Paul Franco's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
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Paul Franco has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2014 Political Courage Test.
Massachusetts State Legislative Election 2014 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy? | ||
| Yes | c) Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | d) Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures? | ||
| No | h) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| Although my wife and I would never advocate for an abortion in our family, I would never deny a woman's right to choose or access to reproductive care. | |||
1) State Spending:Using the key, indicate what state funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.2) State Taxes:Using the key, indicate what state tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one level per category; you may use a number more than once.3) Budget Stabilization:Indicate which proposals you support (if any) for balancing Massachusetts's budget.
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (higher) | ||
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) | ||
| Maintain Status | c) Environment | ||
| Maintain Status | d) Health care | ||
| Slightly Increase | e) Law enforcement/corrections | ||
| Slightly Increase | f) Transportation/infrastructure | ||
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare | ||
| Maintain Status | a) Alcohol taxes | ||
| Maintain Status | b) Cigarette taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | c) Corporate taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | d) Gas/Oil taxes | ||
| Eliminate | e) Property taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | f) Sales taxes | ||
| Slightly Decrease | g) Income taxes (low-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | h) Income taxes (mid-income families) | ||
| Slightly Decrease | i) Income taxes (high-income families) | ||
| No | a) Tapping into Massachusetts's "rainy day" fund | ||
| No | b) Increasing tuition rates at public universities | ||
| No | c) Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining | ||
| No | d) Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions | ||
| No | e) Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees | ||
| No | f) Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients | ||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| In many instances, funds can be spent more effectively and funds within departments can be reallocated to better use. In the last eight years, we have seen a 40% growth in our state budget, yet zero increase in our funding of education and local aid to our cities and towns. We have even seen aid to our cities and towns decline by over 50% in the last 14 years. First Worcester District is regularly stripped of the funds it is entitled to, and, consequently, our primary and secondary schools, local law enforcement, and other basic services suffer. | |||
| We recommend voting yes on question 1 this November. We do not support automatic increases in the gas tax. | |||
a) Do you support limits on the following types of contributions for state candidates?
| Yes | 1) Individual | ||
| Yes | 2) Political Action Committee | ||
| Yes | 3) Corporate | ||
| Yes | 4) Political Party | ||
| Yes | b) Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| We must address the campaign financing loophole that allows unions to contribute up to $15,000. Corporations and unions should be subject to the same restrictions. | |||
| a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana? | ||
| d) Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | |||
| e) Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges? | |||
| f) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | |||
| g) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| b) Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers? | |||
| No | c) Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits? | ||
| d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation? | |||
| e) Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | |||
| No | f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage? | ||
| h) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers? | ||
| No | c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers? | ||
| d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | f) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid? | ||
| Yes | g) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Massachusetts high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| If a child was brought here at an early age, has gone through the US school system with all four years of high school in MA, and has been accepted for admission to a MA state university, they should be eligible for in-state tuition. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)? | ||
| No | c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Massachusetts's energy infrastructure? | ||
| d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? | |||
| Yes | e) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| I am an advocate for the development of alternative energies and improving our energy infrastructure, but am wary about taking our citizens' hard-earned tax dollars and making venture capitalist-type investments. Evergreen Solar is a prime example. After receiving $21 million from the state, the company closed its domestic factory, laid off the 800 workers there, and shifted production to China. The return on investment to Massachusetts citizens was zero. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | ||
| b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | |||
| Yes | c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns? | ||
| Yes | d) Should a license be required for gun possession? | ||
| e) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| a) Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option? | |||
| Yes | b) Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts? | ||
| d) Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act? | |||
| e) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| Yes | f) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes? | ||
| h) Should terminally ill patients be able to legally end their lives? | |||
| i) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support same-sex marriage? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Massachusetts's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Massachusetts's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| d) Other or expanded principles: | |||
| There are many residents who lack the educational and career opportunities needed to improve the circumstances of their families and themselves. I will change this by enacting policies that nurture job creators and encourage economic growth, facilitate excellence in education at all grade levels, and by bringing efficiency, accountability, and transparency to our government. Implement intrastate crowdfunding so small business can acquire capital to grow Restore proper funding levels of local aid Expand access to, and curtail costs of, higher learning through MOOCs and other innovative education mediums Require all bills be available online one week before being voted on |
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