Jim Bates' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
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Jim Bates has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2024 Political Courage Test.
Missouri State Legislative Election 2024 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 (e.g. Medicaid) for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| Healthcare is a private issue that should be determined by the patient, their doctor, and their family. | |||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support limiting state government spending on social programs (e.g. SNAP, TANF)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a decrease in income taxes in order to promote economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support a wealth tax in order to pay for public programs in your state? | ||
| I support eliminating the state sales tax on food, diapers, and feminine hygiene products. I will support any tax cut that can be shown to be budget neutral and will be overwhelming in favor of the struggling and working people of Missouri. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for violent crimes? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders? | ||
| While I used to be in favor of capital punishment I have had a change of heart within the last 15 or so years. There are way to many cases of the poor, especially from small towns who have been wrongfully convicted. With life imprisonment if there is a mistake made it can be corrected. If the sentence is death there is no way to correct a mistake. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth (e.g. grants, tax incentives)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector (e.g. for business or the environment)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage in Missouri? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support government spending on affordable housing projects in Missouri? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the legalization of gambling on sporting events in Missouri? | ||
| I support grants and tax incentives to help economic growth. But we must be sure we are getting our money's worth and are not selling our shelves short. In order to qualify for a grant or tax incentive they company must offer well paying jobs with good benefits. I support streamlining our regulations in Missouri. Making sure we don�t have duplicate or outdated regulations. I also favor funding and staffing our state government, so that they are able to do their jobs more efficiently. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards (e.g. Common Core) in Missouri? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in Missouri? | ||
| Yes | d) Should immigrants in the United States who graduate from Missouri high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities, regardless of immigration status? | ||
| I support using federal guidelines as just that a guide. Every state and district is different so they should have the final say in how they meet educational standards. I would support the funding of charter schools as long as they have to follow the same guidelines and standards of public schools. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state governments allowing permits for drilling on public lands? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| Yes | a)Do you support limiting campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the use of an independent or bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | c) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support automatic voter registration? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the implementation of ranked choice voting in Missouri? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation (e.g. red flag laws, closing the boyfriend loophole)? | ||
| Yes | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the right to concealed carry in Missouri? | ||
| I support the right to conceal carry with a permit approved by the county sheriff, after a background check, training and qualification. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a government-run (e.g. single-payer) healthcare program such as Medicare-for-All? | ||
| Yes | c) Should an individual have the right to choose to die (e.g. those with a terminal illness) through euthanasia? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support mandating vaccinations (e.g. for school or employment)? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave benefits (e.g. maternity leave)? | ||
| Yes | f) Should the government be able to regulate the cost of prescription drugs? | ||
| No | g) Do you support banning gender affirming care for transgender individuals under the age of eighteen? | ||
| Private employers have the right to protect the health of their employees. If they deem the best way to do that is through vaccinations then the government should not interfere. Again health care decisions should be private and made by the patient, their doctor, and their family. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support inclusion of sexual orientation in Missouri's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Missouri's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Missouri's state government in closing gender, racial, and other wage gaps? | ||
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