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Paul Espinosa's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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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.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Paul Espinosa 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.

What is the Political Courage Test?
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.

West Virginia State Legislative Election 2020 Political Courage Test

Pro-life 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?
Yes c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
I supported legislation permitting public funding in the case of incest, rape or the health of the mother.
No a) In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions?
No b) In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
Yes c) Do you support reducing personal property taxes?
I support elimination of the tax on business equipment & inventory.
Yes a) Do you support a limit on campaign contributions to state candidates?
No b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
No c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
Yes d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
No e) Do you support automatic voter registration?
Yes f) Do you support creating an intermediate state court of appeals?
g) Other or expanded principles:
No a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
Yes b) Should an individual under 18 accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
Yes c) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
Yes d) Do you support the use of private prisons in West Virginia?
No e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders?
f) Other or expanded principles:
Yes a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Yes b) Do you support lowering state income taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
Yes c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
Yes d) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
No e) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of West Virginia?
No 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?
h) Other or expanded principles:
No a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in West Virginia?
Yes b) Do you support state funding for charter schools?
Yes c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in West Virginia?
No d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from West Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
e) Other or expanded principles:
No 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?
d) Other or expanded principles:
No a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
No b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
Yes c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom after passing gun safety training?
No d) Should a license be required for gun ownership?
e) Other or expanded principles:
Yes a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse?
No b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through West Virginia's health care programs?
No 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?
No e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations?
No f) Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19?
g) Other or expanded principles:
No a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in West Virginia's anti-discrimination laws?
No b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in West Virginia's anti-discrimination laws?
Yes c) Do you support greater efforts by West Virginia state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
No d) Do you support expanding anti-discrimination laws to include hair textures and protective hairstyles?
I oppose discrimination, but do not support the creation of additional protected classes.
In the following area, please explain in a total of 100 words or less, any additional priorities of your campaign that have not been covered in these questions.
I will continue my efforts to enact a performance-based funding model to ensure more equitable funding of our higher education institutions.

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