing or decreasing funding for certain programs; it is more important that we spend our limited resources wisely. Just because I feel the status of funding should be kept constant, does not mean that how we are spending the money should remain the same. | |||
| New Jersey must help average citizens who are overtaxed and finding it harder to live in this state each day. One step that can be taken is to end some of the big-business tax giveaways that result in few, if any, additional jobs. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| 1) Individual | |||
| 2) Political Action Committee | |||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | |||
| Elected offices should not be for sale. Citizens United has had a noticeably negative effect on elections in the United States. New Jersey should always try to encourage voter participation by making it as easy and accessible as possible while maintaining the integrity of the process. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support an expansion of substance abuse treatment programs in New Jersey? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| e) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
| The rise of heroin abuse in New Jersey is both shocking and sad. We must take action to help treat those who are suffering from addiction while investing to help prevent new addicts. | |||
| a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | |||
| d) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | |||
| e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | |||
| f) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | |||
| g) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | |||
| Yes | h) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| i) Should the state of New Jersey provide additional support for Atlantic City? | |||
| Across the United States decisions are being made in statehouses that impact the pace and scope of the economic recovery. In New Jersey, the focus has not been on investing in the middle class. New Jersey�s recovery has been sluggish and is one of the worst in the country. The economic priorities must change in our state. | |||
| a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | |||
| No | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | |||
| g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from New Jersey high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | |||
| New Jersey has the #1 ranked education system in the United States, and our educators are some of the most effective in the world. The most serious impediment to progress in some of our lowest performing schools is poverty. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| 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 state funding for improvements to New Jersey's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| One of Trenton�s key responsibilities is to preserve our land and water for future generations. | |||
| a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | |||
| b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | |||
| c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | |||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I support the second amendment. New Jersey must focus on getting illegal guns off our streets. | |||
| 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? | |||
| c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | |||
| Yes | d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| 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? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| I believe that the middle class in New Jersey deserves a voice in Trenton equal to that of the big donors and large corporations. I oppose the troubling trend of excessive testing in our schools and am committed to stopping the misguided attempts to dismantle the public employee pension system and further diminish benefits. I will push to invest wisely in our struggling communities and help those victims of Hurricane Sandy who are still not back in their homes. I seek to ensure the water and lands of the Garden State are preserved for our children and future generations. |
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