Doug Ross' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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Doug Ross has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2020 Political Courage Test.
Pennsylvania 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 fully support the right of women to choose to have an abortion in the first trimester - nobody should be allowed to use another person's body without their consent. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I support an increase in the income tax rate only when absolutely necessary. Before raising income taxes, I would look for ways to deliver state services more efficiently and look to new revenue sources like taxing legal marijuana. Raising the minimum wage would bring in additional tax revenue as well as reduce the need for state assistance expenditures. Currently, Pennsylvania's taxpayers are subsidizing low wage paying employers. Legalizing recreational marijuana could raise half a billion dollars in tax revenue. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support reducing the number of representatives in the Pennsylvania General Assembly? | ||
| No | g) Do you support limiting disaster declarations to 30 days unless approved by the legislature? | ||
| We need to try to get money out of politics as much as possible. Voting should be made as easy as possible | |||
| 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 Pennsylvania? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the legalization of recreational marijuana? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring state and local law enforcement agencies to publicly disclose use-of-force data reports? | ||
| Capital punishment has not been shown to be a deterrent. There is no way to undo an execution if one is later found to have been innocent. Mandatory minimum sentences take away the discretion of judges and juries. Marijuana is safer than alcohol in almost every way and should be legalized immediately. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| b) Do you support lowering state income taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | |||
| 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 Pennsylvania? | ||
| 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? | ||
| I would only support lowering state income taxes if the government was running a budget surplus. I would support reducing regulations that are impractical or don't make any rational sense. I could support requiring large companies to provide paid family leave, but forcing this on small businesses with few employees could be devastating. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Pennsylvania? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in Pennsylvania? | ||
| d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Pennsylvania high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | |||
| I don't believe that it is the state's job to enforce federal immigration laws. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the taxation of natural gas drilling? | ||
| We have the right to breathe clean air and drink clean water. | |||
| 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? | ||
| d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | |||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences on gun-related crimes? | ||
| Mandatory minimum sentences have not been shown to be a deterrent and take away the sentencing discretion of judges and juries. If we don't want guns to be purchased by people who shouldn't have them, then we need to require background checks on all sales of guns. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Pennsylvania's health care programs? | ||
| 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? | ||
| I support universal health care on a national level. Healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Pennsylvania state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| Nobody should face discrimination. | |||
| Eliminating cash bail for most non-violent offenses would allow more people to keep their jobs and work to support their families while awaiting trial. It would also free up jail space, saving the state and counties money. Currently, across the nation, more than a half million people who haven't been sentenced or convicted are locked up. | |||
| My top legislative priority is raising the minimum wage. A rising minimum wage will eventually lift all wages at the lower end of the pay spectrum. Rising wages will bring in more revenue to the state without raising tax rates. Higher wages will also decrease the need for assistance programs saving the state money. Finally, rising wages will lead to increased spending, as lower income households tend to spend a greater percentage of their income, which will fuel economic growth. Consider raising the minimum wage "trickle up economics". |
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