Bill Van Gerpen has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2014 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests.
Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
Yes | b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
No | c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | |||
Yes | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
Yes | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
Yes | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
Yes | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
i) Other or expanded principles: |
1) State Spending:Using the key, indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.2) State Taxes:Using the key,indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.3) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing South Dakota's budget by marking Yes (Y) or No (N).
Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
Slightly Decrease | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
Maintain Status | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
Slightly Decrease | h) Other or expanded categories: | ||
Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
Maintain Status | c) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
Maintain Status | d) Property taxes | ||
Maintain Status | e) Sales taxes | ||
Maintain Status | f) Other or expanded categories: | ||
No | a) Tapping into South Dakota's "rainy day" fund | ||
No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
Yes | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | |||
e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | |||
No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
[d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions] Candidate wrote "(upper management only)" |
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
Yes | 1) Individual | ||
Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
Yes | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
Yes | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
f) Other or expanded principles: |
Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
Yes | b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
No | c) Do you support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
No | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | |||
Yes | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
g) Other or expanded principles: |
Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
No | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
No | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
No | e) Do you support directing a portion of contractors' excise taxes into a grant fund for large construction projects? | ||
Yes | f) Do you support tax incentives for wind energy projects? | ||
g) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | |||
No | h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing forclosure? | ||
[d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?] Candidate wrote "(property tax breaks)" |
No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
No | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
Yes | c) Do you support eliminating tenure for new teachers? | ||
No | d) Should South Dakota provide financial incentives for teaching math and science? | ||
e) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | |||
No | f) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
g) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | |||
h) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from South Dakota high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | |||
i) Other or expanded principles: |
Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
Yes | b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
Yes | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to South Dakota's energy infrastructure? | ||
d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | |||
No | e) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
f) Other or expanded principles: |
a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | |||
No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
e) Other or expanded principles: |
No | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
Yes | b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | ||
Yes | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
No | d) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
Yes | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
No | f) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
g) Other or expanded principles: |
Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
No | b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions? | ||
No | c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in South Dakota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
No | d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in South Dakota's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
e) Other or expanded principles: |
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