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State Representative, District 035

Made up of 100 members, the Indiana House of Representatives is the lower chamber in the Indiana General Assembly. Each member represents a district of about 65,000 residents, and is elected to two year terms not subject to term limits. Primary responsibilities of a representative include writing and voting on legislation, overseeing programs enacted by the executive branch, holding hearings on policies and redistricting in collaboration with other representatives and the Senate. The House also is responsible for introduction of the biennial state budget, which must be passed by both the House and the Senate and signed by the governor before it can take effect.

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  • Candidate picture

    Phil G. Gift
    (Dem)

  • Candidate picture

    Philip G. (Phil) Gift
    (Dem)

  • Candidate picture

    Elizabeth Rowray
    (Rep)

Biographical Information

Public education Which of the following would be your top three priorities for improving public education in Indiana? Please write the numbers for your choices below. 1-Increase teacher pay to address the shortage of qualified teachers. 2-Restore funding for public education to levels that existed prior to the Great Recession of 2008-09 adjusted for inflation. 3-Require that K-12 teachers be fully certified in the subject matter or grade level they teach. 4-Focus allocation of money to public as opposed to non-public charter schools 5-Hire more licensed school counselors to address increased mental health challenges among school children 6-Create a curriculum for reading that meets the I-Read standards to avoid retaining 3rd graders. Enter numbers of your choices here: In the space below, feel free to add options not included in the list and(or) explain your answer.

Women’s health -abortion What is your position regarding a woman’s right to abortion? Write the number of the one option below that best reflects your position. 0-Abortion should be illegal under all circumstances. 1-Only under circumstances of a lethal fetal anomaly or substantial impairment to the life or physical health of the mother. 2-In addition to 2 above, abortion should be allowed under circumstances of incest or rape. 3-Abortion should be allowed up through the 6th week of pregnancy with no restrictions. 4-Abortion should be allowed up through the 15th week of pregnancy with no restrictions. 5-Abortion should be allowed up to the 20th week of pregnancy (viability of the fetus). 6-Abortion should be a decision left entirely to a woman and her physician. Enter a number here: If you wish, explain your perspective in the space below.

On a scale of 0-4, what is your level of support for data center development in Indiana—in relation to energy, water, and land use resources? Enter a number here: Feel free to expand on your answer below.

On a scale of 0-4, what is your level of support for non-fossil fuel energy in Indiana (wind, solar)? Enter a number here: Feel free to expand on your answer below.

What is your level of support for specific types of solar energy in Indiana? List the numbers for all the following that you support: 1- You do not support any of the following; 2 – You support utilities reimbursing homeowners with solar panels at the retail rate rather than the wholesale rate; 3 – You support utilities reimbursing communities with solar installations at the retail rather than the wholesale rate; 4 – You support the current Indiana solar energy-ready standards for utility scale solar installations. Enter the numbers of your choices here: Feel free to expand on your answer below.

What is your level of support for the wind energy-ready community standards in Indiana. Choose a number between 0 and 4, where 0 – You do not support wind energy development at all, 1 – weak support, 2 – Moderate support, 3 – Strong support, 4 – You are fully supportive wind energy development in Indiana and would actively advocate for this. Enter the numbers of your choices here: Feel free to expand on your answer below.

On a scale of 0 to 4 What is your level of support for no-excuse absentee ballots? 0 – Do NOT support to 4 – Fully support Enter the numbers of your choices here: Feel free to expand on your answer below.

What is your level of support for giving responsibility for redistricting to a citizen commission that includes equal representation for Democrat, Republican, and Independent voters? 0 – Do NOT support to 4 – Fully support Enter the numbers of your choices here: Feel free to expand on your answer below.

What is your level of support for ranked choice voting? 0 – Do NOT support to 4 – Fully support Enter the numbers of your choices here: Feel free to expand on your answer below.

What is your level of support for closed primaries (only registered members of a political party are allowed to vote in the primary election to select candidates for that party)? 0 – Do NOT support to 4 – Fully support Enter the numbers of your choices here: Feel free to expand on your answer below.

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Mailing Address (Street, City, Zip) PO Box 454
Gaston, IN 47342
City and County of Residence Gaston, Delaware County
Campaign Phone (Include area code) 765-722-0814
Website http://www.phil4house35.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/phil4house35
Education (degree/year/where) Bachelor of Science Degree/1992/Ball State University
Occupation Registered Nurse
Experience and qualifications RN, Patient Care Manager, US Department of Veteran's Affairs
Community involvements Volunteer Emergency Medical Response Team
Incumbent? No
Previously sought/Held offices IN HR-35 2024
4, 2, 1, 3, 6, 5
0
2. I would like to see more environmental impact studies and company responses to how they will manage water and power demands.
4
2, 3, 4
3
4
4
4
4
Mailing Address (Street, City, Zip) PO Box 454
Gaston, IN 47342
City and County of Residence Gaston Deleware
Campaign Phone (Include area code) 765-722-0814
Website http://www.phil4house35.com
Facebook http://faqcebook.com/phil4house35
Education (degree/year/where) BSN 1992 Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
Occupation Registered Nurse
Experience and qualifications Expertise in healthcare and academic expertise in business and economics (BS administrative management University of Cincinnati)
Community involvements Previous Red Cross Volunteer and Delaware County Medical Response Corp.
Incumbent? No
Previously sought/Held offices Indiana House District 35
1,2,3,4,5,6 I support fully funded public education and the elimination of vouchers for non-public education.
6 This is nothing more than a human rights issue. A woman should have autonomy over her own body, and healthcare decisions should be made by her, ideally in consultation with her healthcare provider.
0 Right now, I am opposed to data center development due to the lack of any credible environmental impact studies.
4 Global warming is real! We need a transition from fossil fuels to wind and solar, and aggressively research other alternatives.
2, 3, 4 I strongly support solar energy and legislation to encourage solar panel installation.
3 I support wind, but tend to favor solar due to ease of installation.
4 Anyone who wants to vote absentee should be allowed to do so.
4 Legislative districts need to be drawn by a non-partisan commission.
4 I fully support ranked choice voting.
4 I support closed primaries where only members of the party get to elect their representatives
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