Peter Buck's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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Peter Buck 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 know that when women decide whether or not to terminate a pregnancy with their doctors, partners and faith leaders they can make the best decision for them. Having know enough women who've chosen in both directions, their freedom to make a well-informed values-based decision is best for them and for all of us. | |||
| 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? | ||
| In the vast majority of cases, I support maintaining salaries, benefits and pensions for state employees and would favor raising taxes on the wealthy to ensure we have well-supported excellent government personnel. That being said, there may be very difficult circumstances where salary and pension cuts would be necessary for solvency. It should be the last option. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Inordinately wealthy people, dark corporate money and a lack of sunshine distorts our political system's priorities. We need comprehensive legislation and/or a series of legislative packages that will put a cap on individual campaign contributions. We should increase transparency for campaign finance and on leglslators' activities, whether they are communications or meetings. Sadly, the PA legislature is not as open to sunshine as they have required the Governor to be. The PA lower chamber should be cut down by 1/3 to 1/2, from 203 down to 135 to 103. I will fight to end gerrymandering. | |||
| 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? | ||
| As a Unitarian Universalist, I believe in the dignity and worth of all people. As such, I stand on the side of restorative justice in the vast majority of rightful convictions and the creation of a criminal justice system that helps all people heal. That system should move away from the criminalization of recreational marijuana. Marijuana is a relatively benign drug, doing far less damage to people than alcohol does. With good oversight, education, regulation and a fair market, the state could also bring in revenue while supporting jobs. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| The Government has a necessary & powerful role in guaranteeing a healthy, economically secure and prosperous people. The market can work when it is based in living wages, broad prosperity, family security, dedicated to social & environmental health & backed by research & development. Regulation may be too much or too little: but is it right? Currently, the wrong regulations exist in many places. They need to be modernized for a healthier economy. I support subsidized family leave & more financial relief for smaller businesses & targeted sectors during COVID-19. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | 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 support Next Generation Science Standards. Federal standards now prioritize the wrong things in a democracy. They are too focused on STEM, leaving the joy out of education for too many kids who thrive in the arts, history and career and technical education. I would support charter schools in Pennsylvania if so many weren't ripping off taxpayers, especially our special needs families. We must change that law! Teachers are professionals. They should be treated & paid as such. People whose parents illegally immigrated to the US should not suffer for their parents' deeds. Let's welcome them to our Commonwealth's promise. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Human-caused climate change is real, people cause it & we can do so much about it. I have passed aggressive local climate change legislation, chair intergovernmental climate and solar energy groups, advanced park, riparian easement, forest & green building initiatives, and worked on the Penn State's 70 MW solar power purchase agreement, the Commonwealth's largest. I've also petitioned for a cap & trade system & called for a severance tax & more on natural gas. Pennsylvania's public & private storm water, sanitation and drinking water infrastructure are in appalling shape because of lack of investment. We must do better. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences on gun-related crimes? | ||
| In 1996, filled with "insane rage," Jillian Robbins armed herself with a 7mm high-power Mauser rifle she'd gotten from her father. She took aim & murdered Melanie Spalla, 21. Another student was injured. 21-year-old Brandon Malovrh found Robbins, disarmed her after she tried to stab him but stabbed herself. The police arrived. The community was shocked. What if Robbins had an AR-15? Her five shots could have easily been dozens. Our state needs to focus on the "well-regulated" part of our Second Amendment. We are only free if we are responsible. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| I've lost a student to the opioid epidemic and a friend to heroin. They needed help and couldn't get it. It breaks my heart. While I support requiring individuals having to purchase healthcare, we need a greatly enhanced public option in the United States to drive down costs and enhance access for everyone. As someone who believes in a dignified life and death, I support careful, kind, pain-free and highly consultative euthanasia. Paid medical leave should be required but also subsidized. | |||
| 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? | ||
| So many important people in my life are LGBTQ+. My sister and her wife, my cousins, my college roommate, friends of my parents, co-workers, my son's friends and many more. It is long past time that we guarantee their Constitutional rights through protective legislation. It is nothing short of appalling that women are paid less than men. For the last six years, I have worked in a majority woman organization. Believe me, work their rear ends off every day, sometimes putting us men to shame. They deserve equal pay for equal work! | |||
| I support Governor Wolf's call to legalize recreational marijuana. With proper oversight and regulation, marijuana sales could lead to better outcomes for all of us. In the Age of COVID, which could go on for quite some time, government should be looking for common sense ways to sure up the economy. committed to passing legislation that advances racial equality, significantly reforms police and the use of force, and redresses massive social inequities in education, business, and healthcare. Last year, members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus introduced significant police reform bills. I support all of them. | |||
| Pennsylvania has some of the worst transparency and anti-corruption laws in the country. This includes an end to gerrymandering through legislation now that we've failed to do it through a Constitutional amendment for fair districting. But there is a bill on the table we could pass. For anti-corruption, I would build a bipartisan and bicameral gang of sixteen to put it together and pass it. Funding these would not be difficult as the oversight, enforcement and prosecution would be in the Office of the Attorney General. |
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