| Full Name: | Stephen A. Urban |
|---|---|
| Office: | Commissioner (Luzerne County, PA) - At-Large |
| Gender: | Male |
|---|---|
| Family: | Wife: Linda ; 5 Children |
| Birth Date: | 10/27/1952 |
| Birth Place: | Wilkes-Barre, PA |
| Home City: | Wilkes-Barre, PA |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
Stephen A. Urban
Commissioner Stephen A. Urban's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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What is the Political Courage Test?
Pennsylvania State Legislative Election 2010 Political Courage Test
Pro-life | a) Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life? |
| No | b) Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy? |
| No | 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? |
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? |
| Yes | 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? |
| Yes | h) Do you support abstinence-only sexual education programs? |
 | i) Other or expanded principles |
1) 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. | |
| Maintain Status | a) Education (higher) |
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) |
| Slightly Increase | c) Environment |
| Maintain Status | d) Health care |
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement |
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure |
| Slightly Decrease | g) Welfare |
| Greatly Increase | h) Other or expanded categories |
Environment monitor on-site drilling operations. |
|
2) 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. | |
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes |
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes |
| Slightly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes |
| Maintain Status | d) Gasoline taxes |
| Slightly Decrease | e) Property taxes |
| Maintain Status | f) Sales taxes |
| Maintain Status | g) Income taxes (low-income families) |
| Maintain Status | h) Income taxes (middle-income families) |
| Maintain Status | i) Income taxes (high-income families) |
| Eliminate | j) Other or expanded categories |
Eliminate School Property Taxes. |
|
3) Budget Stabilization | |
Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Pennsylvania's budget. | |
| Yes | a) Tapping into Pennsylvania's "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 |
| Yes | f) Privatizing certain government services |
| g) Other or expanded principles |
| Yes | a) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Pennsylvania governors? |
| Yes | b) Do you support limits on the number of terms for Pennsylvania state legislators? |
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing the size of the General Assembly? |
d) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions to candidates for state government? | |
| Yes | 1) Individual |
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee |
| Yes | 3) Corporate |
| Yes | 4) Political Party |
| Yes | e) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? |
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? |
| g) Other or expanded principles | |
Pennsylvania Campaign Finance laws should mirror Federal Election Commission laws. |
|
| Yes | 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 the possession of small amounts of marijuana be decriminalized? |
| Yes | d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? |
| Yes | e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? |
| Yes | f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? |
| g) Other or expanded principles |
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? |
| Yes | b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? |
| No | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? |
| Yes | d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? |
| Yes | e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation? |
| Yes | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? |
| No | g) Do you support the taxation of cigars and smokeless tobacco? |
| h) Other or expanded principles |
| No | a) Do you support national education standards? |
| Yes | 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? |
| No | f) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Pennsylvania high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? |
| g) Other or expanded principles |
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? |
| 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 providing financial incentives to farms that produce biofuel crops? |
| Yes | d) Do you support state funding for improvements to Pennsylvania's energy infrastructure? |
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? |
| No | f) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change? |
| g) Other or expanded principles |
| No | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? |
| No | b) Do you support requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? |
| Yes | 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 |
| No | 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? |
| No | d) Should individuals be required to purchase health care insurance? |
| Yes | e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? |
| No | f) Do you support legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Pennsylvania? |
| No | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? |
| h) Other or expanded principles |
| Yes | a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman? |
| No | b) Should Pennsylvania allow same-sex couples to form civil unions? |
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for stem cell research? |
| No | d) Do you support state funding for embryonic stem cell research? |
| Yes | e) Do you support the state's use of affirmative action? |
| No | f) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws? |
| No | g) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws? |
| h) Other or expanded principles |
| Please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding. |
