Brent Finnegan's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Brent Finnegan has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2019 Political Courage Test.
Virginia State Legislative Election 2019 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| There is clear evidence that funding science-based sex education, making long-acting reversable contraceptives available to all women, and supporting family-friendly policies and programs (maternity/paternity leave, access to health care, affordable childcare, etc.) actually reduce abortions and save states money in other social services. So-called pro-life policies merely insert the state into medical decisions that should be made by women with their doctors without any real effect on abortion rates. I support policies that are pro-family and supportive of women's rights. | |||
Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Virginia's budget.
| No | a) Do you support a state regulated and taxed sports gambling system? | ||
| No | b) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | c) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | ||
| Yes | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| We don't need to promote gambling to raise the public money we need to pay for schools, roads, and other services. Virginia has one of the most unfair tax systems in the country. Someone making $17,000 per year pays the same rate as someone making millions. An overhaul of the tax code must be a top priority if Virginia is going to maintain a world-class educational system, a robust economy, protect the environment, and achieve other goals that will make life better for everyone. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Voting is central to a robust democracy and it is essential that voters choose their representatives not the other way around. Districts must not be drawn by those who will benefit from the results (regardless of party). Access to voting must be expanded and voting rights must be upheld. The requirement for a government-issued ID discriminates against the poor and the elderly. Virginia needs a top-to-bottom reform of the campaign finance system. It is particularly important to prevent corporations that are publicly regulated from funding those who must regulate them. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| No | b) Should a minor 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the legalization of recreational marijuana? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support banning the use of cell phones and other handheld communication devices while driving? | ||
| The death penalty, like the entire criminal justice system, is deeply tied to the legacy of racial injustice and there are too many cases where innocent individuals have been condemned to death. Neuroscience research is making it clear that the human brain is not fully developed until later than we thought. Children must be dealt with as children. Local law enforcement is there to keep communities safe. That can't happen if immigrant communities won't report crimes out of fear that someone will be deported. In addition to legalizing marijuana, criminal records should be expunged for those with minor possession offenses. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | b) Do you support lowering state income taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Virginia? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring employers to provide paid family leave? | ||
| I don't support handouts for big corporations to move to Virginia. I support investing in a green economy and infrastructure development to increase jobs and boost the economy. See my earlier response on the tax system. Government regulations should be reviewed and made efficient, but not eliminated. They are necessary protections for residents of Virginia. Rather than testing people for drugs, let's fund rehabilitation programs. Given the vast differences in cost of living across the Commonwealth, the state should set a floor based on the lowest cost of living and allow localities to set their own minimum wage laws. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Virginia? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Students in Virginia should be provided the best education and that does not mean a system that teaches to the test. So, it would depend on what is meant by adopting federal standards and how they were implemented. The state should support public education. There is no win in keeping students -- many brought here by their parents -- from accessing education that allows them to be productive participants in the economy. We can't wait for the federal government to sort out problems with immigration policies. Virginia needs to support young people who are here regardless of their status. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, 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? | ||
| The fossil fuel economy was built with heavy government subsidies and is maintained the same way. It is time for the taxpayers to move their investment to clean energy. If the federal government won't continue moving the country toward the agreements in the Paris Accords, the states must lead. And, anyone looking at the disaster in Flint knows that the state has a significant role in making sure residents have access to clean safe water. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| Along with the vast majority of Americans, I support sensible gun laws. The mass shootings get the attention, but sixty-one percent of gun deaths are suicides. We can do better to save lives. Yes, we should look at the option of requiring a license for gun ownership. We require people to pass a test to drive a car. It probably makes sense to test people on gun safety, something the NRA used to advocate for before it was taken over by the gun industry and used as a lobbying organization. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Virginia's health care programs? | ||
| c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | |||
| e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | |||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Virginia state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| We should add worker-owned enterprises to the list of businesses that get preference for publicly funded contracts. This is an easy way to diversify the economy and create local wealth. | |||
| The top issue coming up at the doors is affordable housing. Families have not recovered from the recession. The solutions are a combination of fixing the tax code, raising wages, creating a sales tax revenue sharing program that localities can opt into for affordable housing programs, and incentivizing denser housing (which also solves transportation and pollution problems). |
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