Joseph Vitale's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Office:
- State Senate (NJ) - District 19, Democratic
Key
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Joseph Vitale did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2023 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.
New Jersey State Legislative Election 2011 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal 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) Should parental notification be required before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| No | f) Should parental consent be required 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? | ||
| i) Other or expanded principles | |||
1) State SpendingIndicate 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.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 New Jersey's budget.
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Greatly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Greatly Increase | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| h) Other or expanded categories | |||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Greatly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | a) Tapping into New Jersey's "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| No | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| No | f) Privatizing certain government services | ||
| No | g) Reducing public pension benefits | ||
| To clarify my opinion in response to the above questions: I would support an increase to the gasoline tax if the revenue that is generated is dedicated to the Transportation Trust Fund to be used to repair existing transportation infrastructure and improve mass transit capacity in New Jersey. I support restoration of the earned income tax credit for New Jersey's poor as well as restoration of tax levels for the rich. | |||
| To clarify my opinion in response to the above questions: A budget, any budget is about priorities. Unless real efforts are made to identify priorities and budgets are based on those priorities, the short-term strategies like those listed here will only serve to force middle class working families to shoulder a greater burden. | |||
c) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| Yes | a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for New Jersey governors? | ||
| No | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for New Jersey state legislators? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | d) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| To clarify my response to the above questions: I believe in transparency of political contributions first and foremost. I authored the law that prohibits campaign contributions made by public contractors. | |||
| No | 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 decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | |||
| f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
| To clarify my response to the above questions: I supported legislation to eliminate the death penalty in New Jersey. I believe Drug Courts have proven to be successful. I support decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana when it is prescribed by a health care professional. I support giving Juvenile Court Judge's discretion to waive certain, extreme violent criminal cases to adult criminal court. I would be concerned with creating blanket criminal charges for minors who share sexually explicit or nude photos. Every case is different. I believe the Federal government should enforce immigration laws. | |||
| No | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support 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 tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support comprehensive public pension reform that incorporates a defined contribution plan, similar to a 401(k)? | ||
| To clarify my responses to the above questions: Creating jobs that pay New Jersey residents enough to allow them to live in this State without the support of public programs is a top priority. The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, recent contamination of our food supply, and the discovery of lead in children's toys made in China are all reasons that give me pause about reducing government regulations on the private sector. In 2007, I supported a law creating a defined contribution option for public employees and requiring participation by newly elected officials. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards intiative? | ||
| b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | |||
| No | 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 New Jersey high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| To clarify my responses to the above questions: I believe we must fully test any methods used to evaluate the performance of our teachers to ensure that they are accurate, objective and valid measures. I have yet to be convinced of the effectiveness of high school exit exams as a valid method to measure teacher performance. New Jersey already requires the diversion of public school dollars to charter schools. I believe all students who graduate from New Jersey high schools and continue to live in New Jersey should all pay the same rate of tuition at our public universities. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you believe that human activity is contributing to climate change? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| No | d) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| No | e) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support state funding for improvements to New Jersey's energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring background checks on all firearms sales at gun shows, including sales by unlicensed dealers? | ||
| No | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| 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 requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| No | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in New Jersey? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Should New Jersey continue to grant civil unions to same-sex couples? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support affirmative action? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Jersey's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Jerseys anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles | |||
| My top three priorities if elected are: 1) To ensure the Federal health reform law is implemented the right way - where consumer interests are kept paramount. 2) To support initiatives that will put people back to work in jobs that pay them well enough to afford to live in New Jersey without the assistance of taxpayer funded programs. 3) To protect the interests of working class families. |
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