Joe Hoeffel's Response to PFC

Philly For Change Governor’s Questionnaire
 

1.  If elected, what will be your top three priorities, and how will you achieve them?

My top three priorities are creating jobs and building Pennsylvania's economy; strengthening our educational programs at all levels; and providing health care for all Pennsylvanians.

My plan for Pennsylvania's economy will create jobs, build a strong workforce, help small businesses, and bring together our farms, suburbs, and cities. I will increase access to community college programs so that today's workforce can learn new skills and take on new roles in our changing economy; and improve our early childhood programs, K-12 schools, and state system of higher education to ensure future generations are fully prepared. We must create a diverse economy, investing heavily in green industries but also in healthcare, infrastructure, and environmental management, both in the long-term and through a "Jobs Now" initiative to fast-track key projects. I will help small businesses by pushing for health care reform, beneficial loans, and new partnership opportunities with universities. Finally, I will encourage smart development strategies which will foster symbiotic relationships between communities: revitalization of urban centers to complement open space preservation programs, transit-oriented design to combat suburban sprawl, and farm-to-city initiatives to bring Pennsylvania's number one industry and its population centers closer to one another.

Pennsylvania's schools are on the right track, showing tremendous recent gains following a redesigned state funding formula. I will ensure that this progress continues, providing full support and funding for this formula to balance the playing field by ensuring adequate funding for all students. I'm also strong advocate of expanding early childhood education programs and full-day kindergarten; and as I believe higher education must remain an affordable option for everyone, I will develop a comprehensive and responsible tuition relief program that will allow every Pennsylvanian the opportunity to further their education.

As Governor, I will support and work to achieve insurance coverage for every Pennsylvanian. I will explore ways to create a publicly financed, publicly administered, and privately delivered health insurance program -- similar to the Medicare model -- for the commonwealth. I support establishing minimum nurse-to patient ratios in hospitals to ensure that the quality of care improves and the number of medical errors decreases, increasing the minimum nursing home staffing levels at nursing home facilities in our commonwealth, and improving long term home health care options that ultimately empower consumers and the workers who care for them.

2.  What steps will you take to improve Pennsylvania's economy and raise Philadelphians out of poverty?

For improving Pennsylvania's economy -- my number one priority as governor -- please see my answer to question (1).

I believe education is the best path out of poverty for Philadelphians (and all Pennsylvanians, for that matter). Please see my answer to question (1) which addresses how I will improve our education system.

3.  How will you assure economic stability for Philadelphia's public schools? Will you propose a new funding formula?  

I support our existing school funding formula. With full funding from the commonwealth, this plan will protect Philadelphia's schools and provide them the stability and resources necessary to make them the equal of schools across Pennsylvania.

4. Summarize briefly your positions regarding abortion and emergency contraception.

I support a woman's right to choose. I trust women to make their own personal, private decisions regarding reproductive health issues -- the government should not be involved. Moreover, we must not allow healthcare reform to prevent a woman from selecting a healthcare plan that covers abortion. I have issued a statement that as governor, I will veto any bill presented to me by the state legislature that attempts to prevent Pennsylvania's healthcare exchange from including a plan which covers abortion (as the Senate's version of the healthcare bill would allow to happen).

I also support access to emergency contraception for all women in Pennsylvania, and specifically the CARE Act (Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies) which requires emergency rooms throughout Pennsylvania to provide emergency contraception to victims of rape.

5. What steps will you take to protect the LGBT community from discrimination?

I support amending the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity or expression" as protected classes, and expanding the definition of a hate crime to include crimes motivated by malicious intent toward an individual’s or group’s ancestry, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or gender or gender identity. Both of these proposed laws will extend critical protection against discrimination to the LGBT community.

I also believe that we must end the discrimination preventing couples in love from marrying because of gender. I support full marriage equality for all Pennsylvanians.

6. In light of Pennsylvania's expanded natural gas drilling, will you commit funds from mineral extraction for environmental protection?  How will you protect our environment from problems associated with such drilling and assure that Pennsylvanians economically benefit from this growing industry?

I support an extraction tax on natural gas, and some of the funds from that tax will be directed towards renewing the highly successful Growing Greener programs (scheduled to expire in 2012 and 2011). The extraction tax on natural gas will ensure that they have a sustainable funding source going forward.

I have already begun urging the Department of Environmental Protection to strengthen their limits on chemicals in wastewater produced by the natural gas industry, and have called on all my competitors in both parties to join me in this. I am calling for a comprehensive environmental impact study to be conducted before the commonwealth issues additional drilling and wastewater permits. But I maintain my belief that with responsible regulation, this industry can still thrive in Pennsylvania and we can derive maximum benefits from our Marcellus Shale resources without compromising the health or safety of the commonwealth.