Heather Mitchell's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Heather Mitchell is currently being tested through the 2021 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.
Virginia State Legislative Election 2019 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| Abortion is already legal. I believe in the sanctity of all life. | |||
Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Virginia's budget.
| a) Do you support a state regulated and taxed sports gambling system? | |||
| b) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | |||
| c) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | |||
| d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | |||
| I believe the state should institute a zero based budgeting system. If each department starts not at the top, but the bottom, savings of at least 20% can be found. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| e) Do you support automatic voter registration? | |||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Should a minor 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? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| I support decriminalizing marijuana, not legalizing it. Decriminalization means individuals caught with small amounts of marijuana for personal consumption won�t be prosecuted and won�t subsequently receive a criminal record or a jail sentence. | |||
| No | 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 expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | g) Do you support requiring employers to provide paid family leave? | ||
| I feel that minimum wage should be adjusted to the rate of inflation. I do not support a $15 minimum wage. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Virginia? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| No | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | |||
| I support a tax neutral funding for clean drinking water initiatives. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| 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? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | |||
| b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through 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? | ||
| The state should have more partnerships with private healthcare facilities that specialize in opioid abuse and offer them tax incentives. Medicaid expansion was passed in 2017 and I will vote for continued funding. | |||
| a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| c) Do you support greater efforts by Virginia state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | |||
| � 2.2-3900 of the Virginia Code 1. Safeguard all individuals within the Commonwealth from unlawful discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, or disability, in places of public accommodation, including educational institutions and in real estate transactions; in employment; preserve the public safety, health and general welfare; and further the interests, rights and privileges of individuals within the Commonwealth; and 2. Protect citizens of the Commonwealth against unfounded charges of unlawful discrimination. | |||
| Virginia is one of 8 states that tax military retirement. As of December 2018, there are 127,539 ACTIVE DUTY and 25,568 RESERVISTS in Virginia. Many in the military finish their careers in Virginia, but move out of state after retirement. If Virginia didn�t tax veterans on their retirement, these military members would stay in VA, spend their money in VA, which would help grow the economy. | |||
| Transportation/infrastructure is the #1 issue in my district. One of my top legislative priorities is to take a regional approach to congestion. In conjunction with the CTB findings of the I-95 corridor study, the state should encourage a regional partnership with the localities in regards to bus services, VRE services, slugging, etc. By taking a regional approach, as opposed to individual localities, we can ease congestion by working together. |
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