Michael Hutchinson's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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Michael Hutchinson has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2024 Political Courage Test.
Minnesota 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? | ||
| This is about bodily autonomy, the government does not have the right to be in the discussion with your doctor when it comes to childbirth, vaccines, organ donation, end of life options or any other medical choice. | |||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support limiting state government spending on social programs (e.g. SNAP, TANF)? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| The rich must pay their fair share, which they have historically avoided at all costs. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support Minnesota's recent legalization of marijuana for recreational use? | ||
| 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 Minnesota? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support government spending on affordable housing projects in Minnesota? | ||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards (e.g. Common Core) in Minnesota? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in Minnesota? | ||
| No | d) Should immigrants in the United States who graduate from Minnesota high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities, regardless of immigration status? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| Yes | 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 | d) Do you support the continued allotment of revenue generated by the state-operated lottery to the Environment and Natural Resources Fund through the end of 2050? | ||
| My support of allowing State Governments to drill on State owned public lands does not mean I encourage this, just that I do not believe the Federal government should have the ability to dictate to States how they use State owned lands. Those choices should go to the people of that State to decide. | |||
| 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 Minnesota? | ||
| If either every state, or the federal government provided an easy to obtain, no cost, government ID, then I would be fine with that being required to vote, otherwise it is just a Poll Tax with extra steps. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the right to concealed carry in Minnesota? | ||
| I am a responsible gun owner, that means I understand that it is a dangerous weapon to be treated with respect and properly stored away from children and people in crisis. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you support inclusion of sexual orientation in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Minnesota's state government in closing gender, racial, and other wage gaps? | ||
| My top priority will always be the well-being of the residents of District 20b, and then our friends and families across Minnesota. As for legislation, I will fight for proper funding for rural infrastructure, education, support and emergency services, with an emphasis on making sure we start to treat EMS as an essential service and fund it accordingly. In the more rural parts of District 20b, we have neighbors that have to wait 30+ minutes for an ambulance to arrive: That's unacceptable when someone is in crisis, and making sure people can live safely in their homes is what our state government should be focused on. I also strongly believe that getting money out of politics and expanding beyond two-party dominance is necessary to strengthen our democracy and get our government back to serving the people properly and effectively. When I get to the State House I will push for Ranked Choice Voting, an end to elected officials trading stocks, and additional transparencies for all organization or PAC money used to influence our elections. |
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