Elijah Reichlin-Melnick's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Elijah Reichlin-Melnick did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2024 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
New York 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 believe that every woman should have the right to control their own bodies and have access to legal and safe abortions. Having a child is one of the most important decisions a person can make. If a woman's pregnancy is unintended, or worse, as a result of incest or rape, the government should not impose on that personal and life-changing decision. New York State government must instead provide quality reproductive healthcare, which includes accessible abortions, contraceptives, and family planning services. This is not only critical to women's health, but will have lasting effects on their overall economic well-being. | |||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| b) In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | |||
| I do not support any tax increase on the middle class. To deal with the enormous budget deficits left by the pandemic, I will demand additional federal aid to state and local governments to avoid mass layoffs, reductions in services, or tax hikes. Average New Yorkers should not have to carry the financial burden of the current economic crisis. We need new sources of revenue to fill the state budget gap, including a multi-millionaires and billionaires tax bracket and legalizing and taxing marijuana. I am committed to protecting funding for education, healthcare, and public transportation systems from budget cuts. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Responsible campaign finance reform includes limiting large donations from powerful corporations or interest groups. Those entities should not be given unfair political favor over the will of the constituents that government officials are elected to represent. Public financing to match small donor campaign contributions would instead incentivize candidates to appeal to a broader group of people. In addition, tactics used for gerrymandering or voter suppression skew election results and are dangerous to our democracy. I support an independent redistricting commission. | |||
| Yes | 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 New York? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| No | f) Do you support eliminating cash bail for all crimes? | ||
| I believe people are innocent until proven guilty and that people accused of misdemeanors or most nonviolent felonies should not be jailed before trial simply because they can't afford bail. People charged with violent felonies or who pose an obvious flight risk or danger to society can and should be held on bail when appropriate. I have grave doubts about the cost of capital punishment and how unequally it is applied in some states, but I am not opposed in principle to capital punishment for terrorists and murderers. I support alternatives to incarceration for low level crimes. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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 New York? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support the legalization of mobile sports betting and wagering? | ||
| Many small businesses were struggling with high taxes or rising rents before the pandemic and now are facing dire circumstances. New York must take the lead in lending a hand to small business owners to weather this storm. This can allow them to safely and comfortably reopen their doors. I will fight to protect the rights of all workers to organize and collectively bargain free of coercion or intimidation, and be paid a living wage. Government regulations should of course always be evaluated to ensure they are necessary, but I oppose the conservative position that regulation is inherently suspect. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in New York? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in New York? | ||
| Yes | d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from New York high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Students around the country should master a basic portfolio of skills in order to succeed in today's challenging economy, but a single top down mandatory standard is not the way to go about achieving this goal. Charter schools should be well regulated to ensure they are providing an education of equivalent quality to traditional public schools. Funding to charters should never come at the expense of funding traditional public schools. I support substantially increased state funding for school districts (which will help reduce the local tax burden). Public colleges, universities, and trade schools should be tuition free for New Yorkers. | |||
| 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? | ||
| There is no greater threat to our long term future than climate change. Rising temperatures and rising sea levels would ruin ecosystems, damage our agricultural production, and cause hundreds of billions of dollars in flood damage in New York over the coming decades. In 2019, New York passed the most aggressive climate legislation in the nation, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). I believe that we must move quickly to implement the provisions of the CLCPA and provide new funding to develop renewable energy sources and protect coastal communities from the worst impacts of rising sea levels. | |||
| 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? | ||
| The gun violence epidemic has taken thousands of lives in communities across the nation. Children, teachers, and parents now live in fear that deadly violence could shatter the safety of our schools. I'm committed to fighting for public safety measures that will protect New Yorkers from gun violence including a ban on 'ghost guns', stricter measures to keep guns out of the hands of individuals with a history of mental illness or domestic violence, and more funding for school security measures such as a silent panic alarm in every school that links to local law enforcement. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through New York'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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support suspending rent payments for at least 90 days during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | ||
| Healthcare is a human right; all New Yorkers deserve affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare. My vision includes caps on prescription drug prices and the creation of a public option health plan for all New Yorkers. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers lost their jobs and lost their health insurance, resulting in painful consequences and further evidence as to why we need a public health insurance plan. I also support extending the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures as well as providing relief to landlords and mortgage holders who have lost income. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New York's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New York's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by New York state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring all public female-designated restrooms to provide free feminine hygiene products? | ||
| I firmly support the LGBTQ+ community and will defend their right to be free from discrimination, harassment, and violence. I'll ensure that students are protected from bullying and have access to LGBTQ+ affirming resources to feel safe and supported. I will also fight to reduce the gender pay gap by advocating for more affordable child care. This is especially important for parents struggling to work while taking care of young children and assisting with remote learning. I support paid family leave, so parents do not have to sacrifice their career for their children or a medical emergency. | |||
| Property taxes in Rockland and Westchester Counties are some of the highest in the country. I support maintaining the property tax cap that limits the growth of property taxes and will protect the STAR program from any reductions. Since the bulk of the property tax bill for families in the 38th Senate District goes towards school district taxes, my plan to direct more state funds to local school districts means property taxpayers will get a break. I'll also fight for a state fund to help local governments find ways to share services and consolidate operations to save taxpayers' money. | |||
| As a former teacher, I know the importance of increasing funding for our schools. Especially in today's uncertain environment, I'm committed to giving teachers more resources, so that they can effectively implement remote learning and continue to give their students the vital skills and education they need. I will strive to make sure that no student falls through the cracks due to COVID-19 stressors, or a lack of reliable internet access. Funding for schools should come from federal aid, raising taxes on multi-millionaires and billionaires, so that they pay their fair share, and cutting spending on low-priority projects. |
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