Ed Butler'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.
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Ed Butler has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2018 Political Courage Test.
New Hampshire State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| We must continue to use education and outreach to minimize unwanted pregnancies. NH is making positive gains in this regard. But the issue of whether or not to have an abortion should rest only with the pregnant woman, her family and her healthcare professionals. | |||
1) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing New Hampshire's budget.
| No | a) Do you support the creation of a state income tax in New Hampshire? | ||
| No | b) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | c) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees? | ||
| No | d) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| No | e) Do you support imposing penalties on state legislators who fail to attend legislative sessions? | ||
| Campaign Finance Reform is critical. For starters we should reverse Citizen's United. Corporations ARE NOT people! Maximizing transparency of contributions and expenditures is absolutely necessary. | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes? | ||
| 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? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| No | b) Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| No | d) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of New Hampshire? | ||
| OK. These are NOT just 'yes or no' questions!! Government spending can encourage economic growth but must be designed wisely and used judiciously. We have very few revenue sources and many programs and services that are underfunded. I don't believe we have enough revenue for needed programs and therefore it is not wise to lower taxes. Regulations must be reviewed and proven to be needed and useful. Regarding unemployment benefits, I do not know what populations are not served by our current programs. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in New Hampshire? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from New Hampshire high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| Again, complicated questions with 'yes/no' answers. Infuriating! I am not versed in education standard issues. I would need to understand the proposals and the arguments to better answer this question. I support state funding of PUBLIC charter schools. We must demand that our federal elected officials resolve our current immigration quagmire. There should be clear pathways to citizenship and clear barriers to entry - and funding of sane and compassionate enforcement. We are a country founded on immigration and we continue to need immigrants to help our economy function, diversify and grow. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| 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? | ||
| No | c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| No | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through New Hampshire's health care programs? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| No | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| I believe that there are many resources already being targeted to the opioid crisis. If successful and efficient use of current funding is shown and clear need and effective programming can be shown, then I could be convinced to support additional funding. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by New Hampshire state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| I will continue to work on proposing and supporting legislation that brings access to affordable healthcare to all citizens. We must improve our access and quality of care for mental health services. Our current situation for people needing hospitalization for mental health crises is abominable. I want to continue to work on the issue of short-term rental businesses that are negatively effecting some residential neighborhoods. |
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