Tracy Smodilla's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Tracy Smodilla has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Illinois State Legislative Election 2016 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| I stand for the protection of all lives including the unborn. However, I will not stand in front of the laws. As such, I support corresponding criminal investigations of the perpetrators of rape or incest, with emphasis on the protection of children. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Illinois's budget.2) State Spending: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: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.
| Yes | a) Establishing a "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Decreasing funding for public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| Yes | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| Yes | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Slightly Decrease | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Small business taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | f) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Maintain Status | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | ||
| l) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Government needs to stop spending beyond it's means. Lawmakers need to pass a reform-driven, balanced budget. Taxpayer funded programs, services and beneficiaries must demonstrate fidelity and accountability to outcomes before more funding can be appropriated. There must be parity between private and most public sector compensation plans and staffing efficiencies. Medicaid services should be administered with a greater emphasis of moving the patient out of the chronic treatment spectrum and into the wellness spectrum via proactive and prophylactic health education, empowerment and expectation management. | |||
| Until the state has a reform-driven balanced budget, it will be hard pressed to fund anything more than the basics of education for our children, public safety and transportation. Other state funded programs will (regrettably) be forced to make systemic changes in order to provide basic services. Concurrently, legislators should be examining opportunities to streamline efficiencies in these programs for better beneficiary outcomes and reduced costs to taxpayers. | |||
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) 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? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Voters have expressed disenfranchisement by the exorbitant costs of election campaigns feeling that candidates are being "bought and paid for" by special interest groups. Spending limits, established according to the office being sought, and usual and customary costs, could greatly help restore the trust of the electorate. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| I do not support "legalizing" possession of marijuana in any amount, however, I do support alternatives to incarceration for first time offenders in possession of small amounts especially when evidence does not support intent to distribute. Recognizing that some minors are regrettably recruited by adults to commit heinous and violent crimes, but that proper adjudication be served, I believe that special attention be paid to those cases to examine the possibility of proper rehabilitation and reduced recidivism. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| No | e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| No | h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| No | i) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| Yes | j) Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them? | ||
| There are times when public/private partnerships and incentives make sense to promote economic growth in our communities. However, these must be executed with absolute fidelity to the desired outcomes of job creation, broadening the tax base, economic stability and sustainability in their locations. Some programs such as the EDGE tax credit program, should be expanded to included small businesses. Homeowners should be provided with access to resources that will allow them to stay in their homes by restructuring their debt load. Certain occupations, such as those in healthcare, education and public safety should be subject to criminal background checks. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support expanding the number of charter schools in Illinois? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| No | h) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Illinois high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| 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 state funding for improvements to Illinois's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| No | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| No | f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| I stand in support of 2nd amendment rights for US citizens. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| Yes | 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 Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | 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: | |||
| a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | |||
| b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Illinois's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Illinois's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
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