Candidate Directory
Pamela Weston
House District21
New
Democrat
Sweetwater
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Candidate is running in a contested General Election.
SURVEY QUESTIONS
Would you support or oppose legislation that would prohibit abortion except when necessary to prevent the death of the mother?
Failed to Answer
Would you support or oppose legislation that would make sexual orientation a new protected class under Tennessee’s civil rights laws?
Failed to Answer
Would you support or oppose legislation that would make gender identity/expression a new protected class under Tennessee’s civil rights laws?
Failed to Answer
Would you support or oppose a bill to amend Tennessee’s marriage statute to expressly authorize the issuance of marriage licenses to two people of the same sex?
Failed to Answer
Would you support or oppose legislation that would establish a $15 per hour minimum wage in Tennessee?
Support
Do you support or oppose the proposition that a person should be allowed by law to use the bathroom or locker room that corresponds to the gender they identify with?
Failed to Answer
Would you support or oppose a law creating the office of Solicitor General, a lawyer to serve as the state’s advocate in the court systems, to be appointed by the General Assembly?
Oppose
Do you support or oppose the U.S. Department of Justice redefining the word “sex” to also include gender identity for purposes of Title VII and Title IX?
Failed to Answer
Would you support or oppose legislation, like Insure Tennessee, that would expand Medicaid coverage in TN beyond the Medicaid eligible population?
Support
Would you support or oppose legislation that would prohibit state courts or any local government from ordering a privately owned business to participate in activities associated with solemnization or celebration of a marriage through the provision of goods or services if participating would violate their beliefs regarding the nature of marriage?
Failed to Answer
Do you support or oppose the legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
Failed to Answer
Would you support or oppose legislation to award all of Tennessee’s Electors in a presidential election to the Party of the candidate who wins the national popular vote?
Failed to Answer
Do you support or oppose the legalization of horse racing tracks in Tennessee at which bets can be placed on races?
Failed to Answer
Would you support or oppose a nominee to the TN Supreme Court if there is credible evidence that the nominee believes the state or federal constitution should be viewed or interpreted as a “living” document?
Failed to Answer
ESSAY QUESTIONS
Explain your view of state government’s role in relation to economic growth and/or job creation.
The state's role in economic growth and job creation should vary according to the needs of the people. Our state could have passed Insure TN which would have been the equivalent of a multi-billion dollar jobs bill if those jobs had been valuated at the same rate as the VW jobs in Chattanooga, all the while providing preventative care to Tennesseans, many of whom would have then been able to work. It would have also served the state's rural areas more fairly as an economic development project as everywhere that people happen to be, providers likely would follow; as opposed to other economic development opportunities which tend to be focused on more heavily populated areas. When viewed in that manner, Insure TN is an opportunity that we have missed to take thus far.
Explain your views regarding the roles state government and parents have in elementary and secondary education.
The role of state government should be to fund public elementary and secondary education with an eye toward the long term rather than just the immediate. Parents have input at the local level and at the state level; however, the state should be accountable for establishing a curriculum that offers opportunities for flexibility in content.
The state government should not impose needless prohibitions on the LEAs nor reduce their authority to make decisions.
What is one of the most satisfying things you have ever done or accomplished and what made it so satisfying to you?
One of the most satisfying things I've done is impacting the future generations in a positive way. I have had a hand in educating young adults at the college level who have gone on to become pharmacists, physicians, specialists, researchers, and educators who have a passion for serving others. I have had the opportunity to be a parent and now, a grandparent. These things were satisfying because although many people claim to want to leave the world a better place than they found it, they often are unable to. These accomplishments are satisfying because they are an example of what can be gifted to future generations if one is willing to selflessly invest in others without demanding to see immediate fruits of that investment.
What personal qualities or experiences do you think will best serve you in your role as a state legislator?
I am honest, thoughtful, and analytic. I try to make decisions based on multiple sources of information. I have experiences with making judgement calls, decision making, and budgeting as a math faculty person and interim department chair. I have the ability to think broadly and extrapolate possible outcomes of decisions, an ability that could serve our state well.
What bill passed in the last General Assembly that you would have voted against and why, or what bill did not pass in the last General Assembly that you wish had passed and why?
I wish Insure TN would have passed. It was the compromise bill the legislature requested, it would have supported hospitals, it would have had an incredible economic development impact, it would have eliminated the disabling of people due to lack of preventative or maintenance care, and would have provided a healthcare bridge to tens of thousands of young people who will age out of TN Care while pursuing education and training opportunities offered by the TN Promise.
