New York State Legislative Election 1998 National Political Awareness Test

Abortion

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

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

2. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- X

3. Abortions should be legal only when pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer

4. Abortions should be legal only when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer

5. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

6. Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and parental notification requirements.
- No Answer

7. Prohibit the late-term abortion procedure known as "partial-birth" abortion.
- X

8. Support "buffer zones" by requiring demonstrators to stay at least 15 feet away from abortion clinic doorways and driveways.
- X

9. Other
- No Answer

10. Should New York government funding be provided to clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services?
- Yes

Affirmative Action

Indicate the principles you support (if any) concerning affirmative action. State government agencies should take race and sex into account in the following sectors:

1. College and university admissions
- No

2. Public employment
- No

3. State contracting
- No

4. Other
- No Answer

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.
- X

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

3. End parole for repeat violent felons.
- X

4. Support the use of the death penalty.
- X

5. Oppose the death penalty.
- No Answer

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

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

8. Increase state funds for programs which rehabilitate and educate inmates during and after their prison sentences.
- X

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

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

11. Strengthen penalties and sentences for sex offenders.
- X

12. Support the blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
- X

13. Prosecute juveniles who commit murder or other serious violent crimes as adults.
- X

14. Other
- No Answer

15. Do you support the current law (Jenna's Law) that postpones parole for all first-time violent offenders in New York?
- Yes

16. Do you support mandating that individuals convicted of first-degree murder should be permanently denied parole?
- Yes

Economy and Employment

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning the economy and employment.

1. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- No Answer

2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector in order 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 retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- No Answer

5. Other
- No Answer

6. Do you support the membership of New York dairy farmers in the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact, which would allow them to set wholesale prices for milk?
- No

7. Should New York allow the Seneca Tribal Nation to establish an off-reservation casino in western New York?
- Undecided

8. Do you support a compact with the Seneca Tribal Nation that would require revenue-sharing in which New York State would get a portion of the proceeds from the proposed Seneca casino?
- Yes

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).
- X

4. Favor charter schools where independent groups receive state authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- X

5. Support sex education programs which stress abstinence.
- X

6. Support sex education programs which stress safe sexual practices.
- No Answer

7. Increase state funds for school construction and facility maintenance.
- No Answer

8. Increase state funds for hiring of additional teachers.
- No Answer

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

10. Require that New York City public school students wear uniforms to school.
- No Answer

11. Other
- No Answer

12. Do you support implementing year-round schooling for the New York state public school students?
- Undecided

13. Do you support the Advantage Schools Program which would give local school districts the option of keeping schools open until 7pm for after-school activities?
- Yes

Environment & Energy

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

1. Require the use of cleaner burning fuels in order to prevent 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 the state to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses on privately owned land.
- X

5. Provide funding for recycling programs in New York.
- X

6. Request added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations.
- X

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

8. Restructure the electric utility industry to allow consumers to choose their power company.
- X

9. Other
- No Answer

10. State environmental regulations should not be stricter than federal law.
- No

11. Do you support using state funds for a containment project on the Hudson River that would confine PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) leakage to Hastings?
- No Answer

Government Reform

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

Do you support limits on the number of terms of the following New York officials?

1. State Senators and Representatives
- Yes

2. Governor
- Yes

Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?

1. Individual
- Yes

2. PAC
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

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

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

6. Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
- No

7. Would you vote to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring an annual balanced federal budget?
- Yes

8. Other
- No Answer

Gun

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

1. Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
- No Answer

2. Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- No Answer

3. Maintain state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- X

4. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- No Answer

5. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms by law-abiding citizens.
- No Answer

6. Favor allowing citizens to carry concealed firearms.
- X

7. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms.
- X

8. Other
- X

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.
- No Answer

3. Provide health care to uninsured children by designing a children's health insurance program.
- X

4. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- X

5. Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.
- X

6. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- X

7. Guaranteeing medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- X

8. Other
- No Answer

Social

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

1. Increase state funding for programs to prevent teen pregnancy.
- X

2. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- X

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

4. Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support.
- X

5. Require all potential New York foster parents to disclose their criminal histories before children are placed in their care.
- X

6. Favor banning smoking in public places.
- X

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

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

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

10. Other
- No Answer

11. Do you believe that the New York government should include sexual orientation in New York's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

12. Do you believe that the New York government should recognize same-sex marriages?
- Undecided

State Budget

Indicate the funding levels you will support for the following general categories. Select one level only.

1. Agriculture
- Maintain Status

2. Education (K-12)
- Maintain Status

3. Education (Higher)
- Maintain Status

4. Environment
- Slightly Increase

5. Health care
- Slightly Increase

6. Law enforcement
- Slightly Increase

7. Transportation infrastructure (highways, roads, bridges)
- Slightly Increase

8. Welfare
- Maintain Status

9. Other
- No Answer

State Taxes

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

1. Alcohol Taxes
- Slightly Increase

2. Capital gains taxes
- Greatly Decrease

3. Cigarette taxes
- Greatly Increase

4. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Gas taxes
- Maintain Status

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

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

8. Sales taxes
- Slightly Decrease

9. Other
- No Answer

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

11. Do you support implementing statewide property taxes?
- No

Welfare

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

1. Maintain the current time limit on welfare benefits.
- X

2. Require that able-bodied recipients participate in work programs 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. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- X

7. Allow welfare recipients to remain eligible for benefits while saving money for education, starting a business, or buying a home.
- X

8. Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- X

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

10. Other
- No Answer

11. Should the state welfare program be revised so that it provides food stamps to able-bodied legal immigrants who are age 18-59? (Currently only legal immigrants who are either 60 and over, or under 18, or disabled can qualify for food stamps.)
- Yes

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