Questionnaire of the Colorado Chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America

For:

EVIE HUDAK, CANDIDATE FOR STATE SENATE DISTRICT 19

Committee for Evie Hudak, 7649 Harlan Way, Westminster, CO 80003

www.eviehudak.com, evie@hudak.org, 303-423-8569

GENERAL
What issue areas will your first five bills address?  Provide as much detail as possible. 

• Improving school finance – the details depend on whether or not the mill levy freeze is found unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court and whether or not the SAFE (Savings Account For Education) initiative gets on the ballot and passes; my goals are to provide more equity in school funding, safeguard the State Education Fund, and continue to raise school funding until it becomes adequate.
• Improving the state’s financial situation – the details also depend on the outcome of the lawsuit on the mill levy freeze and the SAFE ballot initiative; I feel strongly that TABOR reform is necessary and a permanent “fix” will be necessary after Referendum C expires.
• Early childhood – I an interested in improving the monitoring of health and safety at child care facilities by increasing the number of licensing specialists.
• Moving the state forward in terms of providing affordable, quality universal health care – I need to see what my colleagues are proposing before I determine what the details would be.
• There are so many other issues that I would like to deal with; I really need to wait on this one. These issues include labor rights (depending on the outcome of numerous ballot initiatives), workers compensation, unemployment insurance, protections for consumers, and numerous education issues.
  
  

Your Support of Progressive Issues and Candidates: Which parts of the current Colorado Democratic Party Platform do you support?  Explain why you do or do not support the planks that you consider most important. Have you supported the issues articulated in the current platform in previous elections, either as a candidate or a supporter or opponent of other candidates?

I support the entire Democratic Party platform. I have supported the issues in previous elections as an active Democrat and as a candidate. I have been on the Platform Committee in the past, and I work with the members every year to ensure that it is good. In terms of which planks are most important to me, I have a hard time picking, because every topic is meaningful. Up to now, I have put most of my focus on the Education plank, since I am a member of the State Board of Education and the co-founder of the Democratic Education Initiative. My work in regard to the platform begins at my precinct caucus, where I always carry several resolutions.

TABOR/TAXATION

Do you support the platform plank advocating simplification of the tax code and revocation of the TABOR amendment?  Do you support more progressive taxation in Colorado? How will you persuade TABOR supporters that there are better and more just possibilities for limiting taxes?

Yes, I support the platform plank advocating simplification of the tax code and revocation of the TABOR amendment. I indicated above that one of my priorities is TABOR reform. I have been doing my part to educate people about the conflicting constitutional provisions and the fiscal quagmire Colorado is in because of TABOR. Once people understand that TABOR has caused us to be 48^th, 49^th, and 50^th in funding of most things, I believe that they would support changing it.

PUBLIC EDUCATION

Where do public education and children's issues fit into your priorities for the state budget?

As a member of the State Board of Education, the Colorado PTA board of directors, and the Early Childhood State Systems Team, I would have to say that my top issues are public education and children’s issues. Both areas are inadequately funded and would be among my highest priorities for the state budget. However, I am mindful that the state’s overall success relies on a budget that balances these issues with other important priorities.

HEALTH CARE

What is your stand on single-payer universal health care, one in which health care is publicly financed and privately delivered? Please elaborate.

I believe that single-payer universal health care should be the goal for all of America. I think the State Party Platform describes the details best.

ELECTORAL REFORM

The Colorado Democratic Party platform develops specific planks in the areas of election reform including the requirement that the paper ballot become the official record of voter intent, that any electronic voting machine produce a voter-verifiable paper record, and that proprietary software programs by vendors be eliminated. Will you support these planks? Will you resist efforts to scrap precinct polling places and move Colorado to a mandatory all mail-in ballot?

I strongly support these planks. I myself vote by mail and believe that it should continue to be an available method of voting, but I don’t think we need to mandate that all voting be done in this way only. One reason I have voted by mail is that I live in Jefferson County, where voting machines have been used in polling places; I feel more confident about my ballot being counted properly with a paper ballot. However, I might feel more confident in the future if we can find a way to produce a voter-verifiable paper record at the polling places.

IMMIGRATION

What measures do you propose to reduce abuses of undocumented immigrants and detainees in Colorado?

We need to ensure that there is adequate enforcement of the laws and funding to make that enforcement possible. Immigrants, whether documented or not, are people and deserve humane treatment, fair trials, and protection from abuses. I believe that if we offer immigrants a chance to gain citizenship, as long as they meet reasonable criteria, we will make strides in reducing the abuses that are taking place.

LABOR

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the United States for suppressing workers' rights to unionize and bargain collectively. Governor Bill Ritter vetoed an attempt to change the Colorado Labor Peace Act (which restricts these rights). How would you guarantee the right of Colorado workers to form and join unions and bargain collectively?

First of all, I will work to defeat Amendment 47, the “Right to Work” amendment. I am glad to see that Governor Ritter’s Executive Order allowing state workers to join unions and bargain collectively had a positive outcome with the decision of many to join ColoradoWINS. I will be a strong advocate for workers’ rights and protections in the Legislature.

GLOBAL WARMING

What would you do to promote new technologies and infrastructures to bring Colorado into a new sustainable energy economy?

I favor incentives for people to use energy-saving devices – such as compact fluorescent bulbs, heat pumps, and good roof insulation – because as a result of promoting this use, I believe there will be a strong market for companies that offer these kinds of products to locate in Colorado. Another thing we should continue to do is to promote the expansion of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, wind farms, the production alternatives fuels from biomass, and the continuation of the “collaboratory” of NREL, CU Boulder, CSU, and the School of Mines.