W. Shimeall's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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W. Shimeall did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2022 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.
Kansas 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 bodily autonomy is the right to govern one's own body, free of coercion or fear. Having agency over one's body is at the heart of ending sexual violence. I believe that very person has control over one set of reproductive organs - his or her own. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support lowering the state sales tax on groceries? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the creation of a tax on internet streaming services? | ||
| No | e) Do you support prohibiting the reallocation of funds designated for highway projects? | ||
| For too long we have seen the erosion of the middle class with a tax shift to benefit a few wealthy donors to the leadership of the legislature, while placing a greater and greater burden on Kansans by forcing an increase in property and sales taxes. I believe support fiscal responsibility in government, but raiding KDOT and KPERS to pay for their tax shift is not sound policy. Their tax shift has resulted in basic unfairness and have hindered social mobility for working Kansans. I will work to restore a proper balance between income, property and sales tax. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I believe that the proof of citizenship requirement is designed for voter suppression. As voters we sign that we are dully-registered citizens when we cast our vote. Lying when one signs that pledge results in a felony of voter fraud. As citizens, that bond or pledge should be sufficient to participate and have our voice count in an election. 2020 is a crucial election for so many reasons and it is particularly so pertaining next year's reapportionment of electoral boundaries to protect KS from gerrymandering. Voters should choose their representatives, not representative choosing their voters. | |||
| 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 Kansas? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| I am committed to the reformation of the criminal justice system, with a shift to treatment, rehabilitation and education. KS is in the top 10 states for juvenile recidivism and I support the continued implementation of the juvenile justice reform that was implemented in 2016. Lower recidivism rates in both adult and juvenile incarceration is a benefit to KS taxpayers, communities and particularly KS families. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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 Kansas? | ||
| 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? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the legalization of mobile sports betting and wagering? | ||
| I support creating new KS job through investment in research and new technologies. I support targeted funding and support for entrepreneurship, agribusiness and small business growth in underserved communities. I believe that when funding/tax incentives are given to businesses they must agree to invest in our communities. Kansans are people and not a commodity. As a state the investment in creating and maintaining a quality infrastructure; schools, communication, transportation and medical services are valuable aspects in the recruitment of industry and new businesses. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Kansas? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in Kansas? | ||
| Yes | d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Kansas high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I am a life-long educator with oner four and a half decades of service to public education. As a fifth generation Kansan I know that education is a core value of my state. Quality public education, pre-K through post-secondary, is one of the best investments Kansas can make to insure a future for our children and grandchildren. I support attracting and retaining professionally licensed teachers and believe that our teachers deserve not only respect but pay and benefits that demonstrates that respect. | |||
| 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? | ||
| The health of Kansans is dependent on the quality of our water, air and soil. Legislation and state policies must support planning that enhances, rather than diminishes the natural assets and quality of life we pass onto our children and grandchildren. I will support incentives to assist farmers, industries and municipalities for the adoption of more environmentally-friendly practices. My career in education was in both Kansas and Nebraska schools. In both states I saw the effect of the depletion father Ogallala Aquifer, and the silting of reservoirs. I support the governor's efforts for a state-wide water plan. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Kansas has some of the weakest gun safety laws in our county and stronger gun safe guards will save lives. As a citizen, I support sensible gun-owning practices. As a medic with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam, I experienced first hand the effects of weapons of war. Gun violence is a public health crisis that costs the lives of a 100+ Americans every day. Weapons of war with high load magazines belong in the military. I support "red flag" laws facilitate the lawful temporary removal of guns from individuals in crisis. I support universal background checks to promote gun safety. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Kansas' health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Even before the pandemic financial crisis over 150,000 Kansans were in the health care coverage gap. Individuals that earned too much to qualify of KanCare but not enough to be able to purchase health insurance. Now skyrocketing unemployment due to the pandemic thousands more Kansans have lost insurance that was a job related benefit. Expansion of Medicaid is more critical now than ever. Expansion will help both low-wage working Kansans and the newly unemployed gain and maintain health insurance during this critical time. It will help people to manage their health and promote to many the ability to maintain employment. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Kansas' anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Kansas' anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Kansas state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| d) Do you support expanding anti-discrimination laws to include hair textures and protective hairstyles? | |||
| The fight for equal rights and a non-discrimination ordinance by Johnson County communities was an effort that was required due to the refusal of the Kansas Legislature to provide such protections. In Olathe, city leaders claimed that was a state issue and the legislature claimed that local home rule issue. Such it was a Catch 22, an excuse for both to do nothing. Protections against discrimination regarding sexual orientation and gender identity must be statewide and not dependent on local ordinances. The legislature must amend the Kansas Act Against Discrimination to include those protections. | |||
| I am running to restore integrity, accountability and representation to House District 26. For too long the needs of ordinary Kansans are not even considered in Legislative Hearings by corrupt rules which place near total power in the hands of the Republican leadership. For too long Republican leadership antics have corrupted the democratic process to benefit only those who paid for their election and not Kansans. | |||
| First and foremost the expansion of medicaid is paramount for the health our state. I fail to understand how the legislative leaders hold hostage the health of thousands of Kansans and the economic stability of rural communities in order to promote a radical political agenda. It is essential that the super majority of the GOP in the KS House and the KS Senate be broken before common sense bi-paristian healthcare legislation can even be considered, let alone passed. |
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