Jolene B. Austin
Republican | Ohio
Candidate Profile
Moderate
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Jolene B. Austin
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
State Representative, Dist. 14
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Cuyahoga Community College, Parma, Associates, 2001
Remington College, North olmsted, Registered Medical Assistant, 2007
Cuyahoga Community College, Parma, Real estate program, 2001
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Doberman Underground, Home evaluation and referral and foster, Girl Scouts
Troop leader, Parma Republicans Club, Vice President
American Legion post 703, Ladies auxiliary, Parma police citizens academy
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Central Committee Cuyahoga County, 2018- current
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Parma councilwoman, 2019 and 2021
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (1)
Ohio Right to Life PAC
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (3)
Cuyahoga County Republican Party
Ohio Right to life
Parma Republicans
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
Kevin C Kussmaul (2020)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (2)
Landry Simmons (2022)
Ron Ferguson (2022)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Life of mother, incest, rape, or severe medical condition.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
I do not feel an organization that uses donations for campaigns should also receive tax money as well.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Disagree
I’m afraid this is a slippery slope that could deny medical services for those deemed past life expectancy
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
I would like to see a simple one tax rate for all plan. The hundreds of pages one must go through now for taxes is nothing but a confusing blunder for most citizens.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
Their is too much pork in all of our spending. We should not be putting filibusters in to our bills. We’ve seen to many times add ons from politicians to get elected from super pacs, it needs to be overhauled.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Neutral
I believe we should have incentives for certain fields to be reimbursed from company’s that work for the public. Also the trade programs need to be affordable for those that want to enter in to those fields.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
The only forced closure of a religious institution regardless of religion should be harm to the public entity. A serious disregard to public safety should be the only time a church should be closed or any unlawful act.
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D)Tax-payer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be de-funded.
I’m a strong believer that no one should be denied healthcare. However we need to rid the system of unnecessary medical treatments. No one that is in dire need of services should be denied. This was the case before Affordable Care Act but than placed an undo burden of rates going up to those who already had insurance. It was anything but affordable to our middle class.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
I believe a school system must be able to approve vaccinations that have been studied for a long period of time and deemed safe for children. However the covid vaccination has not been thoroughly studied and I do not believe we have enough evidence to safely force it on anyone.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
We must fully vet any individual wanting to enter the United States. We need to keep full surveillance on any websites and propaganda that is perceived as a dangerous threat to our democracy.
I support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, remove the separation barrier in the West Bank, allow full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees.
Disagree
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
Our border must be protected at all costs. Their is no country without a border.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Any legal immigration for people that go through the proper channels should have an opportunity to become a citizen. As long as it poses no threat to our country as a whole to benefit our citizens today and not overburden us on how many we can responsibly take in.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
All children regardless of income should have a choice on where they go to school. This includes the middle class that are usually left out of any assistance for tuition. A family of five making 100,000 a year can’t afford a $10,000 bill to be able to send child to a school for their best interests and needs.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Neutral
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Neutral
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition
Disagree
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a member of the Roman Catholic Church. I do believe in rights for all and for people to legally practice any religion in our country.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
I believe every citizen in the United States should be given a photo idea paid for by the state they live in.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Yes I think racism has played a role in security threats to our nation.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Which comes closest to your view? A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost.
A. We have seen too many businesses leave our country due to extreme fines and laws placed here. Same factories that were fined here moved over to China and India to build the same facilities we can’t have here. We saw this issue most predominantly with factories that build our automobiles and crippled whole cities here.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Strongly Agree
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
I strongly believe in the governments only job is to keep us safe and protect our rights as promised in the constitution.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
Fox News interviews for the Story with Martha Mccullem
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No
What else would you like voters to know about you, including your legislative priorities?
My main priority should I win this election is to protect us all from government overreach and over taxation. As a mother of 3 children I fully understand what inflation and rights being taken away from parents has done to us in the last 2 years. I feel strongly that many of our politicians are too far removed from what a typical citizen needs. Term limits for all,the ending of lifetime politicians, and ridding us of super pacs that essentially pick our representatives needs to happen for us to bring back our democracy and fair elections. Legislative priorities would be school choice, fully funded safety services, harsher penalties for crimes, term limits for all elected officials from city council to the courts and all in between.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Neutral
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Those whom are convicted of any type of domestic violence or previous physical harm should lose their rights to gun ownership
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Disagree
