Editor’s note: The following questionnaire was sent to Democratic candidates for Alabama Senate, District 2, who qualified to appear on the June 5 primary ballot. The News Courier sent questionnaires to all candidates who have opposition in the upcoming primary, and we will run their responses each Wednesday and Saturday leading up to the primary. Responses have been checked for spelling, but they otherwise appear as we received them. Campaign finance reports for candidates will be published as space allows.

Name: Amy Wasyluka

Age: 34

Hometown: Hoover

Current city of residence: Madison

Occupation: Appellate attorney

Education: (high school, college, etc.) I earned a Political Science degree from Auburn University in 2006 and a Law Degree from the University Of Alabama School Of Law in 2009.

Personal: Husband, Timothy (Tim) Paul Wasyluka, Jr.; and daughter, Ruth Grace Wasyluka

Seat/position you are seeking: State Senate District 2

Previous political experience: Volunteer for the Doug Jones for Senate campaign; current member of the Madison County Democratic Women; current member of the Madison County Democratic Executive Committee; former member of Auburn College Democrats.

• What do you see as the three biggest challenges facing the State Legislature? Please state how you, as a state senator, could help the Legislature overcome those challenges. Please be concise, but specific:

Some of the biggest challenges our State Legislature faces are how to properly fund our education system and ensure our students have access to opportunities for good paying jobs after high school.

In Alabama, our schools which consistently do the best are those which are funded at a higher per capita rate per student. Additionally, families with students who want to pursue education after high school are facing rising tuition costs which far exceed anything their parents or grandparents had to face.

I will assist our Legislature in addressing these problems by looking at ways that we can bring more funding into our education system. One way we can do this is to bring a lottery to the state of Alabama. By playing the lottery in Georgia or Tennessee, we are helping to support the education of children from those states when we should be giving our children the same opportunities.

I also support looking at ways we can make trade skills and two-year degrees more affordable and attractive to Alabama students. For example, we have several thriving industries in our district which provide good, stable jobs with good wages and benefits but which require training that is not available in our area. By working with existing local institutions we can bring the training that our students need to obtain these positions and open up avenues of employment for them which do not require them to take on costly four-year tuition costs.

Another challenge that our State Legislature faces is healthcare. Our rural hospitals are closing and we still have a portion of our population who, although working, remain unable to qualify for Medicaid or afford healthcare independently. By supporting the expansion of Medicaid, we can ensure that fewer of our working Alabamians are left without insurance. We would also reduce uninsured emergency room visits, which are some of the most expensive healthcare costs that we currently have. Finally, expanding Medicaid would help keep our rural hospitals open. This would provide not only access to healthcare for people in our rural communities, but would also help make our communities attractive to businesses looking to come into those areas and would provide important sources of local employment.

• Please explain what relevant experience you have in terms of the elected position you are seeking. Please give specific examples of how that relevant experience would make you the ideal person for the job:

I have served the people of Alabama as an attorney since 2009. As an appellate attorney I read and analyze case-law and legislation for a living. This means that I am well-equipped to read and understand the many pieces of legislation which are introduced each legislative session.

Additionally, as an attorney who has worked in the areas of domestic relations, bankruptcy, wills and estates, civil litigation, and commitments, I have seen and dealt with some of the issues that our citizens are facing when they cannot afford healthcare or do not have access to good education or opportunities. My background as an attorney has also given me invaluable experience in working with people with differing opinions to come up with mutually beneficial solutions to problems, and at looking at all sides of an issue.

Finally, as a half-deaf, childhood cancer survivor, the daughter of two public school teachers, and someone who has lived through family economic crisis, I know first-hand how important it is to improve our healthcare, education, and opportunity in Alabama. Currently we rank 46, 47 & 48th in those areas respectively. We have to do better for our children.

My life experience has provided me with the passion and drive to ensure that we make progress in these areas for my child and yours, and my background as an attorney has provided me with the skills and knowledge necessary to be effective in Montgomery.

• As a lawmaker, you will be approached by numerous lobbyists and special interest groups willing to offer special favors in exchange for your vote. What steps will you take to ensure transparency and compliance with existing ethics laws?

I believe strongly that transparency is our best defense against corruption. I will ensure my campaign and my office is as transparent as possible by disclosing the source of our funding and by ensuring that I am always available to my constituents for questions and feedback. Another step that is vital to ensuring that lobbyists and special interest groups do not affect the decisions of our representatives is an independent analysis of legislation by the legislators themselves. This means that as a state senator, we have a responsibility to read and analyze bills either ourselves, or with the assistance of an independent team, before voting on them to ensure that our understanding of the impact of the legislation is not skewed by lobbyists.

• As a member of Limestone County’s legislative delegation, what assurances can you give voters that our needs will always be a priority in Montgomery?

I am well aware that the people of Limestone County have got to have faith that whoever holds this state senate seat will make their needs a priority and will not overlook their interests. My campaign is premised on the promise that the people of our district will always come first- that means all the people of our district. Additionally, the growth in our district is more and more moving towards Limestone County. We have got to have a state senator who recognizes this and supports the needs of Limestone County so that we are as prepared as we can be to take advantage of that potential for growth.

• Please explain whether you will be willing to work with lawmakers who do not share your political party affiliation or political views. Will you place a higher value on political ideals or the desires of your constituents?

I am definitely willing to work with lawmakers who do not share my party affiliation or views. Again, my campaign is premised on the promise of #PeopleOverParty. This means that the needs of the people of my district will always take precedence over party politics. I think that we have seen our politics- both nationally and at a state level- become more and more divisive, and it is the best interests and the basic needs of our people which get lost in the mix. That is why I am committed to focusing on the needs of the people in my district and to working with anyone, regardless of their party affiliation, who has good ideas for helping to meet those needs.