Sara Gelser Blouin's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Office:
- State Senate (OR) - District 8, Democratic Majority Whip
Key
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Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Sara Gelser Blouin 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.
Oregon State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| b) Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy? | |||
| Yes | c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods? | ||
| No | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? | ||
| All choices about reproductive health belong to a woman, her doctor and her spiritual advisor. I support robust sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention in order to prevent unplanned pregnancy. | |||
1) State SpendingIndicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category- you can use a number more than once.2) State TaxesIndicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category- you can use a number more than once.3) Budget StabilizationIndicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Oregon's budget.
| a) Education (higher) | |||
| b) Education (K-12) | |||
| c) Environment | |||
| d) Health care | |||
| e) Law enforcement | |||
| f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | |||
| g) Welfare | |||
| a) Alcohol taxes | |||
| b) Cigarette taxes | |||
| c) Corporate taxes | |||
| d) Gasoline taxes | |||
| e) Property taxes | |||
| f) Income taxes (low-income families) | |||
| g) Income taxes (middle-income families) | |||
| h) Income taxes (high-income families) | |||
| a) Tapping into Oregon's "rainy day" fund | |||
| b) Redirecting excess income tax collections to a permanent "rainy day" fund | |||
| c) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | |||
| d) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | |||
| e) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | |||
| f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | |||
| g) Privatizing certain government services | |||
| There is a difference between desiring increased funding for programs, and having access to the funds to pay for it. Right now, nearly all of our programs could benefit from increased fiscal resources if they were available. However, we face a substantial revenue shortfall next session and will be in the position of prioritizing funding reductions. | |||
| It is impossible to state support or opposition to any kind of tax without looking at the specific proposal, how it impacts other revenue streams, what would be cut to pay for tax reductions, and what would be paid for with tax increases. | |||
| Due to the magnitude of our budget shortfall, we will need to use a variety of tools to balance the state budget. However, it is impossible to commit to how much of each item will be needed without seeing the total package. | |||
d) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Oregon governors? | |||
| No | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Oregon state legislators? | ||
| Yes | c) Should the Oregon state legislature be required to convene in annual sessions? | ||
| 1) Individual | |||
| 2) Political Action Committee | |||
| 3) Corporate | |||
| 4) Political Party | |||
| e) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Oregon's constitution currents bars limits on political contributions. While I am inteersted in campaign finance reform, Oregon voters would first need to agree to allow for that through a constitutional change. | |||
| a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| No | c) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| d) Should minors accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as adults? | |||
| e) Should minors who send sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | |||
| No | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| The questions on minors are much too broad to answer well-- it depends on the crime, the circumstance, and the context of the offense. | |||
| a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | |||
| b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | |||
| There are places where government regulation of the private sector could be eased, but there are other areas where regulation is critical. I do support spending on necessary infrastructure for the purpose of job creation. I would need to see the specifics of any proposal about direct financial assistance, and consider that in the context of the state budget. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | |||
| c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | |||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Oregon high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| We need to focus our education discussions on student outcomes, and increase the number of students leaving school ready for college or career. This means ensuring a variety of public learning options to meet the needs of a diverse student population. While we have much work to do to ensure all kids have access to the best possible education, there is much to be proud of in Oregon's public education system. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | |||
| c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | |||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Oregon's energy infrastructure? | ||
| e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles | |||
| a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | |||
| b) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | |||
| e) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | ||
| b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | |||
| c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | |||
| d) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support continuing to allow physician-assisted suicide in Oregon? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should Oregon allow same-sex couples to form domestic partnerships? | ||
| c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | |||
| d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Oregon's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Oregon's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Our current budget does not allow expanding new programs which is why I did not mark the answers for stem cell research. I am not opposed to stem cell research. | |||
| Next session, I will be focusing on improving educational outcomes for all Oregon students. We also need to work on creating stability in our revenue and budget system. My personal policy priorities for next session include elevating the crime of strangulation to a felony, supporting the creation of a school of Public Health at Oregon State University, and addressing the exploitation of children in human trafficking networks. |
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