Emily Tracy's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Emily Tracy has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2016 Political Courage Test.
Colorado 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? | ||
| Government should not be part of health care decisions best made by an individual and his/her physician. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Colorado'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) Tapping into Colorado's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Decreasing funding for public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| Yes | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Greatly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment | ||
| Slightly Increase | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Slightly Increase | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Small business taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Property taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Sales taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | i) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Increase | j) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| Yes | k) Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases? | ||
| Colorado is required to balance its budget each year. There really are far more options than those listed here that the JBC and legislature must consider each year to assure a balanced budget. The restrictions of TABOR limit the state's ability to be more creative in budget decisions. | |||
| The questions and my responses do not fully reflect my thoughts on the state budget. Colorado is not able to significantly increase spending in any area unless voters decide to modify the constitutional restrictions which limit state revenue and expenditures. In truth, we are behind on spending in many areas, and the needs continue to increase. | |||
| Again, responding to questions in this format is somewhat limiting. For example, property taxes are a function of local not state government. The current restrictions of TABOR prohibit the state legislature from increasing any taxes. State taxes can only be increased by a statewide vote of the people. | |||
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 | ||
| No | 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? | ||
| I support campaign finance laws, and restrictions re: the size of contributions to candidates from various sources, though I'm open to looking at changes to some of the current limits. Under current Colorado law, the voluntary spending limit for legislative candidates is not very functional. Regarding voting, I support Colorado's current laws which provide some flexibility in providing identification at the polls. There is very little voter fraud so tightening the restrictions on voter rights would not be justified. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction? | ||
| Many of these questions would require more detailed responses. For example, I support alternatives to incarceration for some non-violent offenders, as long as those alternatives are well-designed, effective treatment measures, and as long as there is reasonable protection for people and property. We do not adequately fund or monitor such programs - this needs to be improved. Re: federal immigration laws: There may be times when state and local law enforcement work in cooperation with federal officials, but generally immigration laws relate to the security of the federal border. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | b) Do you support lowering 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 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? | ||
| Most of these questions/responses required more than a Yes or No answer. a) Some types of government spending can be effective, some not; b) Generally, lowering taxes has not effectively promoted economic growth; c) I favor examining all government regulations to ensure they are well-written, well-executed, and effective. I know from personal experience many regulations do not meet these standards; e) It would depend on the nature of the expansion; f) I generally don't support drug testing for employment or public assistance; g) Financial incentives should be carefully assessed for effectiveness; h) Depends on details; j) Only in some circumstances. | |||
| No | a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Colorado high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Again, much explanation required: a) I would want much more detail re: what's working and what's not; b) Depends on the details of the merit pay system; c) Colorado tenure law is complex, cannot be answered with a simple Yes or No; d) I do not support public funds for private schools; e) I support public funding for charter schools if they meet the same standards as public schools and receive proper oversight. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | 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 Colorado'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? | ||
| State funding for renewable or traditional (fossil fuels) energy should be allowed only when it makes sense for energy security in our state, for maintaining a level playing field among energy sources, and in assisting the state's transition to lower dependence on fossil fuels. Greenhouse gas emissions are rapidly changing climate which threatens Colorado's limited water supply, and thus threatens Colorado's present and future residents. There needs to be better balance between fracking's industrial land use and residential (plus schools, hospitals) land uses. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| Again, there are no short answers to these questions. I'm a 2nd amendment supporter, and I encourage gun proponents and those who want some restriction on gun ownership to engage in a productive dialogue for the purpose of reducing risk to law enforcement when they are faced with higher firepower than they carry, and for the purpose of reducing risk to the public when children or the severely mentally disturbed can inappropriately access weapons. | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? | ||
| Yes | 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? | ||
| a) Depends on the details; we must find ways to control costs at the same time we look for more efficient ways to administer health insurance; b) Depends on type of reform; there are many problems with the health-insurance-industry-written ACA; c) I would need to see the details; might not support; e) I support requiring health insurance in a fair system of options and prices; many who live in the Resort Region of Colorado pay the highest insurance costs in the nation and cannot afford to live here; f) Colorado has a fairly good system of damage limits for malpractice. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Colorado's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Colorado's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Colorado? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Some of the most important issues for northwest Colorado SD8 relate to the rural, Western Slope nature of the District. Rural legislators must be a strong voice in the legislature because our numbers are limited - most people reside in the densely-populated Front Range. The issues I hear about most are protecting Western Slope water, fixing the health insurance system so that northwest Colorado doesn't have to pay the highest costs in the nation, finding ways to expand affordable housing for the local workforce, and expanding broadband. I would reduce the use of private prisons, to free up funding. |
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