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Indiana Family Institute Voter Guide
Responses to Indiana Equality Candidate Questionnaire
Responses to IndyStar Voter Guide
INDIANA EQUALITY
Political Action Committee
2008 Candidate Questionnaire – Indiana General Assembly
ISSUE 1 – NONDISCRIMINATION
Current Indiana law provides for protections against discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based on race, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability. Would you support an extension those protections to additional Hoosiers based on sexual orientation and gender identity?
No, I would not in the case of gender identity.
ISSUE 2 – CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Indiana’s sentencing law currently allows judges to consider aggravating circumstances in sentencing for crimes committed against children and seniors. Would you support a law that provided similar sentencing options when the victim was specifically targeted due to their: disability, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation?
I do not believe that our current law should be extended to cover any of these instances. I believe any crime committed against any person, regardless of what sub-group of the population they are placed in, should be prosecuted and sentenced to the fullest extent of the law.
ISSUE 3 –HEALTH CARE
Health care is a major issue for all Hoosiers, but especially those suffering from HIV/AIDS, a disease that disproportionately affects African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans. While new treatments have improved the quality of life of individuals with HIV/AIDS, those treatments are expensive, and not available to everyone who needs them.
Do you support increased state funding for health care for people with HIV/AIDS?
I would be supportive of increasing health care availability to anyone who could not afford it, but would not base increased funding on a specific illness such as HIV/AIDS. Anyone, with any illness, that can’t afford it, deserves the same consideration for health care funding.
Do you support increased funding for HIV/AIDS prevention activities?
If I was convinced that the program was truly going to be effective, I would be supportive of such activities.
ISSUE 4 – EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Employers compensate employees through more than just wages and salary by providing benefits such as health insurance and dental care. The traditional benefits structure includes a married employee’s spouse and children. Across our country, an ever-growing number of employers further extend these benefits to unmarried employees and their families and children. Given that domestic-partner benefits are an inexpensive option to attract and retain the best employees, to improve morale, and to promote fairness in the workplace, several of Indiana’s public employers, including Ball State University, Indiana University, Indiana State University, Purdue University, the City of Bloomington and Lawrence Township (Marion County) have joined thirteen states such as Illinois and Iowa in offering a paycheck/benefits package that includes domestic partners. Would you support legislation to extend benefits, including health insurance, to the domest partners of state employess?
No, I would not vote to extend benefits.
ISSUE 5 – ADOPTION
While 47 states, including Indiana, allow single individuals, and gay and lesbian people to adopt children, some legislators are pushing to prohibit capable, commited adults from adoptiong because of the marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Would you support continuing to give judges authority, based on recommendations made by the Indiana Department of Child Services, to make adoption decisions based on the best interests of the child, without bans based solely on marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity?
I would not support bans based solely on marital status.
ISSUE 6 – EDUCAITON
Although Indiana law requires school corporations to adopt rules to prohibit bullying, incidents of such harassment continue to be reported. Would you support additional training for teachers, administrators, and other school employees on preventing and intervening in such instances of bias-based harassment?
I would be open to the idea of having additional training if I felt the training program was going to be effective.
Candidate Name: John D. Jessup
Party Affiliation: Independent
Office Sought: State Representative, District 53
Campaign Contact Person: John D. Jessup
Address: PO Box 148
City/State: Shirley, IN 47384
Email: john@jessupfor53.com
Copyright 2008
Paid for and authorized by: Jessup for 53 Committee...Angela Jessup, Treasurer
