Gayle Johnson's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Gayle Johnson has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2019 Political Courage Test.
Virginia State Legislative Election 2019 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? | ||
| As a general rule, I believe that the government should have virtually no say in an individual's healthcare decisions. While there are some exceptions where the public health must be considered, such asfi vaccinations, the majority of healthcare decisions should be between an individual and their doctor. As a mother, I understand the immense responsibility that all women face with pregnancy and motherhood. Restricting public funding is functionally a way for lawmakers to make healthcare decisions for lower income women. I wouldn't want the state to dictate how I treat a major illness, and the same applies to reproductive healthcare. | |||
Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Virginia's budget.
| Yes | a) Do you support a state regulated and taxed sports gambling system? | ||
| No | b) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | c) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | ||
| Yes | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Maintaining a sustainable state budget is one of the most important responsibilities of the General Assembly. Furloughs, layoffs, and reductions to salaries, pensions, or benefits effectively punish public servants for the GA's incompetence. The GA must be willing to balance the budget given the resources at its disposal - that's just part of responsible, sustainable governance. I would support an increase in income tax to fund a program or service for which there was broad public support, but generally I believe the best way to balance the budget is to use tax revenue wisely, rather than ask for more. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Our current campaign system is unsustainable and antithetical to a functioning Democracy. Each election cycle is longer and longer, while candidates are expected to raise so much money that we are no longer electing informed leaders, we are electing fundraisers. Without limits on campaign spending, it will only get worse and worse as both parties engage in a fundraising arms race. Meanwhile, partisan redistricting, antiquated voting laws, and voter suppression have ensured we have chronically low voter turnout. Fewer and fewer people believe the government represents them, and that is a dangerous road to go down. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| No | b) Should a minor 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the legalization of recreational marijuana? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support banning the use of cell phones and other handheld communication devices while driving? | ||
| Public safety is a critical issue for any government, one that must always balance necessary protections with the rights of our citizens. I am generally in favor of policies that have a maximum positive impact on public safety without interfering with anyone's rights, such as programs that help drugs users kick their dangerous habits rather than imprison them. Effective policies should be built on empathy first, and only use punishment when it is clear there is no other option, such as cases of murder or rape. Compassionate, cost-effective solutions are often complex, but I believe they are worth pursuing. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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 Virginia? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring employers to provide paid family leave? | ||
| Our government has a responsibility to ensure that businesses do not jeopardize the public good in the name of profit, but it must balance this responsibility with the need to help our economy thrive. Sometimes that requires eliminating obsolete or nonsensical rules, sometimes we simply need to update regulations for the 21st century, and sometimes we must hold corporations accountable for putting profit before the public good. But regulations are expensive to enforce. That's why I believe that, in general, the state should utilize tax incentives instead of regulations to encourage sustainable, forward-thinking business practices. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Virginia? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| In general, I believe that education is one of the most important investments we can make it our future. An informed, educated populace is more productive, more invested in their community, and more likely to lead long, happy lives. I strongly support increasing funding for public education, and I believe it is critical that we adopt a fairer system for determining teacher salary. However, I also believe that we must alter our educational system to account for the needs of the next generation by expanding access to vocational programs and placing additional focus on specialized skills training. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, 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? | ||
| The climate crisis is the defining battle of our time, doubly so for Hampton Roads where flooding is an existential threat. The reason I decided to run for office is that we must do more NOW to combat the climate crisis, including investing in renewable energy and creating incentives and regulations to transition away from fossil fuels. In Virginia, we don't necessarily need to invest taxpayer money - we only need to compel Dominion to invest in sustainable projects rather than redundant pipelines. We can mitigate flooding, reduce CO2, and create 10,000-14,000 good-paying jobs, but we MUST invest now. | |||
| 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? | ||
| We must enforce common sense regulations that ensure the public's safety. That's why I support universal background checks, closing the "gun show" loophole, and certain types of Red Flag Law that effectively account for our rights. In the same way that I am not allowed to buy a car without a license and state-approved training, I believe it is reasonable to expect gun owners to undergo basic training to receive their licenses. As for teachers, I would only support allowing a select few designated teachers to carry guns if there were stringent training requirements and other safety mechanisms in place. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Virginia'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? | ||
| Vaccinations are one of few issues where public health outweighs personal freedom. We cannot allow preventable diseases to return due to misinformation and fear mongering. As for affordable healthcare, I believe Virginia must create a public option health insurance, especially for self-employed and unemployed Virginians. The biggest issue with the current system is that affordable "junk" plans provide virtually no coverage, while many people cannot afford quality plans. And as always, the brunt of the burden falls on working Virginians. If we cannot provide even basic healthcare to our citizens, then we have failed as a society. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Virginia state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| I see no reason why Virginia should allow discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or belief system. A sustainable society requires meritocratic mechanisms that reward innovation, talent, and hard work. Allowing discrimination is completely antithetical to a meritocracy because it places identity before productivity, ingenuity, and work ethic. We cannot allow unequal pay for equal work, just as we cannot allow our citizens to be persecuted for their beliefs and identity. It is undoubtedly a complex problem requiring subtle, nuanced intervention, but I believe it is our government's responsibility to protect its all of its citizens. | |||
| My legislative priorities are to create tax incentives to mitigate flooding (see below), invest in a clean energy economy that will create thousands of good-paying jobs while lowering CO2 emissions, and maintain a manageable cost of living for our state. A clean energy economy, based on wind and solar energy, will provide cheap, sustainable power that will attract businesses, while manufacturing wind turbines is an unparalleled economic opportunity for Hampton Roads. I will also seek to pass legislation designed to keep food, housing, and healthcare affordable for all Virginians, though this will undoubtedly require broad, concerted effort by the GA. | |||
| Flooding is an existential threat to my district. As a Class A contractor and LEED Accredited Professional, I know that there are many things we can do today to mitigate recurrent flooding, including using permeable materials and bioretention. I propose creating tax incentives to encourage homeowners and developers to utilize these strategies, scaled to incomes so that low-income families can also invest in flood mitigation. These credits will pay for themselves - taxpayer money will be used to stop flooding regardless, but bigger storm drains and floodgates are far more expensive, especially if we don't curb runoff at its source. |
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