New Jersey State Legislative Election 2001 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.
- No Answer

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

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

8. Other
- No Answer

Budget and Tax

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

1. Education (Higher)
- Maintain Funding Status

2. Education (K-12)
- Maintain Funding Status

3. Environment
- Maintain Funding Status

4. Health care
- Maintain Funding Status

5. Law enforcement
- Maintain Funding Status

6. Transportation and Highway infrastructure
- Slightly Increase Funding

7. Welfare
- Maintain Funding Status

8. Other
- No Answer

State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels you will support. Select one level only.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Capital gains taxes
- Slightly Decrease

3. Cigarette taxes
- Greatly Increase

4. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease

7. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Slightly Increase

8. Inheritance taxes
- Slightly Decrease

9. Property taxes
- Greatly Decrease

10. Sales taxes
- Slightly Increase

11. Vehicle taxes
- Slightly Increase

12. Other
- X

13. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- Yes

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

15. Would you support returning any operating surplus to New Jersey taxpayers?
- Undecided

16. Do you support freezing property taxes for seniors?
- No

Crime

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

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

2. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- X

3. Oppose the use of the death penalty in New Jersey.
- No Answer

4. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- X

5. Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community.
- No Answer

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

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

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

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

10. Increase penalties for crimes committed on school grounds.
- No Answer

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

12. Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth.
- X

13. Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
- X

14. Allow post-conviction DNA testing for death row inmates or lifetime inmates.
- X

15. Other
- No Answer

Education

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

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

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

3. Support charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- X

4. Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- X

5. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- No Answer

6. Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
- X

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

8. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- X

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

10. Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- X

11. Increase state funds for higher education financial aid for middle-class families.
- X

12. Increase state funds for colleges and universities to expand their campuses so that they can accommodate more students.
- No Answer

13. 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.
- X

4. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X

5. Raise the minimum wage above the federal limit established by Congress.
- No Answer

6. Other
- No Answer

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

1. Public college and university admissions
- Yes

2. Public employment
- Undecided

3. State contracting
- Undecided

4. Other
- No Answer

Environment & Energy

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning 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.
- X

5. Support funding for recycling programs in New Jersey.
- X

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.
- No Answer

8. Other
- No Answer

9. Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
- Yes

Government Reform

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

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

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

3. Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?
- No Answer

4. Individual
- Yes

5. PAC
- Yes

6. Corporate
- Yes

7. Political Parties
- Yes

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

9. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- No

10. Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
- Yes

11. Do you support voting on-line?
- No

12. Do you support on-line voter registration?
- No

13. Do you support creating the office of Lieutenant Governor?
- No

14. Do you support increased public access to government records without violating the privacy of crime victims?
- Yes

15. Do you support spending more state funds to provide easier and faster access to public government records?
- Undecided

16. 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.
- X

2. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- X

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. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- No Answer

6. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- X

7. Require background checks of gun buyers at gun shows.
- X

8. Require a license for gun possession.
- X

9. Other
- No Answer

Health

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning 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 patients' right to sue their HMOs.
- X

7. Support patients' 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. Use state funds to add more non-English speaking staff to hospital clinics.
- No Answer

10. Use state funds to set up clinics that serve both adults and children to increase the convenience to families.
- No Answer

11. Other
- No Answer

Social

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

1. Provide tax incentives for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- X

2. Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income, working families.
- X

3. Increase state funding for Head Start in order to serve additional children and/or increase services from a half to a full day.
- X

4. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- X

5. Support state funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans, and job training and placement.
- X

6. Other
- No Answer

7. Should physician assisted suicide be legally available in New Jersey?
- No

8. Should New Jersey include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

9. Should New Jersey recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- Undecided

10. Should New Jersey restrict marriage to a relationship only between a man and a woman?
- Undecided

State Police Reforms

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning state police reforms.

1. Require police officers that violate a motorist's civil rights to face criminal charges.
- No Answer

2. Require that racial profiling by police officers be considered a criminal offense carrying a prison term of three to five years.
- No Answer

3. Require an annual report of complaints filed against state troopers, including the outcome and any disciplinary actions.
- No Answer

4. Require annual reports of racial statistics on trends in motor vehicle stops.
- X

5. Create a 15-member Civilian Board of Review to investigate complaints and allegations of misconduct on the part of the state troopers.
- No Answer

6. Establish an independent prosecutor to investigate and prosecute civil rights and criminal violations on the part of state troopers.
- No Answer

7. Establish a yearly review of the performance of all state troopers.
- No Answer

8. Create a joint Senate and Assembly State Police Oversight committee to oversee State Police policies and practices.
- X

9. No reforms are necessary to the State Police force.
- No Answer

10. Other
- X

Welfare

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

1. Maintain current time limits on welfare benefits.
- X

2. Maintain the requirement that able-bodied recipients work in order to receive benefits.
- X

3. Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- X

4. Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
- X

5. Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
- X

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

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

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

9. Use federal welfare funds to expand state services to include the working poor.
- No Answer

10. Provide a six-month extension to those people who have received public assistance for 60 months.
- No Answer

11. 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