On The Issues
Colorado Workers and Economy
1
This year, Colorado raised the state minimum wage to $12/per hour. However, no more than $3.02/per hour in tip income may be used to offset the minimum wage of tipped employees. Do you support or oppose action changing how tip income is treated for minimum wage purposes and why?
Support
Comment: I believe that a larger percentage of the tip income should be used to offset the minimum wage of tipped employees. The increases in minimum wage have to be balanced with operating costs. Business owners are likely to replace people with automation and/or layoff staff to balance costs.
2
A 2018 NPR/Marist poll revealed 20 percent of all American workers are contract workers hired to work on a specific project or for a fixed period of time. Do you support or oppose action that would provide gig economy workers access in Colorado to unemployment benefits, workers compensation, etc., and why? Oppose
Comment: I only believe that you should be able to draw from unemployment if you are a legal citizen and you and your employer have paid into the system. Otherwise we are asking taxpayers to cover the costs of these benefits. I am a small business owner and my company pays contract employees a higher wage since we are not paying into these programs for their benefit.
3
This summer, Governor Polis signed into law a bill that prevents an employer from discriminating, retaliating, or taking adverse action against any worker who raises a concern about workplace health and safety practices or hazards related to a public health emergency. Do you support or oppose enacting similar legislation to protect whistleblowers who sound the alarm about waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, or dangers to public health and safety from employer retaliation? Oppose
Comment: I believe that our government was meant to protect our individual rights and self-government and that this bill overreaches what a state government is meant to protect. The government's overreaching response to COVID-19 has been crippling to the livelihood of businesses and to the mental health of our nation.
Revenue/Taxes
4
The coronavirus pandemic has upended state budgets across the country, including Colorado’s. Do you support or oppose efforts to decouple state taxes from federal taxes and change how Colorado taxes corporations to responsibly raise revenue and why?Support
Comment: While these efforts would increase the complexity of the state income tax system, it would result in greater revenue for our state. The considerations of the tax system at the federal level are not the same as those of Colorado.
5
The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) prohibits Colorado from raising taxes without voters’ consent. TABOR also prohibits Colorado from establishing a rainy day fund to weather tough economic times. Colorado’s spending on essential services like education and transportation has lagged behind the state’s economic and population growth. Colorado ranks 47th in the nation in per pupil spending. The state also currently lacks funds to enforce labor and other laws in any meaningful way. Do you support or oppose efforts to revise or get rid of TABOR and why? Oppose
Comment: I do not support the TABOR reform efforts that have been introduced to date. I am supportive of less government and believe that we can find the much needed funds for education and transportation by reducing wasteful government spending. I am in support of Proposition 117.
Quality and Affordable Healthcare
6
This year, lawmakers introduced legislation to create a public health insurance option for our state. Do you support or oppose creating a public option in Colorado and why? Oppose
Comment: I believe that healthcare costs would decrease and quality of care would increase if providers were free from government control. A public option would lead to fewer health care choices and higher taxes and premiums for private coverage. The cost of this type of program would be greater than that of Medicare, which is already in jeopardy.
7
One 2018 survey of Colorado adults found that more than half (53%) reported being either “worried” or “very worried” about affording the cost of prescription drugs. Do you support or oppose policies that would make prescription drugs more affordable and why? Support
Comment: I support policies that would focus on patent reform in exchange for monetarily incentivizing drug companies in order to keep monopolies of prescription drugs thriving. I would also support policy that relaxes the FDA's exclusivity on approving the safety of generic drugs.
Keep Communities Safe during the COVID-19 Pandemic
8
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, some states and localities rushed to grant businesses immunity from civil lawsuits related to the coronavirus. Do you think businesses should be shielded from lawsuits related to COVID-19? Oppose
Comment: While I don't support this type of lawsuit, I believe that determining the type of lawsuits that are brought forward are not within the government's purview. Legislation enacted to the contrary would quickly become obsolete.
Voting Access and Constitutional Reform
9
Do you think Colorado should take additional action to protect low-income and voters of color access to vote? Oppose
Comment: I believe that the rules to vote in Colorado are already fair and equitable to all, allowing ballot access by mail to all registered voters.
10
In past years, legislators have introduced legislation calling for an Article V constitutional convention to address a number of reforms. Do you support or oppose legislation calling for an Article V constitutional convention? Oppose
Comment: While I support efforts to reduce government spending, I do not believe that Article V adequately demonstrates how these reforms would be implemented. I also do not believe that we need to make it easier to change our Constitution.
11
This year, lawmakers introduced legislation that would place for the first time campaign contribution limits on school board candidates. Do you support or oppose this legislation and why? Oppose
Comment: Campaign contribution limits have not shown to be effective and more importantly, legislation to limit contributions would place a limit to First Amendment rights.
