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Meet the Candidate

John Deatrich

Running For:
REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
District:
123

Political Affiliation:
DEM
Age:
52
Occupation:
Teacher
Education: (click to expand)
Biographical Info: (click to expand)
Why are you running for office? (click to expand)

Survey

Response Legend

  • YYes
  • NNo
  • UUndecided
  • −Declined to Respond / Position Unknown / Unclear
  • *Comment
  • †Declined to respond, Position based on citation

Question Response Comments/Notes
1. Should all voters be required to show identification before voting? Y* To vote in person at a polling station I think it is fair to show identification of some kind. In order to register to vote, you were asked to list the last four digits of your SS#, or you were asked if you had a drivers licence or ID Card. If you had one of those when you registered to vote, any of those should be acceptable when voting as proof of ID.
2. Should the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act be amended to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity," which could require public schools and other public facilities to open up restrooms and locker rooms to members of the opposite sex? N* I respect all individuals; their life choices are their own. Their choices however are just that, "their own". I do not support using taxpayer dollars to accommodate individual lifestyle choices. Especially in this case which will most likely be referring to and effecting minors in schools and public facilities. Not to mention, an amendment like this just from a fiscal standpoint would cost 100's of millions of dollars to implement. The cost associated in advertising bids, engineering, permitting, costs of materials and labor. Then we can discuss the cost of litigation, and how most of these projects will never get off the ground as they will be tied up in court. The individuals in question, those who fit into the "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" demographic will simply be used as pawns in a political and social circus. It will actually have very little to do with them. I would never support it.
3. Should marijuana be legalized and sold commercially for recreational use? Y* Pennsylvania, needs to expand its revenue sources in order to continue to expand at rate comparable to other states. I think there is enough data to support the benefits of marijuana from a medical standpoint. There is no reason to resist the legalization of it and subsequent commercial sales. The benefit of collecting tax revenue from the sale of marijuana would be expediential, and greatly improve the bottom line of PA's tax base moving forward.
4. Should increases in state government spending be limited to the rate of inflation plus population growth? N* Unfortunately it’s not that easy. You can't put blind numbers on spending when you don't know what the cost of things are. You have a duty to citizens to run the state responsibly. If there is a variable in any necessary line item that is needed and absolute, you just can't say "we have surpassed the rate of inflation sorry". For example, a drug that is life sustaining for children and covered under the CHIP program becomes grossly expensive and drives the program over budget. Without it, children become sick or could even die. Do we say, the cost of that grew faster than the rate of inflation plus population growth? You can't control what things are going to cost, or what you HAVE to spend. You can only control what you DON'T have to spend, so the money is there when you need it.
5. Should Pennsylvania make cuts to the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) student scholarship program? N* They shouldn't make cuts to it; they should revise it. Don't reinvent the wheel. The mechanism is there to funnel funds and help educate our students. PA needs educated individuals to draw industry into PA, getting them educated is the only way to do that. What I'm not a huge fan of is the fact that the EITC scholarship program is for private schools only. This should be changed to trade related schools. We keep hearing that we need more trained skilled workers, why would we not be making education possible in the trades. A policy could potentially create a CTE-specific EITC category, Pennsylvania should establish a Career & Technical Education Tax Credit (CTETC) using Educational Improvement Tax Credit system as a vehicle. Businesses could receive a Pennsylvania tax credit for contributing to an approved nonprofit that supports public CTC programs. The money could be restricted to things such as: Industry-standard equipment and diagnostic tools, student hand tools and PPE, certification/testing fees CDL, ASE, EETC, AWS, NIMS and or other industry credentials some that aren't currently funded by Perkins funding. Use funds to help get work-based learning and apprenticeships off the ground to help both the students and small businesses. Help pay for Career and Technical Student Organizations competition expenses; and equipment required to start programs in occupations experiencing worker shortages. It would essentially take the business-to-education funding mechanism Pennsylvania already uses through EITC and explicitly open it to workforce education. We need more electricians, technicians, welders, health-care workers, machinists and other skilled workers.
6. Planned Parenthood Endorsement - abortion advocacy organization −
7. Sierra Club Endorsement - environmental advocacy organization −
8. Gun Owners of America Endorsement - gun rights advocacy organization −