Matt Flamm's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Illinois State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? | ||
| No | b) Should abortion be legal only within 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| Abortion should be legal, safe, and rare. Education is the best way to avoid unintended pregnancies. | |||
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 may use a number more than once.3) Budget StabilizationIndicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Illinois' budget.
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement | ||
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| c) Corporate taxes | |||
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| g) Income taxes (low-income families) | |||
| h) Income taxes (middle-income families) | |||
| i) Income taxes (high-income families) | |||
| No | a) Tapping into Illinois' "rainy day" fund | ||
| Yes | b) Issuing the early release of certain non-violent offenders | ||
| No | c) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| Yes | d) Instituting mandatory furloughs and layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | e) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| f) Privatizing certain government services | |||
| We must eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, including unnecessary bureaucracy and duplicative offices. This will allow us to maintain essential services without spending more of the taxpayers' money or increasing debt. | |||
| We should broaden the sales tax base to cover services so we can afford to reduce the property and state sales tax rates. The sales tax and property tax affect middle-class families more than wealthy individuals and corporations. We need a more progressive tax structure that reduces this inequality. We must restore a fairness to our tax system that allows everyday working people to meet their bills and financial obligations. | |||
| a) The "rainy day" fund has already been exhausted, and the state cannot even afford to repay it as required by law. f) Privatizing government services should be done only if it can be proven to save money and maintain the dignity of workers by ensuring adequate compensation and benefits. | |||
e) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government?
| Yes | a) Do you support eliminating the position of lieutenant governor? | ||
| No | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Illinois governors? | ||
| No | c) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Illinois state legislators? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support limits on the number of terms for the four top legislative leadership positions? | ||
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | 5) Legislative Leader | ||
| No | f) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| f) Voluntary spending limits on the part of candidates are unworkable unless independent expenditures can also be limited. | |||
| 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) Should the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets? | ||
| No | g) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| a) The death penalty as it exists is not an effective deterrent. The enormous sums spent seeking to impose it should be used instead for crime prevention and law enforcement. c & e) Possession of small amounts of marijuana and "sexting" should be subject to civil fines, education and treatment, not criminal prosecution. d) Some violent minors and repeat offenders should be prosecuted as adults. g) Immigration is a federal issue, but police should cooperate with immigration officials in enforcing federal laws. | |||
| a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | |||
| Yes | b) Should video gambling be legal in Illinois? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | ||
| f) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? | |||
| No | g) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| a) Some areas in the private sector require less regulation, but health and safety issues may require more vigilant oversight in others. e) We should provide tax benefits to businesses that create good jobs. f) Infrastructure projects need to be undertaken for their own sake, with job creation being a secondary benefit. g) The state cannot afford direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure, but we should encourage lenders to modify mortgages so that homeowners can retain their homes and repay their debts. The state can help homeowners get access to existing public and private sector assistance programs. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support national education standards? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring public schools to administer high school exit exams? | ||
| c) Do you support using a merit pay system for teachers? | |||
| 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 Illinois high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| c) My support for a merit pay system depends on the details of the proposal. d) To the extent that charter schools are successful and contributing, they should be funded by foundations and others. f) This is already state law. If illegal immigrants are allowed to stay here through high school and attend state universities, they should also be allowed to become productive members of society. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| No | c) Do you support providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Illinois' energy infrastructure? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | ||
| f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? | |||
| Any spending increases must wait for the budget to be brought under control. f) Climate change is primarily a federal issue. Any proposed state regulations would have to be considered on a case by case basis. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| No | c) Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a license for gun possession? | ||
| I support the right to hunt and the right of individuals to have a gun in their home for self-defense. No one needs an assault weapon for hunting or self-defense. d) I support the current FOID system. | |||
| 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) Should individuals be required 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 Illinois? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| c) I support interstate health insurance compacts so long as the states involved work together to achieve reasonable standards that ensure more, not less, competition to bring down costs without sacrificing necessary coverage. | |||
| No | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? | ||
| Yes | b) Should Illinois allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? | ||
| 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 the state's use of affirmative action? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Illinois' anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Illinois' anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| e) Affirmative action policies should be based on disadvantage, not race or other arbitrary criteria. | |||
| Three issues of particular importance to me and the people of my district are: maintaining our high-quality public education system and strengthening it for the future; advocating and supporting our small businesses to ensure an economic recovery founded on vibrant and innovative local entrepreneurs building the economy of the future; and tackling our difficult budget crisis by cutting wasteful spending and making tough choices. |
Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.