With the able assistance of individuals throughout the community, I have devised candidate questionnaires on Reproductive Health Care Policy, Living Wage, GLBT Equity Issues, Separation of Church and State, Education, and Gun-toting, and Consumerism.

Below are the questionaires along with links to answers to-date by candidates for the Democratic nomination for the 25th District Senate seat. The questionnaires are listed in the order they have been asked of candidates [some not submitted until November 6th.]

These questions differ from those submitted by the membership of the Charlottesville and Albemarle Democratic Committees. And all interested parties are encouraged to attend the forum on November 8th to ask their own questions.

Given the limited amount of time candidates have to campaign for the Democratic nomination on November 10th, it is not anticipated that all of these questions will be answered by the time of the candidates' forum on November 8th.

However, they are questions which are of community-wide interest. These and future questionnaires will be archived after November 10th on my web site, should Democratic, Republican and Independent candidates wish to address them.

It is my understanding that the League of Women Voters is in the process of working on a debate between Democratic, Republican and Independent candidates for the 25th District Virginia Senate seat with WINA.

In the meantime, if there are areas of community concern which you would like to see addressed by candidates, please submit sample questions and, given limited time and resources, I will see if I can post them on my web site.

Reproductive Health Care Policy

1. Patient Confidentiality: Would you support a statutory requirement that parents must consent for a minor to obtain an abortion, when the current law already requires parents to be involved through a notification process?

2. Health Insurance Coverage: Would you support a requirement that health insurance plans include coverage for prescription contraceptives, where insurers are presently only required to make it available to plans?

3. Regulation of Medicial Practice: Would you support laws that would require a level of regulation to medical practices offering abortions that is above that required of practices performing other kinds of medical procedures?

4. HIV/AIDS Prevention in the Schools: The rate of HIV/AIDs infections is no longer decreasing and is in fact climbing. Youth are at increasing risk, especially young African American males and young men who have sex with men. Men and women over fifty are at increasing risk. Grant funding for prevention programs are limited. There is no required prevention education program statewide in the public school system for AIDS/HIV nor for STDs in general.

What prevention efforts would you support? What role should public schools play?

5. HIV/Prevention in Prisons: There are high rates of infection in prisons, but no comprehensive testing and prevention programs. Most inmates will eventually re-enter the general population. What efforts should be put in place in the prison system with regard to testing and prevention?

6. Certification of Midwives: Certified midwives are a viable option for delivering babies in many states. Yet, in Virginia if a trained and competent midwife assists with a birth, she or he can be arrested. Insurance agencies will support women with low-risk pregnancies attended by certified midwives. Many states sponsor certification programs for midwives. Many people having babies choose midwives as a less expensive, safe, and fulfilling alternative.

If elected, will you be willing to introduce legislation to license trained, certified midwives to practive in Virginia?

Answers to questions one through three by Meredith Richards, by Al Weed, by Creigh Deeds, and by Nancy O'Brien.

Living Wage

1. Living Wages and State Institutions: The University of Virginia, a state institution, is the major employer in our district. How, as a member of the legislature, would you deal with the fact that many of their employees receive less than a living wage?

2. Living Wages and Private Employers: Virginia is a right-to-work state. This inhibits workers' ability to organize into unions and removes from our lowest paid workers a vital tool in improving living standards. How would you address private employers who do not today pay a living wage?

Answers by Al Weed, and Creigh Deeds and Nancy O'Brien.

GLBT Equity

1. Hate Crime Legislation: Should crimes against people because of their sexual orientation be included in hate crime legislation?

2. Sodomy Laws: Would you work to erase sodomy laws from the books?

3. Job Discrimination: Would you work to ensure that sexual orientation could not be a cause for job discrimination?

4. Legalizing Relationships Between GLBT Partners: What are your views on legalizing relationships between gay or lesbian partners?

5. Harrassment/Discrimination in the Public Schools: Would you sponsor legislation to ban harrassment/discrimination against students in the public school system state wide?

First four questions answered by Al Weed and by Nancy O'Brien.

Separation of Church and State

1. Vouchers: What is your position on tax-funded private school tuition vouchers?

2. Creation Science: Do you feel that the study of 'creation science,' 'intelligent design,' and other religious explanations of universal origins have a place in public education and, if so, in which curricula should they be covered?

3. Government-Sponsored Religious Activities: What is your reaction to the current wave of government-sponsored religious activities such as official prayer services for victims of terrorism, 'God Bless America' signs on public property, and elected officials publicly extolling the power of faith during times of crisis?

Questions answered by Al Weed and by Nancy O'Brien.

Education

1. Public Education and the State Budget Crisis: Virginia is currently near the bottom in state funding for K-12 education. What should be done about this? Where would the funds come from?

2. Standards of Learning: What should the legislature do about the SOLs (Standards of Learning)? And how should it be accomplished?

3. Priorities in Public Education: Besides additional funding, what should the legislature do to improve education in the Commonwealth? How and Why?

Questions answered by Al Weed and by Nancy O'Brien.

Gun-toting

1. Personal Firearm Possession: Some people feel safer when other people's firearm possession is closely regulated; some people say they feel safer when carrying a gun. Is it your opinion that the present gun laws in Virginia provide a fair balance of these interests, or would you advocate further legislation? If you would advocate further legislation, please specify the nature of that legislation.

2. Guns in Recreation Centers and Government Spaces: Do you think that localities should have the ability to keep weapons out of recreation centers and other government spaces, either by ordinance or administrative policy? Or do you think that uniform statewide legislation on the issue is needed?

3. Weapons on School Grounds: Students may not bring weapons on school grounds. An exception has been sought for unloaded weapons locked in vehicles for use after school during hunting season. Do you believe a specific exception should be made in this instance? Case-by-case in other special circumstances as they arise?

Questions answered by Al Weed and by Nancy O'Brien.

Consumption

1. Foreign Policy and Domestic Consumption: Some commentators have suggested that there may be a connection between terrorist attacks and the US propensity for over-consumption and other excesses in our own domestic and foreign policies. Do you think there is an open enough climate in the Virginia legislature to honestly question basic economic and cultural priorities?

2. Domestic Safety and Sustainability: Do you think there are sufficient contingency plans in place in case the distributions of food, energy, and other basic goods and services were temporarily halted by terrorism or some other emergency? How might the state encourage the development of self-sufficient, sustainable communities?

Questions Answered by Al Weed and by by Nancy O'Brien.

Housing

1. Supply of Affordable Housing: Currently there are over 570 local families on the waiting list for Section 8 rental vouchers, other families are being turned away from the Salvation Army homeless shelter for lack of space, and many low-income residents are seeing their rents go through the roof while their wages remain stagnant. What would you do, as State Senator, to address the severe
shortage of affordable housing in our community and across Virginia?

Welfare Reform

1. Welfare to Work Plans in a Recessionary Economy: How will "welfare to work" plans work when there is no work? How are the candidates thinking about this--it will be an extremely tough issue with a republican-dominated legislature.

2. Moving Families Out of Poverty: Virginia's welfare reform initiative has succeeded in moving families off the welfare rolls, but has not generally succeeded in moving families out of poverty. What would you do, as State Senator, to address the problem of poverty in our communities?