Card image cap

Dennis Malak's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Key


Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.

Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.

Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.

Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.

Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Dennis Malak has not completed the 2016 Political Courage Test.

What is the Political Courage Test?

Illinois State Legislative Election 2016 Political Courage Test

Pro-choice a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
No b) Should abortions be illegal after 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?
No g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures?
No h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
i) Other or expanded principles:

1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Illinois's budget.2) State Spending:Indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.3) State Taxes:Indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.

Yes a) Establishing a "rainy day" fund
No b) Decreasing funding for public universities
No c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions
No d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees
No e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
f) Other or expanded principles:
Slightly Increase a) Education (higher)
Slightly Increase b) Education (K-12)
Maintain Status c) Environment
Slightly Increase d) Health care
Slightly Increase e) Law enforcement/corrections
Greatly Increase f) Transportation/infrastructure
Slightly Increase g) Welfare
h) Other or expanded categories:
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Maintain Status b) Cigarette taxes
Slightly Increase c) Corporate taxes
Slightly Decrease d) Small business taxes
Maintain Status e) Gas/Oil taxes
Slightly Decrease f) Property taxes
Eliminate g) Sales taxes
Slightly Decrease h) Income taxes (low-income families)
Maintain Status i) Income taxes (mid-income families)
Greatly Increase j) Income taxes (high-income families)
Yes k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases?
l) Other or expanded principles:

a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?

Yes 1) Individual
Yes 2) Political Action Committee
Yes 3) Corporate
Yes 4) Political Party
Yes b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
Yes c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
Yes d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
No e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
f) Other or expanded principles:
Yes 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?
Yes c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
No d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
Yes e) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
Yes f) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction?
E: I believe that local law enforcement should enforce all laws, but I believe that we should have a path to citizenship for all those here who are working, contributing to their communities, and who are clearly here for their piece of the American dream.
Yes a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Yes b) Do you support lowering 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 increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
Yes e) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
No f) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
Yes g) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
Yes h) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
Yes i) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage?
Yes j) Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them?
I support reducing government regulations on small businesses, to allow for growth and community development. I do not however believe in reducing regulations for large corporations or finance areas. This typically leads to "bubble" growth that ultimately hurts the middle and lower income families the most and puts many peoples retirements a risk. I prefer to promote slow, steady, long term growth over short bubble economies.
No a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
No b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
No d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
No e) Do you support state funding for charter schools?
No f) Do you support expanding the number of charter schools in Illinois?
Yes g) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
Yes h) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Illinois high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
C) Tenure is not intended to create effective teachers but provide stability and a sense of safety to good teachers. If we want more effective teachers we should pay them a wage that reflects their value on society. D-F) Illinois's funding of K-12 is the most inequitable in the country. We need to focus on creating a level playing field for all our children so that all have the ability to achieve great things. Charter schools and voucher programs distract us from solving the problems, we need to focus on our children's futures and attack these problems head on.
Yes a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
No b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
Yes c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Illinois's energy infrastructure?
Yes d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
Yes e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
Yes f) Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry?
Moving toward more renewable form of energy is not only the right thing to do but it has the potential to bring many jobs back to Illinois. Our economy has been strong because we have always pushed the envelope and made newest invention or idea, the standard across the globe. We should not stop or hinder that American ingenuity and innovation now!
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?
Yes c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
Yes d) Should a license be required for gun possession?
A) I support common sense gun legislation. I believe that we all have a right to own weapons for sport and self defense, but weapons designed solely for the purpose of efficient mass causalities should not be in the hands of the general public.
No a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
Yes b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
Yes c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
Yes d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
No e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
Yes f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
Yes g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
I believe that healthcare is a right and not a privilege! I believe that universal healthcare should be regulated by the public sector, administered by the private sector, and regularly voted on by the people within each district.
Yes a) Do you support same-sex marriage?
Yes b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Illinois's anti-discrimination laws?
Yes c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Illinois's anti-discrimination laws?
d) Other or expanded principles:
Upon taking office my first action will be to bring stability back to Illinois, and eliminate the ability of the legislature to use peoples lives and livelihoods as pawns in their partisan games. I will do this by proposing a law that enacts the prior approved state budget 30 days after the end of a fiscal year if no new FULL budget has been authorized. I will then work on building coalitions that bring farmers, business owners, organized labor, and others together to determine how we can best begin to bring jobs and growth back to Illinois.

Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.

arrow_upward