(Thanks again, Scott. I’m impressed NASW is asking candidates whether they support single-payer healthcare! – promoted by eli_beckerman)

The Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers sent me a questionnaire on June 22 and asked for it to be submitted today (June 29).

The campaign has acted solely in publicizing the questions and answers.  This action was not coordinated with or requested by the MA Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

The text that is in blocks is the text of the questionnaire.

My answers and comments are outside of the blocks in italics.

My campaign responds to all questionnaires and publishes all answers sent.

NASW Questionnaire

Part I. General Information

Candidate:     Lee Scott Laugenour

Party:  Green-Rainbow

Office Sought: State Representative, 4th Berkshire District

Campaign Mailing Address:

PO Box 612 / Lenox MA  01240-0612

Website: www.scottlaugenour.org

Email: hq@scottlaugenour.org

Campaign Manager: Kalin Jordan

CPF ID#:15068

Phone # (hq):413 551 9222

Contribution Payable to: FRIENDS FOR SCOTT LAUGENOUR

Name(s) of other Candidate(s) and Party Affiliation(s): William Pignatelli, Democrat

Part II. Candidate Background

Employment:

Language instructor, Hotel Staff, Hotel Management, Executive Regional Team for Lodging, Art Gallery Business Owner, Management Consultant.

Elected Office(s) and Year(s) in Office:

Green-Rainbow Party State Committee 2010-present, first elected in Berkshire County and then elected in the Berkshire Hampshire Franklin and Hampden State Senatorial District.  I also serve on the Lenox Environment Committee and have been appointed by the Board of Selectmen in Lenox to represent the town on the board of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority.  I also have served an appointment to the Lenox Economic Development Action Plan Steering Committee, and was elected chair in 2011.

Education:

1980 BA in Liberal Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa

Leadership Position(s) held and year(s):

I have served on the Curriculum Committee in charge of introductory curriculum of the Japanese American Conversation Institute in Tokyo (1981-1985), on the board of the Williamsburg Gallery Association in Brooklyn NY (2003-2006), and on the board of the Storefront Artist Association in Pittsfield MA (2006-2007)

Community/Civic/Religious/Professional Memberships:

Friends of Tanglewood, Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition, Berkshire Greens PAC.

Part III. Social Work Professional Issues

The high cost of social work education often limits the duration of time qualified social workers remain in the human services field, providing invaluable services to marginalized populations.

1.  Do you support a loan forgiveness program for social workers in Massachusetts?

Yes. I support loan forgiveness for all student debt in exchange for working or starting a business in Massachusetts for a period of time commensurate with the debt that is being forgiven.

In 2008, a 53-year-old social worker was performing a home visit and was stabbed to death by her client. As a result of this tragedy, NASW MA Chapter convened a social work safety task force to determine the best strategies for making the social work profession as safe as possible. One recommendation of the Task Force was to promote safety legislation for Social Workers, which has been filed. This bill would require behavioral health employers to perform annually an assessment of factors that may put a licensed social worker at risk of workplace violence.

Do you support social work safety legislation?

Yes (I support the idea of social work safety legislation.  I will comment on a specific bill if it is identified.)

Part IV. Policy Positions

1. Civil Rights

Do you support the fundamental right to choose an abortion and oppose attempts to restrict or ban abortion?

Yes

Do you oppose the death penalty?

Yes  

Do you support equal civil rights, including marriage, for same sex couples and oppose any Constitutional amendment to limit these equal rights?

Yes  

Do you support the restoration of services for immigrants including citizenship assistance, employment, health insurance, and in-state tuition?

Yes

People who are transgender were recently afforded rights and protections under legislation entitled “An Act Relative to Gender Identity”. This legislation did not, however, provide protections in places of public accommodation. Would you support legislation guaranteeing transgender people the right to access public accommodations consistent with their gender identity and expression?

Yes  

2. Child Welfare

Do you support increased state funding to ensure adequate and stable funding of the Department of Children and Families with smaller caseloads for DCF workers?

I will need to know more about current funding and caseloads, but I believe that the Department of Children and Families should be funded to provide quality service.

Do you support legislation that would extend reimbursement to social workers and other providers for collateral services (which involve consultation with guardians, educators, state agencies and other service providers in the child’s life) in their treatment of children covered by private insurance in Massachusetts?

Yes.  I support comprehensive single payer health insurance so that there is no need for private health insurance except to cover luxury add-ons.

3. Disabilities and Elders

Do you support removing barriers and facilitating access to community based services and support for individuals with disabilities, allowing for full inclusion?

Yes

Do you support increasing the Personal Needs Allowance for residents of Rest and Nursing Homes in Massachusetts? Currently, these residents receive $60 per month but a legislative proposal would allow residents to keep additional Social Security of $72.80 to support their living expenses.

Yes

4. Health Care

Would you co-sponsor legislation creating a single payer health insurance system in Massachusetts that guarantees access, is publicly administered, and lowers the cost of health care?

Yes.  Co-sponsorship of this legislation is what I will do one Day 1.  It doesn’t stop there, though.  As someone who has lived in democratic societies that provide comprehensive public health insurance for all I am in a position to advocate for it, educate a confused public, and debunk the myths that are promulgated by those who profit from the current system that is failing.  Please read my blogs on this subject, which include testimony that I have given on the subject before the Joint Committee on Health Care Finance.

As Massachusetts moves toward reforming health care service delivery and payment methodologies, do you support requiring integration of behavioral and mental health as well as substance abuse treatment in all proposed reform efforts?

No.  Not yet.  I need to first be convinced that the reforms are really reforms.  Payment reform is not health care reform.  I have also testified against ACO’s.  We don’t have a good record on health care reform when those bills are written under the watchful eye of the insurance industry, who seem to have no problem with access to legislators.

5. Housing/Homelessness

Do you support funding to provide safe transitional shelter to all individuals and families?

Yes

Do you support the creation of affordable housing, including low income housing, for all individuals and families in need in Massachusetts?

Yes

Do you support increased funding for the MA Rental Voucher Program, which helps to prevent homelessness?

I need more information on this particular program before making a commitment to vote for increased funding for it.

6. Economic Equity and Workplace Issues

Would you oppose privatization of state services when it cuts workers’ salaries and benefits?

My answer would depend on the particular service that is being considered either for transition to the private sector or to the public sector.  Service quality would have to be part of the equation, not simply cost-saving.

Do you support all workers receiving a living wage, and competitive benefits that includes earned paid sick days?

Yes.  I believe we should take a serious look at providing some social benefits like paid sick days and parental leave through a statewide social security system the way that social democracies around the world administer such benefits.

7. Welfare

Do you support increased access to early education and care for children of welfare recipients so that parents can obtain training and education?

Yes

8. Criminal Justice

Do you support repealing mandatory minimum sentencing?

Yes

Do you support treatment diversion programs versus incarceration for low level offenders who are mentally ill and/or drug addicted?

Yes

Do you support expanding alternative sentencing, rehabilitative interventions for prisoners and community reintegration services after incarceration?

Yes

9. Revenue/Taxes

In the 1990’s, the Massachusetts state government passed over $3 billion in tax cuts, which disproportionately went to the wealthiest people in the state.

Would you support increasing the tax rate on dividend and interest income raising $700 million to invest in our state if there is an exemption for moderate income seniors?

Not enough information.  First, I can not answer the question without specific tax rates and exemptions posited in the question.  I support exempting the first $46,000 of individual wage and investment income, and introducing an 8.3% tax on any wage and investment income above that amount.  This will raise an additional $1.5 billion in revenue.

The state income tax is the major source of funding for state programs and services. Cuts in the income tax cause cuts in services and Local Aid.

Would  you oppose cutting the income tax rate to 5.0%  

 

Yes  

   

Would     you support restoring the     income tax rate to 5.95% (its rate in 1999) to raise revenue to     restore funding to these programs if we raised the personal     exemption to minimize any tax increases on working families?        

Not enough information.  First, I would need to know specifically what exemption amount this question presumes.  I already am on record as supporting instituting a progressive income tax that would exempt the first $46,000 in wage and investment income.  The tax for wage and investment income above the exemption would be 8.3%.  This would bring in an additional $1.5 billion.  It is also important when discussing taxes to discuss the budget and the value that taxpayers get from their taxes, such as public health insurance and education that do not bankrupt them.  Please visit my web site for more discussion on fair taxes and budgets.)

10. Gambling and Casinos

Would you oppose efforts to continue the expansion of gambling in Massachusetts?

Yes.  Although I am not opposed to recreational gambling, I do not support the presumption that large-scale casinos are necessary to generate tax revenue and to bring in jobs.  In fact, a comprehensive study in New Hampshire determined that casinos drained more jobs out of the community than they brought in.   It is counter to a belief in progressive income tax and locally-driven economic development to place casino development at the cornerstone of revenue and jobs policies.  We should support, instead, progressive taxes for the funding of a health, education, and  jobs infrastructure that does not put people in debt.

Please answer each question in parts V and VI with no more than one paragraph.

Part V. Legislative Goals

1. What are your three priority issues? How do you plan to address them?

Jobs and Economic Development by investing directly into our infrastructure (health, education, mobility).  Healthy, educated, solvent people are the basis of a healthy economic community.  For further discussion, please read my blog Jobs Come From Enterprise.

Fair Taxes and Budgets.  Presently taxes are regressive, while the value that taxpayers gets for their tax money is low.  Fair progressive taxes which fund valuable community infrastructure such as public health insurance and higher education so that, as in other democracies, no one goes bankrupt or becomes insolvent because they got sick or went to school.   We are overtaxed not so much because of how much we pay, but because of how little we get.

Expanded Medicare For All.  Working with MassCare I led the effort in the 4th Berkshire District to have the single payer question placed on the November 2010 ballot, where it garnered over 70% support.

We are using modern communication tools in a demonstration of transparency to let voters communicate with me, engage in dialogue, and be part of the development of these positions, which are popular, progressive, and proven.  We will also use debates, forums, direct mail and canvassing to reach voters directly.  This example of openness and transparency will continue when I am on Beacon Hill, where I will fight to end the exemption that our state legislature gives itself to the Open Meetings Law.

2. Which committee assignments would you request and why?

Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business

Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy

Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture

Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development

Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse

As I have listened to voters in my district, I have determined that the perview of these particular  committees is especially germane to my districts’ voters.  I would like to serve on committees both where I have a particular interest and expertise and also where I can gain new insights from the experts who appear before it.

3. Which three actions should the Legislature undertake in order to improve the quality of life for Massachusetts residents? What role should the Commonwealth take in funding these policies or programs?

Members of the legislature and their respective party leaders and party apparatus should refuse the financial influence of corporate lobbyists.

The legislature should insist that Massachusetts agencies and services are benchmarked against the best in the world rather than only against other states.

The legislature should adopt the 10 Key Values of the Green-Rainbow Party to guide its policies and legislation:  Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grassroots Democracy, Non-Violence, Decentralization, Gender Equality, Local Economies, Respect for Diversity, Personal & Global Responsibility, and Future Sustainability.

Part VI. Your Campaign

1. What is your campaign strategy or strategies (i.e. specific actions such a voter identification) and how is your campaign implementing the strategy or strategies?

Direct voter contact, participation in all forums and debates (we sometimes need to encourage non-profit groups who are skittish about engaging in politics that they should engage in voter education, send and publicize questionnaires, and host forums and debates, which they can do while remaining neutral and without compromising their tax exempt status).

2. What endorsements have you received?

The Green-Rainbow Party

Others are being sought.  My opponent and I are both unopposed in our respective primaries, so many groups will wait until later before issuing endorsements for the Nov 6 general election.

In 2010 we received the endorsement of the Berkshire Record.

3. How much money do you need to raise? How much have you raised to date?

We need to raise at least four times the $5000 that we raised in all of 2010.  We began the 2012 campaign season 25% of the way there.  Our financial disclosure reports can be found online.

Please email your completed questionnaire to Julie Balasalle at balasalle@naswma.org. Do not hit reply.

Please submit a letter of recommendation from a licensed Massachusetts social worker who knows you and supports your candidacy.

The letter was sent separately and directly to NASW.