Mitch Bolinsky's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Office:
- State House (CT) - District 106, Republican Assistant Republican Leader
Key
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Mitch Bolinsky 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.
Connecticut State Legislative Election 2020 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support legalizing abortion when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| I'm pro-life but, don't believe the right to choose should be government's decision. Certainly not a matter of deciding seats on the US Supreme Court. I believe life is sacred and don't believe in "late-term abortions" for non-emergency reasons. My mother gave up a child as a teen and, at 30, I met my half-brother. That said, I prefer life to taking life and think abortion isn't a substitute for contraception. Blanket policies that don't consider health of the mother or rape/incest shouldn't be a bureaucrat's. For special circumstances, choice should involve a woman & her doctor, not lawyers. | |||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | b) In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| CT has a one-time opportunity now. 25-30% of state employees will retire soon. With technology, we can achieve better services with fewer people, lower cost & ZERO LAYOFFS. Overall salaries lower themselves as our most senior workers retire. We can rescale government and use technology to eliminate duplication, waste, make it easier to navigate and less costly. New employees should be offered 401k-style "defined contribution" retirement plans, like the public sector because we can no longer sustain "defined benefit" pension-style plans. That said, current pensions are a promise to be honored & funded by workforce savings. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | e) Do you support automatic voter registration? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support expanding the right to vote to those on parole? | ||
| If a parolee is a legal citizen and in good standing, she or he should vote in their town of residence. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| No | b) Should an individual under 18 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of private prisons in Connecticut? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| No | f) Do you support the legalization of recreational marijuana? | ||
| (b) In extreme cases of violent crimes committed with clear intent, it should be at the discretion of the court whether to prosecute minors as adults. (f) The recreational marijuana issue for me is one of not signing on to policy that will increase motor vehicle fatalities. When law enforcement has a reliable way to measure impairment, laws and the resources to prevent drugged-drivers from the unintended taking of innocent lives, let's talk. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Connecticut? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring employers to provide paid family leave? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
| No | h) Should state highway bridges be tolled? | ||
| No | i) Should federally recognized tribes be given exclusive rights to sports betting in the state? | ||
| (f) Paid FMLA should not be mandated but, savings programs administered by insurance company experts under state oversight should be pursued. This is how EVERY OTHER STATE manages PFMLA. The bill passed in 2019 mandating a payroll tax and setting up a new branch within the DOL is outside the scope of that agency to manage. They can't even manage Unemployment benefits ro return constituent calls as it is. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Connecticut? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in Connecticut? | ||
| Yes | d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Connecticut high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| (a) Only Connecticut knows what's best for Connecticut, not the feds. We value education and STEM. We value diversity. We value our history. Programs like Common Core lower our traditional excellence in education. (b) We should invest in raising the performance of ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS. If we did, there would be no need for privately-run / publicly-bought charters. I DO support vocational schools and school choice. d) In-state tuition, yes. Preferential access to free or taxpayer-funded college, no. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-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? | ||
| I'm totally in for a major expansion of renewables but against government subsidies for individual companies. We should not pick winners and losers. Investing in technology and upgrades to key infrastructure will require public investment. Regulatory flexibility will be needed because we don't yet know what we need-to-know. And, for goodness sake, we must ensure that "dedicated" funding remains dedicated, not swept into holes in the budget. You did not ask but, I oppose a "Carbon Tax". | |||
| 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 after passing gun safety training? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| I represent Newtown / Sandy Hook and began my state service on the heals our unspeakable tragedy. I understand the importance of common sense firearm regulations, background checks, school security, mental health supports and the important role school resource officers hold for the Newtown community. I have and continue to vote for common sense protections and believe they can and must peacefully coexist with our state and federal Constitutions. (d) Safety training, Permits, Safe Storage: Yes. Llicenses and public registries are unconstitutional. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| No | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Connecticut'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? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | ||
| (a) I support more ready access to treatment for opioid and other substance abuse programs, including alcohol. But I prefer having these services administered in our communities by nonprofit providers. (f) The public health crisis was not caused by businesses. They, especially small businesses, are struggling to stay afloat and mandating them to pay leave for something that's outside their existing insurance coverage will force many out of business. This, I dare say, IS government's role. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Connecticut's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Connecticut's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Connecticut state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| (c) Define "Greater Efforts by the Connecticut state government". This is not a "soundbite" yes or no question. - If it's the provision of guidelines to close gender gaps and create equal pay for equal and measurably equal work, including equal productivity, Yes. - If that's mandated equalization of pay without regard for performance, No. | |||
| Emerging stronger from our COVID experience in terns of our health and rebuilding our economy. Economic recovery should happen affordably with incentives tied only to incremental investment and job-growth. Good-paying career-type jobs. | |||
| Affordability and Opportunity for CT residents and an Economic climate that taxes less, welcomes job creation and puts us back on a path to growth and prosperity. We can increase revenues by attracting employers, creating good jobs and welcoming new Connecticut residents to fill them. |
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