Janie Zimmerman's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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Janie Zimmerman has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2019 Political Courage Test.
Virginia State Legislative Election 2019 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortion be legal 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: | |||
Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Virginia's budget.
| Yes | a) Do you support a state regulated and taxed sports gambling system? | ||
| No | b) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | c) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | ||
| Yes | d) An income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| Reducing salaries, pensions, or mandatory furloughs/layoffs are things I would never support. It is not the fault of state employees that Virginia's budget isn't balanced. State employees were hired and promised jobs that they need to support their families and personal lives. I do not support any tax increase for the lower tax brackets but would support a "wealth tax" on the higher tax brackets if there were no other way to balance the budget. | |||
| 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? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| No | b) Should a minor 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? | ||
| Yes | 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 the banning of handheld communication devices when they are used in a driver's hand. If the device is able to be used hands free they should not be banned. | |||
| 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring employers to provide paid family leave? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Virginia? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Virginia high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I can't say yes to accepting federal education standards in Virginia until I know which specific standards are being considered. I don't think Virginia should have different standards than the federal ones, but I do not agree with all federal education standards being adopted without exception. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, 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? | ||
| d) 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? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Virginia's health care programs? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| f) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Virginia state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| One priority I have that has not been covered in these questions is the need for broadband in the many rural areas of Virginia. The internet has become a necessity for just about every aspect of life. Students aren't able to complete homework that their urban peers have no trouble completing. Adults can't search or apply for jobs unless they travel to a library that may be miles away and have limited hours. Even farming has connections to technology for equipment ordering and selling their products. I will fight for broadband to be expanded to all parts of Virginia! | |||
| My top priority is education funding for after school programs and teacher salaries to begin to make schools more equitable across the Commonwealth. I would first review the current budget to see which items can be either removed or reduced. After analyzing the budget I would make sure Virginia is receiving all possible funding from the federal education budget for all programs . If all that did not find the money needed, I would propose a small tax increase to either property taxes or sales taxes to fund a specific area. I'd fund one area at a time. |
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