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Candidate Questionnaire
John Astle is an incumbent -- Click here to see how he voted on the Maryland Chamber's key issues

Name: John C. Astle

Office Sought: Senator

District: 30

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Have you previously held public office?

Yes. Senate 1995-Present, House of Delegates 1983-1995

What is your Occupation?

Medical Aviation

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

1. Business Climate

2. Health Care: Working to make health care affordable for business.

3. Fiscal Responsibility

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

As Vice Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I have a significant impact on the outcome of business legislation. As a moderate, I listen to both sides of arguments. I have a long history of support for business issues.

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

Other: Support cutting state spending where appropriate.

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

Other: The state should not divert Transportation Trust Fund dollars to the General Fund.

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

Other: I support HSAs as an option that should be available to employers, not a mandate.

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

No.

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.