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Joe Heck, Jr.'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.

Joe Heck, Jr. has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2016 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

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Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2016.

  • Rated 8% by Planned Parenthood (votesmart.org)
  • Las Vegas Sun "Heck is pro-life, but does not support bills that would make abortion illegal in the case of rape and incest." (lasvegassun.com)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 7 "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2014" (www.congress.gov)
  • "I support comprehensive tax reform that would simplify the code, eliminate special interest loopholes and deductions, broaden the tax base, and lower rates." (heck.house.gov)
  • Signed ATR pledge stating to "[…] oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses" (s3.amazonaws.com)
  • "You don't need to put somebody in jail who gets caught with one or two joints. That's a criminal justice issue that can be addressed totally separate from the debate as to whether or not marijuana should be made legal." (votesmart.org)
  • "I supported this extension to help ensure that the rug is not pulled out from under construction workers and their families who need consistent work to make ends meet. Nevada has more than 30 projects, including the I-15 project in Las Vegas, that rely on federal funding and our economy cannot afford for those projects to be in jeopardy. I realize that another short-term extension does not give those workers the type of certainty they deserve, but this is another step in the process towards moving to a long-term transportation funding solution. As we move this bill to a conference committee, I urge the conferees to return predictability and stability to transportation funding and to include the designation of the I-11 corridor between Las Vegas and Phoenix in their report." (votesmart.org)
  • "In order to save our children and grandchildren from a fiscal crisis, we must reduce spending and address the major drivers of our debt." (heck.house.gov)
  • Voted in favor of H.R.22 "Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "I support comprehensive tax reform that would simplify the code, eliminate special interest loopholes and deductions, broaden the tax base, and lower rates." (heck.house.gov)
  • Voted in favor of H.R.1105 "Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015" (votesmart.org)
  • "No Child Left Behind was a well-intentioned idea that has failed in execution by pushing too much toward cookie-cutter education […] Educational choices should be made at the local level and Washington needs to work to provide resources and support, and to help districts better address their specific needs, while giving parents, teachers and principals the flexibility and autonomy to succeed." (votesmart.org)
  • " States and localities, along with teachers and parents, should determine the best education policies for their children while the key responsibility of the federal government should be to ensure the fair and equal administration of those policies." (votesmart.org)
  • Nevada News & Views "[...] education should be left to the states, to principals, parents and teachers." (nevadanewsandviews.com)
  • "In Congress, I have consistently supported efforts to promote the Keystone XL pipeline." (heck.house.gov)
  • Voted in favor of S.1. "A Bill to Approve the Keystone XL Pipeline" (votesmart.org)
  • "Nevada is poised to lead the nation in the production of renewable energy sources which will help get people back to work and improve our economy." (heck.house.gov)
  • "To maintain our economic and national security, we must maximize all of our nation's energy resources, including renewable sources, alternative fuels, and fossil fuels, all in a way that balances economic development and protecting our environment." (heck.house.gov)
  • Las Vegas Sun "Heck's notable vote came on a bill to appropriate funds for energy and water development for fiscal 2012. 'The cuts contained in this legislation threaten Nevada’s chance to create jobs by becoming America’s leading renewable energy exporter,' Heck said, calling renewable energy research and development 'critical to our nation’s energy future.'" (lasvegassun.com)
  • Signed a pledge stating "[…] to the taxpayers of the State of Nevada and to the American people that I will oppose any legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S.J.Res.23 "A Joint Resolution Providing for Congressional Disapproval Under Chapter 8 of Title 5, United States Code, of a Rule Submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency Relating to 'Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units' " (votesmart.org)
  • "I think the idea of background checks across the board, I'm not opposed to them," (www.huffingtonpost.com)
  • Rated 93% by National Rifle Association (votesmart.org)
  • "Citizens have the right to keep and bear arms. This is a fundamental, constitutional right that must be protected. […] Rather than restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens, we should focus our efforts on ensuring that those who commit crimes are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.Amdt.1098 "Prohibits District of Columbia from Implementing Certain Firearm Laws" (votesmart.org)
  • "My focus in the House is to expand access to quality, affordable healthcare. To do that we first must repeal the flawed parts of the healthcare law and replace it with reforms that put the patient, not the insurance companies, at the center of our healthcare system." (votesmart.org)
  • "[...] we were told Congress had to pass the bill to find out what was in it. What we found was a bait and switch of unprecedented proportions." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R.596 "To repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010" (www.congress.gov)
  • "I am working to stem the flow of illegal immigration, and I will not support an amnesty policy to address this issue." (heck.house.gov)
  • "Finally, there are numerous proposals that would grant citizenship or legal status to those currently here in an undocumented status and I would be willing to consider those proposals, so long as the other provisions I support are addressed in a meaningful way." (drjoeheck.com)
  • "Finally, while I oppose blanket amnesty, I am open to considering proposals that address earned citizenship." (heck.house.gov)
  • "Heck said he was working with other representatives on a House version of the DREAM Act, previously failed legislation that offers legal status to immigrants who arrived in the United States at a young age and had served in the military or gone to college." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by Human Rights Campaign (votesmart.org)
  • "[...] it is clear that same-sex couples joined in marriage, civil unions and registered domestic partnerships should be deemed eligible for spouse-based benefits, regardless of where they live." (votesmart.org)
  • Las Vegas Review-Journal "Asked by interviewer Jon Ralston if it hurts anybody for members of the same sex to get married, Heck said 'it is not hurting anyone,' but 'it is my personal belief' against the practice." (www.reviewjournal.com)
  • Las Vegas Sun "He believes marriage is between a man and a woman. During a recent interview on KNPR, he said marriage equality is a state issue for the courts to decide." (lasvegassun.com)
  • "I support the President's decision to expand air strikes against ISIL so that ground forces in Iraq can go on the offensive and agree that we must attack this enemy wherever they pose a threat to the United States." (heck.house.gov)
  • Rebel Yell "I’ve never said that I support privatizing social security." (www.unlvrebelyell.com)
  • "I believe that any individual should have the right to voluntarily take their portion of Social Security withholding and invest it as they deem appropriate. It is arrogant of government to think that they can invest someone's money better than they can." (votesmart.org)

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