Anna Kaplan's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Anna Kaplan 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.
New York 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? | ||
| One of my main priorities when running for the NYS Senate in 2018 was to pass the Reproductive Health Act and codify Roe v. Wade into the NYS Constitution. During my first month in Albany, I proudly co-sponsored and passed this legislation, which had long been blocked by the previous Republican Majority. I also co-sponsored and passed the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act, expanding access to contraception for more New Yorkers, and the Boss Bill to prevent discrimination based on reproductive health choices. I strongly believe in upholding reproductive freedom and will continue fighting against rollbacks on the federal level. | |||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| b) In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | |||
| Keeping taxes in check for Long Islanders is one of my top priorities. That's why I will fight to ensure that tax increases do not come at the expense of our middle-class families or local economy. However, I've signed onto the pied-a-terre tax and the ultra-millionaires' tax bills because I believe they propose sensible revenue streams that won't hurt Long Island families. | |||
| 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 co-sponsored and passed legislation to close the LLC loophole and ensure LLCs are subject to corporation contribution limits, while also providing LLC membership information to the BOE to improve transparency. I also proudly passed and co-sponsored a package of election reform legislation to allow early voting in NY, no excuse absentee voting, pre-registration for 16- and 17-year olds, and same day voter registration. These vital reforms will make it easier for New Yorkers to vote and help to expand civic participation in our democracy. | |||
| a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | |||
| b) Should an individual under 18 accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| 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 New York? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| No | f) Do you support eliminating cash bail for all crimes? | ||
| I have been and will continue to be a moderate voice on public safety reforms in our state. When bail reform was originally passed in NYS as part of the budget process, I successfully fought to make significant changes to keep violent criminals off of our streets. I have also secured $1 million in funding for gang violence prevention initiatives on LI and $1.5 million for gang prevention education in NYS. I also secured $46,000 for the Nassau Coalition Against Domestic Violence to combat domestic violence on LI. | |||
| 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? | ||
| 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 New York? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | h) Do you support the legalization of mobile sports betting and wagering? | ||
| As the Chair of the Small Business Committee, I've been a committed advocate for local businesses. I hosted four webinars to connect businesses with relief programs and reopening information during the pandemic. I also hosted the first virtual hearing of the NYS Legislature on the Federal Response to the Economic Impact of the Coronavirus on New York's Small Business Community. I co-sponsored legislation creating a state disaster emergency loan program for small businesses. I've fought for legislation to reduce the tax rate on businesses, expand tax credits and deductions, support savings and investment opportunities, and reduce the regulatory burden. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in New York? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in New York? | ||
| Yes | d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from New York high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| As a State Senator, I have fought tirelessly to ensure our local students have the resources they need to succeed. In my first term, I secured a record breaking $47 million in added funding for schools in my district, as well as additional funding for long under-funded schools. I also voted to decouple student test scores from teacher's evaluations, allowing our teachers and local school districts more freedom to determine the needs of our students. | |||
| 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? | ||
| During my first term in the State Senate, I passed historic legislation to fight the effects of climate change, protect Long Island water quality and prevent waste in our communities. I proudly co-sponsored and passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, historic legislation to develop our green economy and reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions. I also voted to prevent oil and gas drilling off the coast of LI and secured millions in state funds for clean water initiatives. I also passed a plastic bag ban to prevent plastic bag waste and overconsumption. | |||
| 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? | ||
| I passed legislation allowing out-of-state mental health records to be accessed for background checks when applying for a firearm in NYS. I also introduced and passed legislation to ban unfinished receivers, which are used to create untraceable firearms. I co-sponsored a variety of policies to expand background checks, keep illegal guns off our streets, and prevent at-risk individuals from accessing firearms. I also closed the out-of-state gun loophole, voted to allow police officers to confiscate firearms from domestic abusers, and have been named a 'Gun Sense Candidate' by Moms Demand Action. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through New York's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| f) Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | |||
| g) Do you support suspending rent payments for at least 90 days during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | |||
| I voted for legislation to provide rental vouchers for tenants affected by COVID. These vouchers will help tenants, while ensuring that landlords are financially supported. I support providing paid sick leave during a public health crisis, but it must be based on business size. Currently, businesses with 4 or fewer employees must provide UNPAID sick leave. This distinction takes into account that small businesses may not have the means to provide paid leave, but also ensures workers can take off if needed. If re-elected, I will look for ways to expand paid sick leave without added burden to businesses. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New York's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New York's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by New York state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring all public female-designated restrooms to provide free feminine hygiene products? | ||
| If re-elected, I will continue to fight for LGBTQ/TGNC New Yorkers, as I have done in my first term. I proudly co-sponsored the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act and the ban on conversion therapy, ensuring that New Yorkers of all sexual orientation and gender identities are protected. I have also supported a variety of bills to prevent discrimination and hate crimes, including the Equal Rights Amendment, legislation to abolish the gay panic defense, the repeal of the Walking While Trans ban, and the Hate Crimes Analysis and Review Act. | |||
| (1) Keeping taxes in check for Long Islanders (2) Providing the funding and resources our schools need to give our kids the best education (3) Keeping our communities safe by ending the gun violence epidemic (4) Standing up for small businesses and our local economy | |||
| Ending the gun violence epidemic is one of my main priorities as a State Senator. I will fight to ensure our state budget continues funding for anti-gun violence initiatives, like New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, while also funding education programs to stop violence, like the $1.5 million in gang prevention education funding that I secured during my first term. I will also work to secure funding for new initiatives and organizations that can further the cause. |
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