Jennifer O'Mara's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Office:
- State House (PA) - District 165, Democratic
On The Ballot: Running, Democratic for State House (PA) - District 165
Key
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Jennifer O'Mara is currently being tested through the 2024 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.
Pennsylvania State Legislative Election 2020 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| Yes | b) In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| I would support an increase in income tax on the top 1% to fund essential public services. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support automatic voter registration? | ||
| No | f) Do you support reducing the number of representatives in the Pennsylvania General Assembly? | ||
| No | g) Do you support limiting disaster declarations to 30 days unless approved by the legislature? | ||
| I do not support reducing the size of the General Assembly until we have a fair redistricting system -- otherwise, we will simply end up with larger, more gerrymandered districts and less representation for the people. | |||
| No | 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the use of private prisons in Pennsylvania? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the legalization of recreational marijuana? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring state and local law enforcement agencies to publicly disclose use-of-force data reports? | ||
| We need to end cut-and-paste sentencing and mandatory minimums -- sentencing should be decided on a case-by-case basis, because every situation is different. Regarding marijuana, I would need to hear more from my constituents about whether or not they support legalization, and look at the specific bill. PA is in a unique position to learn from other states that have legalized and ensure that our legalization bill, should we choose to enact it, is beneficial to our communities. However, if we do end up legalizing too late, we could lose revenue to surrounding states. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Pennsylvania? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Pennsylvania? | |||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in Pennsylvania? | ||
| Yes | d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Pennsylvania high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Regarding federal education standards, I would need more specifics -- this could refer to so many possible types of standards or levels of education, so I can't make a blanket statement. | |||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the taxation of natural gas drilling? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences on gun-related crimes? | ||
| We need common sense gun legislation in Pennsylvania, and we need it now. There is legislation with overwhelming support on both sides of the aisle that would keep our communities safe and demands immediate action. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Pennsylvania's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | 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 requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Pennsylvania state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| One of my major focuses as a legislator has been increasing protections for our veterans and first responders. My father was a union firefighter and a Marine, and my husband served two tours and is a two-time Purple Heart recipient. I know how important it is to be protecting those who serve our communities, and who put their lives on the line to keep us safe. | |||
| I have seen firsthand, as my husband's advocate with the VA, the huge gap in funding for our veterans. That's why I was proud to have a bill to help fund the Veterans' Trust Fund through direct contributions on tax returns pass the House and be signed into law, to help support those who have fought for our country. |
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