Ryan Marquardt has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2020 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
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? | ||
Politicians and the government should keep out of personal family planning decisions. The best way to stop abortion is to support education, fully fund foster and adoptive care services, and make contraception affordable and accessible. Public funds should not be used to pay for abortions. My mother died from a stroke four years ago, it destroyed her mind. From that experience, I do not view the heartbeat as the line in the sand. To me, what makes us human is cognitive development and that line in the sand for me falls when the developing fetus can begin to dream. |
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Iowa's budget.
No | a) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
No | b) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | ||
No | c) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients? | ||
Yes | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
The Iowa legislature went too far in their last tax cut package. We should leave in place tax cuts for middle income workers and families, but over 40% of the benefit went to less than 4% of the tax payers. For instance, if you make a million dollars, you will get over $18,000 back from the state in new cuts. Aiming the tax cuts at the middle and bottom will still see benefits accrue to the top income earners. |
Yes | a) Do you support any limits 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? | ||
At first I had no major concerns about requiring a government-issued photo ID in order to vote, but that has changed as I have knocked doors in my district. I have been to numerous retirement communities and assisted living residences, where folks no longer have a driver's license, their mobility is limited, and they are dependent upon publicly funded transportation services just to go to the grocery store. Requiring a photo ID for them is a big hurdle and many of them were just not planning to vote. |
No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
Yes | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
No | c) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
My biggest concern is cost. If local law enforcement is being asked to do federal law enforcement, additional federal resources need to compensate local taxpayers. I don't want the federal government shifting their costs and responsibilities onto local law enforcement and taxpayers. Employers should be required to use E-verify and cut the problem off at the source: the paycheck. Special waivers may be needed for low skill industries that struggle to find labor. |
No | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
Yes | b) Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
Yes | c) Do you support reducing state 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 Iowa? | ||
Yes | g) Do you support offering state tax incentives to attract businesses to Iowa? | ||
No | h) Do you support limiting the ability of state employees to use collective bargaining? | ||
The real key here is all things in balance. The state can stimulate the economy with spending, but only in times of extreme economic duress. Taxes need to be set at competitive rates, but we should not be racing to the bottom and undermining basic government functions. The state has a responsibility to reign in excessive and predatory behaviors of the private sector, but not to stifle it. Requiring drug tests for welfare recipients is expensive, and has not shown favorable benefit to cost. I would rather see them undergo financial literacy and career planning counseling. |
No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Iowa? | ||
No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
No | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Iowa high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
Yes | d) Do you support increasing funding for the state education budget? | ||
I want to enable our teachers to teach more to individual student needs and less to tests. My biggest concern about our education system is the rigidity of the curriculum can often stifle childrens' creativity and enthusiasm over time. I think it is imperative to push for an education system that allows children to be children, and allows them to do more self-directed learning. |
Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
Yes | b) Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
Yes | d) Do you support providing economic incentives to Iowa farmers who participate in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy ("INRS")? | ||
I think regulating greenhouse gas emissions works when it is based on testing and not based on using a specific technology (like catalytic converters). When you force the use of a specific technology, you remove the incentive and space for innovation. |
No | 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? | ||
No | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
I want to make sure that we are enforcing our current laws on the books and that we have robust reporting to our background check database. Although I don't like the idea of arming teachers, I view that as a local control issue and would support legislation that creates space for school districts to develop their own policies. |
Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Iowa's health care programs? | ||
No | 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? | ||
No | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
Yes | f) Do you support increasing state funding for children's mental health services? | ||
I think the concept of euthanasia is far more preferable than a lonely and isolated suicide and may be able to help more people through organ donation. It is certainly an option that I hope would be used very rarely. I struggle with a government forcing the burden on folks of carrying health insurance for just living. |
Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Iowa's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Iowa's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Iowa state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
Yes | d) Should state employees be held financially liable when sued for inappropriate behavior in the workplace? | ||
If a state employee knowingly grossly violates workplace norms and behavior they should be held liable and not the state. |
I want to end tax shell games that shift Iowa's tax burden onto low and middle class families and fight to end excessive corporate tax breaks and incentives. I will fight to restore the funding that allows for basic government functions to work like they are supposed to. That includes education, law enforcement, Medicaid, nursing home ombudsmen, and the court system. I want to support our rural farmers and businesses, that means funding the roads and bridges they depend on, exploring new crops like industrial hemp, and pushing for expanded rural high-speed internet access. |
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