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Anna Kelles' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Office:

On The Ballot: Running, Democratic, Working Families for State Assembly (NY) - District 125

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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.
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.

New York State Legislative Election 2020 Political Courage Test

Pro-choice a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
Yes b) Do you support legalizing abortion when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
No c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
I also support expanded sex education in school with a particular focus on body positivity, in-depth conversations about consent, and discussions on gender and sexual identity as well as sexual orientation. I support funding for programs that provide all forms of contraception and for Medicaid to be used for reproductive health including abortions.
No a) In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions?
Yes b) In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
More specifically I am a strong supporting of increasing the income tax specifically on the ultra-millionaires and billionaires. The argument that the sky will fall down and the rich will pull all their wealth from domestic assets is a lie. The net change with increasing taxes on the Ilya-wealthy is a redistribution of wealth back into the economy.
Yes a) Do you support a limit on campaign contributions to state candidates?
Yes b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
Yes c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
No d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
Yes e) Do you support automatic voter registration?
I support same day registration, expanding automatic voter registration, allowing for no-excuse absentee ballot voting, ensuring the right for parolees to vote, and passing the Voter Friendly Ballot Act, which will allow for clearer, more understandable ballots. I support improving access to ballots by publishing in multiple languages. I support a constitutional change that would allow for automatic mail in voting so that we do not need an executive order for each election allowing people to submit an application to then get a ballot to vote. This two-step process is confusing and prevents many residents from successfully voting.
No a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
No b) Should an individual under 18 accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
No c) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
No d) Do you support the use of private prisons in New York?
No e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders?
Yes f) Do you support eliminating cash bail for all crimes?
Cash bail is simply a structural discrimination against the poor. It says that two people can commit the exact same crime but if you can afford to not sit in jail pre-trail you can remain free until you case is adjudicated. If what we care about (which is another discussion) is flight risk pretrial or if there is an assessed risk of harm to self or others and that is used to determine whether someone is held pretrial this should not have anything to do with money.
Yes a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
No b) Do you support lowering state income taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
No c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
No d) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
Yes e) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of New York?
Yes f) Do you support requiring employers to provide paid family leave?
Yes g) Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19?
No h) Do you support the legalization of mobile sports betting and wagering?
i) Other or expanded principles:
No a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in New York?
Yes b) Do you support state funding for charter schools?
Yes c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in New York?
Yes d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from New York high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
My answer to State funding for charter schools is, it depends. Charter schools can be helpful because they serve diverse needs and different learning styles and can increase choice for parents. However, there are a large number of corporate charter schools that drain state funding. These schools thus sometimes harm the most vulnerable students (minority and low-income). We need 1) more oversight and accountability over charter schools. They must be held to the same standard as public schools, 2) We must not take away funding from public schools to fund charter schools. This article describes my views on education: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/10/30/education-conversation-we-should-be-having/%3FoutputType%3Damp.
Yes a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
Yes b) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
Yes c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives?
We have one of the oldest drinking water and sewer systems in the country with pipes so old they are still made out of wood! Several years ago the NYS Comptroller estimated the cost of maintenance and upgrades (including removal of lead pipes) at $80B. Our current investments are a mere fraction of this need.
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?
No c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom after passing gun safety training?
Yes d) Should a license be required for gun ownership?
e) Other or expanded principles:
Yes a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse?
Yes b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through New York's health care programs?
Yes c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
Yes d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia?
Yes e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations?
Yes f) Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19?
Yes g) Do you support suspending rent payments for at least 90 days during public health crises, such as COVID-19?
I believe that universal healthcare through a single payer system is the direction the state needs to pursue - one that is based on a progressive cost structure. Barring this option I am in support of expanded Medicaid services sistered with policies that minimize Medicaid provider premiums that escalate the cost of managed care programs. I support suspended rent during COVID19 but it must be sistered with a program so that small landlords, who can prove that they have been negatively financially impacted by the public health crisis can get financial relief. The same is true for paid medical leave.
Yes a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New York's anti-discrimination laws?
Yes b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New York's anti-discrimination laws?
Yes c) Do you support greater efforts by New York state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
Yes d) Do you support requiring all public female-designated restrooms to provide free feminine hygiene products?
e) Other or expanded principles:
We currently have inadequate and unaffordable childcare for a majority of families and the current voucher program is a bandaid solution at best. It does not pay for all families that are technically eligible and doesn't cover the true cost of care. We need universal childcare that covers the actual cost and provides a living wage to providers. 85% of the human brain develops in the first three years of life and for too many we are missing this critical window to promote cognitive development. COVID has eliminated inequities in broadband and affordable housing that must be addressed as well.
I have several key priorities: universal healthcare and childcare, universal broadband, affordable housing access, racial justice and prison reform, and promoting economic recovery development of a green economy including jobs to build green infrastructure. Taking just one priority, universal childcare. 85% of the brain is developed in the 1st three years of life yet we have tremendous inequities in access. Ultra-millionaires and billionaires should pay their fair share of taxes and I would use state revenue to develop a comprehensive childcare system that is critical to our economic recovery. The return on investment is estimated at $17 per dollar spent.

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