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Candidate Questionnaire

Name: David Hale

Office Sought: Delegate

District: 27B

Party Affiliation: Republican

Have you previously held public office?

Yes. Calvert County Commissioner

What is your Occupation?

Small Business Owner and Program Management Consultant

What are the three key issues of your campaign, and why are they important to the business community?

Issue #1: Create an economic environment that allows our current business to grow and attracts new businesses to Maryland.

Issue #2: Allow the free market to work in Maryland including electrical rates. Deregulation capped rates in 1999 and the action taken during the 2006 Special Session only extended the rate caps. We can not continue to claim a deregulated markeplace when government sets rate caps when it benefits the politicians.

Issue #3: Increase the capacity of our Bus Rapid Transit system by adding buses, routes and park-n-ride lots to the existing infrastructure. This is a non-controversial, well-liked system that is relatively inexpensive while also being very effective in increasing the capacity of our transportion system.

Why are you the best person to represent the people of your district?

I have eight years of experience making government work to achieve the priorities of Calvert citizens and I have a proven record of getting things done. My views are relatively moderate and considered "just right of center" which is consistent with the majority of our citizens in Calvert County.

Fiscal Responsibility
Despite the temporary surplus resulting from robust economic expansion, funding of current state services and new accounting requirements impacting state retiree health insurance costs will consume all available state revenues. The State continues to have a long-term structural deficit.

Which of the following actions would you support to balance the state’s budget?
 
Support
Oppose
Undecided
Contain state spending
Cut state spending
Avoid new unfunded or under-funded state spending mandates
Authorize slot machines
Increase taxes

 

Do you support any of the following measures to increase state revenue?
 
Support
Oppose
Undecided
Income tax increase
Income tax increase on high wage earners
Corporate income tax increase
Sales tax increase
Broadening the sales tax base to include professional services
Regional sales tax increase for mass transit
Dedicating one cent of the existing sales tax to transportation and/or transit needs
Gas tax increase
No new spending mandates

Health Care Affordability
Health insurance costs are rising at levels nearly three times the overall rate of inflation. Employers and employees are increasingly unable or unwilling to purchase health insurance coverage as it is currently offered.

Which of the following steps do you support to make health care insurance more affordable and available?
 
Support
Oppose
Undecided
Enact meaningful medical liability reform
Enact association health plan legislation
Reform the small group health plan
Enact a single-payer, government-run health care system
Review and repeal unnecessary health care mandates
Employers should contribute to HSAs and leave the health care decision to the individual
Tax employers who don’t offer health insurance, or whose plans don’t meet state requirements

Do you support expanding the “Wal-Mart bill” payroll tax to more employers in the future?

No. The Wal-Mart bill should not have been passed in the first place.

Civil Liability Reform
Maryland’s fair and predictable laws governing tort liability are an essential part of Maryland’s business climate, and are important in business retention and attraction.

Which of the following do you support?
 
Support
Oppose
Undecided
Support reforms to civil liability law that will help moderate medical liability insurance rates
Restore the cap on non-economic damage awards in latent disease and latent injury cases
Enact legislation to provide reasonable limits for appeal bonds
Make it easier for a person filing suit to receive punitive damages
Lower caps on non-economic damages.

Miscellaneous

Do you support indexing Maryland’s minimum wage to inflation?

No.

In 2004, Maryland de-coupled its state estate tax from the federal estate tax. Should this change be repealed to bring Maryland law back in line with the federal law?

Yes

Should the Governor be authorized to impose price controls when products are in short supply?

No