Debbie Hollis' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Debbie Hollis has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2019 Political Courage Test.
Louisiana 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? | ||
| All medical decisions should be made between patients and their medical providers. Politicians have no role in this personal decision-making process. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Louisiana's budget.
| Yes | a) Do you support local governments' say over the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP), which allows approved manufacturing companies to be exempt from paying local property taxes for up to ten years? | ||
| No | b) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | c) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket | ||
| I support rigorous review, debate, and prioritization of state non-discretionary spending against other governmental functions. Hundreds of millions of dollars in Louisiana's budget divert State General Funds for a specific purpose, leaving higher education and healthcare exposed for reductions during times of deficit. This is unacceptable. I believe that the formula for gaming taxation needs to be more closely monitored by the State Legislature, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, and its associated entities as prescribed in state law. I support an annual review/audit of the judicial budget for Louisiana?s courts. This budget item increases every year regardless of Louisiana's deficit. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Since the US Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in its 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, multiple federal courts have found intentional racial discrimination in violation of the VRA. We need our state lawmakers & public officials to work together and restore the right vote to every Louisianan. I do not support the disenfranchisement of people who are in prison, or are on probation/parole. Currently, our state Constitution prohibits people ?under an order of imprisonment? for a felony conviction from voting. A 1976 law rescinded voting rights for people convicted of felonies who are on probation or parole. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | d) Do you support legislation that would ban holding cell phones while driving? | ||
| I will support legislation that requires trauma-informed care and de-escalation practices to be a part of every LEO's training. I support term limits for Sheriffs; this would help eliminate outdated methods of rehabilitation and allow fresh ideas to be implemented. I recently learned via the 2018 audit of the Caddo Correctional Center that inmates are charged a fee for face-to-face visitations, and they pay $3/minute for a phone call. This is inhumane and unethical. As stated earlier, I believe that rehabilitation should be the key goal for our corrections system - not generating profits from inmates. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | 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 Louisiana? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring employers to provide paid family leave? | ||
| No | h) Do you support using toll revenue to help fund a new bridge over the Mississippi River? | ||
| I support the right of Louisiana�s cities and municipalities to set their own minimum wage based on the current living wage in their region. I support increased regulation of environmental damage from chemical, oil & gas, and other pollution-generating companies in Louisiana. I support local control over granting/rescinding ITEP tax exemptions. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Louisiana? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Louisiana high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legalizing sports betting for the purpose of funding early childhood education programs? | ||
| I believe that basic educational standards should be applied to all public schools, but I do not support the teaching methods of Common Core or "teaching to the test." I believe that graduation from a Louisiana public high school should be considered a formal step toward the legal immigration process. We should rescind taxpayer-funded "vouchers" for all private, parochial, and charter schools that are managed by for-profit companies. All MFP dollars should be allocated to public schools. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Oil and gas companies must strictly adhere to the requirements stated in their permits. They must repair our coastline after digging canals, and adhere to all rules regarding pollution and toxins. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I support a universal waiting period for the purchase of all guns, a national database or registry of gun owners, a ban on assault-type rifles and the sale of high-capacity magazines for semi-automatic weapons to civilians, "red flag" laws, and mandatory professional training and certification for all persons prior to their purchasing a gun. I support the 2nd Amendment, and the right of law-abiding, mentally-stable Americans to own and carry registered firearms for sport and for personal protection. I have received the �Candidate of Distinction� award from the national Moms Demand Action against Gun Violence organization. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Louisiana's health care programs? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| I support full access to all safe, legal reproductive options: pregnancy and birth, adoption, co-parenting, surrogacy, abortion, and birth control. Comprehensive sexuality education should be available to all children in Louisiana�s public school system, and should require parental permission and SEICUS-certified instruction. Parents of public school students should have the option to allow their children to be anonymously interviewed by the State Departments of Education and Health regarding their sexual health and sexual practices for the purposes of public health reporting, education and instruction, and disease prevention. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Louisiana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Louisiana's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Louisiana state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| I support equal pay for equal work, and oppose any discrimination in the workplace. Currently, the Louisiana Employment Discrimination Law prohibits private employers with 20+ employees from intentionally discriminating in the compensation of any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), sickle-cell trait, or protected genetic information. I believe this mandate should extend to all employers, regardless of the number of people they employ and whether they are private/public employers. I have received an endorsement from the national Working Families Party. | |||
| In my district, the poverty rate is 43% - 56% (Source: United Way of Northwest Louisiana 2019 ALICE Report). Louisiana has the nation�s second-highest poverty rate, and our child poverty rate is the highest in the country. The economic gap between rich and poor is the fourth-highest in the country (Source: Louisiana Budget Project). Poverty is the core intersectional issue affecting education, opportunity and justice in Louisiana. I have helped shape policies related to poverty, reproductive rights, equality and education for many years as an advocate and outspoken community leader; I can affect even greater change as a State Senator. | |||
| I believe that working to alleviate poverty is the key component to building healthy families and a healthy state. I will work to educate local taxing authorities about their right to rescind ITEP tax exemptions, and relieve the tax burden on home & property owners and small businesses. Big corporations should pay their fair share of taxes in Louisiana. Rescinding the bulk of ITEP tax exemptions will fund countless public schools, infrastructure repairs, and quality of life initiatives across our state. I will also propose & support legislation that raises the state's minimum wage to a living wage. |
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