Montana State Legislative Election 2000 National Political Awareness Test

Abortion

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning abortion.

1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should always be legally available.
- No Answer

3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer

4. Abortions should be legal when pregnancy results from incest, rape or the life of the woman is endangered.
- X

5. Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and notification requirements as decided by each state government.
- X

6. Support prohibition of the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial-birth" abortion.
- No Answer

7. Support "buffer zones" at abortion clinics by requiring demonstrators to remain a certain distance from doorways and driveways.
- No Answer

8. Support prohibition of public funding for abortions and organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer

9. Other
- No Answer

Budget and Tax Issues - Part 1

State Budget: Indicate the funding levels you will support for the following general categories.

1. Corrections
- Maintain Funding Status

2. Education (Higher)
- Slightly Increase Funding

3. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase Funding

4. Environment
- Maintain Funding Status

5. Health care
- Maintain Funding Status

6. Law enforcement
- Maintain Funding Status

7. Transportation and Highway infrastructure
- Maintain Funding Status

8. Welfare
- Maintain Funding Status

9. Other
- No Answer

Budget and Tax Issues - Part 2

State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels you will support.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Increase

2. Capital gains taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Cigarette taxes
- Slightly Increase

4. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Gambling taxes
- Slightly Increase

6. Gasoline taxes
- Slightly Decrease

7. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Greatly Decrease

8. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease

9. Inheritance taxes
- Greatly Decrease

10. Natural resource taxes
- Maintain Status

11. Property taxes
- Slightly Decrease

12. Vehicle taxes
- Greatly Decrease

13. Other
- No Answer

14. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- No

15. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income taxes?
- Yes

16. Would you support returning any operating surplus to Montana taxpayers?
- Yes

17. Would you support placing any operating surplus into a "rainy day" fund?
- Undecided

18. Should the state reimburse local governments for revenues lost due to state-mandated property tax cuts?
- Undecided

19. Do you support giving cities and counties the ability to enact local sales taxes with voter approval?
- No

20. Do you support requiring a two-thirds vote by lawmakers to approve any new or increased tax or fee?
- No

21. Do you support implementing a state sales tax?
- Undecided

22. Do you support using tobacco settlement funds to create a trust fund for future health care needs and tobacco prevention programs?
- Yes

23. Do you support allocating coal tax trust fund money to provide loans and financing to mid-sized businesses and enterprises?
- Undecided

Crime

Indicate which principles you support (if any) to address crime.

1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- No Answer

2. Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
- No Answer

3. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- X

4. Support the use of the death penalty in Montana.
- No Answer

5. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- No Answer

6. Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community.
- X

7. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X

8. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer

9. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- X

10. Lower the blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
- No Answer

11. Prosecute as adults, youths accused of a felony.
- No Answer

12. Increase penalties for crimes committed on school grounds.
- X

13. Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
- No Answer

14. Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth.
- No Answer

15. Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
- No Answer

16. Other
- No Answer

Education

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

1. Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
- No Answer

2. Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
- X

3. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
- No Answer

4. Support charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- No Answer

5. Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- X

6. Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- No Answer

7. Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
- No Answer

8. Support posting the Ten Commandments in public schools.
- No Answer

9. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- No Answer

10. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- No Answer

11. Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- No Answer

12. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- X

13. Allow up to $1000 per year in tax credits to offset expenses for children in public, private and home schools.
- No Answer

14. Require background checks for individuals seeking teaching jobs in Montana schools.
- X

15. Increase funding to state universities for research and technology.
- X

16. Other
- No Answer

Employment and Affirmative Action

Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning employment.

1. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- X

2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- X

3. Support limits on cash damages in lawsuits against businesses and professionals for product liability or malpractice.
- No Answer

4. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- No Answer

5. Give tax credits to business owners which provide employees with health insurance.
- No Answer

6. Support "right-to-work" which forbids an employer and a union from signing a contract which requires affected workers to pay union dues and be union members.
- X

7. Support "paycheck-protection" which requires unions to obtain permission of union members to spend their funds on political matters.
- No Answer

8. Require businesses that receive at least $25,000 in state aid to pay employees a "livable wage," a wage at least 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
- No Answer

9. Other
- No Answer

Affirmative Action: Which of the following state agencies should take race and sex into account when making employment decisions?

1. College and university admissions
- No

2. Public employment
- No

3. State contracting
- No

4. Other
- No Answer

Environment & Energy

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

1. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
- X

2. Support "self-audit" legislation which creates incentives for industries to audit themselves and clean up pollution.
- No Answer

3. Require a cost/benefit analysis to determine the economic impact of proposed environmental regulations before they are implemented.
- X

4. Require states to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses on privately owned land.
- No Answer

5. Support funding for recycling programs in Montana.
- No Answer

6. Request added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations.
- No Answer

7. Suspend participation in un-funded, federally-mandated environmental protection legislation.
- X

8. Amend the Montana Constitution to prohibit the state from charging Montanans fees for recreational uses of public lands.
- No Answer

9. Allow new or expanded open-pit gold or silver mines to use cyanide to process ore.
- No Answer

10. Support the Montana Environmental Policy Act.
- No Answer

11. Strengthen arsenic risk-level standards in Montana water.
- No Answer

12. Require mining companies to backfill open pits once mining has ceased.
- No Answer

13. Other
- No Answer

14. Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
- Undecided

Government Reform

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding government reform.

1. Do you support the current limit on terms for Montana Governors?
- No

2. Do you support the current limit on terms for Montana State Senators and Representatives?
- No

3. Individual
- No Answer

4. PAC
- No Answer

5. Corporate
- No Answer

6. Political Parties
- No Answer

7. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

8. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- Undecided

9. Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
- Undecided

10. Do you support voting on-line?
- Undecided

11. Do you support on-line voter registration?
- Yes

12. Do you support increasing the number of signatures required to place an initiative on the ballot?
- Undecided

13. Other
- No Answer

Gun

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues.

1. Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
- No Answer

2. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

3. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

4. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

5. Remove the license requirement for carrying concealed guns.
- No Answer

6. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- No Answer

7. Require background checks of gun buyers at gun shows.
- No Answer

8. Require a license for gun possession.
- No Answer

9. Other
- No Answer

Health

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health issues.

1. Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health care to their employees.
- X

2. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary.
- X

3. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- No Answer

4. Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.
- No Answer

5. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- No Answer

6. Support a patient's right to sue his or her HMO.
- No Answer

7. Support a patient's right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- No Answer

8. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- No Answer

9. Increase funding to Montana's mental health program.
- No Answer

10. Other
- No Answer

Social

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.

1. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- No Answer

2. Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- No Answer

3. Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support.
- No Answer

4. Increase state funding for Head Start in order to serve additional children and/or increase services from a half to a full day.
- No Answer

5. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- No Answer

6. Support state funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans, and job training and placement.
- No Answer

7. Prohibit video poker in Montana.
- No Answer

8. Support tax credits for child day care expenses.
- No Answer

9. Other
- No Answer

10. Should physician assisted suicide be legally available in Montana?
- No

11. Should Montana include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination laws?
- No

12. Should Montana recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- No

13. Should Montana restrict marriage to a relationship only between a man and a woman?
- No Answer

Welfare and Poverty

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare.

1. Maintain current time limits on welfare benefits.
- No Answer

2. Maintain the requirement that able-bodied recipients work in order to receive benefits.
- No Answer

3. Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- No Answer

4. Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
- No Answer

5. Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
- No Answer

6. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- No Answer

7. Allow welfare recipients to remain eligible for benefits while saving money for education, starting a business, or buying a home.
- No Answer

8. Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- No Answer

9. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer

10. Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
- No Answer

11. Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand state services to include the working poor.
- No Answer

12. Allow the state to lend money at reduced interest rates to low income Montanans for home purchases and repairs.
- No Answer

13. Other
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

Please explain what your two main legislative priorities will be if elected. Please explain how you would obtain any additional government funding needed to implement these priorities.
- No Answer