James Cossitt'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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James Cossitt has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2018 Political Courage Test.
Montana State Legislative Election 2018 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Montana'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? | ||
| Yes | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| No | e) Eliminating block grants to public school districts? | ||
| No | f) Decreasing funding to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services? | ||
| Removing various special interest deductions - capital gains, waters edge and oil and gas holiday. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support any limits 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? | ||
| I support Move to Amend and the campaign to end corporate personhood. Artificial entities do not need the same rights as natural persons. Also support repeal of Citizens United. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| Yes | c) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | b) Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | c) Do you support reducing state 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 of Montana? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Montana? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Montana high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| I support open access to state and public lands. I do not support transfer of federal lands to the states. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| Use the vehicle license and driver license regulatory model and apply it to guns. License both the item and the operator, require proficiency test and require liability insurance. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Montana's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| No | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support increasing state funding for tracking and reporting opioid usage and overdoses? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Montana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Montana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Montana state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| Yes | d) Should individuals be required to use a bathroom that corresponds with the gender listed on their birth certificate? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| ? ECONOMIC FAIRNESS & OPPORTUNITY: o a livable wage o equal pay for equal work o affordable housing ? AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE & COMPETITIVE MARKETS o Reasonable prices for medical care and prescription drugs o regulation of monopoly or oligopoly industries & providers ? PUBLIC LANDS & ACCESS & BALANCED RESOURCE USE: o providing for, continued access and wise use of our public lands and resources o ensuring that extractive industries post the necessary financial instruments for clean up at the front end of their activities. ? ETHICS & INTEGRITY OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS |
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