| Full Name: | Scott P. Brown |
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| Gender: | Male |
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| Family: | Wife: Gail; 2 Children: Ayla, Arianna |
| Birth Date: | 09/12/1959 |
| Birth Place: | Kittery, ME |
| Home City: | Wrentham, MA |
| Religion: | Protestant |
Scott P. Brown
Scott P. Brown's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Project Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.
Scott Brown refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2012 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.
What is the Political Courage Test?
Issue Positions
In response to the increasing unwillingness of candidates to answer issue questions, Project Vote Smart has researched Presidential and Congressional candidates' public ecords to determine candidates' likely responses on certain key issues. These issue positions, from the year 2012, are provided below as a courtesy to voters.
| Pro-choice |  |
Abortion: Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? |  |
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| Yes | |
Afghanistan: Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan? | |
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Budget: In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending? | |
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| No | |
Budget: In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | |
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| No | |
Economy: Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | |
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| Yes | |
Economy: Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation? | |
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| Yes | |
Education: Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants? | |
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| No | |
Energy: Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production? | |
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| No | |
Environment: Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions? | |
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| No | |
Guns: Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns? | |
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| Yes | |
Health Care: Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act? | |
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| Yes | |
Immigration: Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship? | |
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| No | |
Marriage: Do you support same-sex marriage? | |
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| Unknown Position | |
National Security: Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict? | |
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| Unknown Position | |
Social Security: Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts? | |
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Key
Official Position: Candidate had the Political Courage to address this issue directly.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue directly, but Project Vote Smart inferred this issue position based on the candidate's public statements, voting record, and evaluations from special interest groups.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue.
Project Vote Smart's Research: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as the candidate has submitted it. Project Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.
Massachusetts State Legislative Election 2002 National Political Awareness Test
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.
Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning abortion. | |
| a) Abortions should always be illegal. | |
| X | b) Abortions should always be legally available. |
| c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy. | |
| X | d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape. |
| X | e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. |
| f) Eliminate public funding for abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions. | |
| g) Other or expanded principles | |
State Budget: Indicate the funding levels you will support for the following general categories. | |
| Maintain Funding Status | a) Education (Higher) |
| Maintain Funding Status | b) Education (K-12) |
| Maintain Funding Status | c) Environment |
| Maintain Funding Status | d) Health care |
| Maintain Funding Status | e) Law enforcement |
| Maintain Funding Status | f) Transportation and Highway infrastructure |
| Maintain Funding Status | g) Welfare |
| h) Other or expanded categories | |
Due to budget limitations in MA. |
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State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels you will support. | |
| Greatly Decrease | a) Alcohol taxes |
| Greatly Decrease | b) Capital gains taxes |
| Greatly Decrease | c) Cigarette taxes |
| Greatly Decrease | d) Corporate taxes |
| Greatly Decrease | e) Gasoline taxes |
| Greatly Decrease | f) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000) |
| Greatly Decrease | g) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000) |
| Greatly Decrease | h) Inheritance taxes |
| Greatly Decrease | i) Property taxes |
| Greatly Decrease | j) Sales taxes |
| Greatly Decrease | k) Vehicle taxes |
| Greatly Decrease | l) Other or expanded categories |
less taxes = more spending =more revenue |
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| No | m) Should Internet sales be taxed? |
| No | n) Do you support freezing the state income tax rollback? |
| No | o) Do you support abolishing the state income tax? |
| p) Other or expanded principles | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform. | |
| No | a) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Massachusetts governors? |
| Yes | b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Massachusetts state senators and representatives? |
c) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates? | |
| No | 1) Individual |
| No | 2) PAC |
| No | 3) Corporate |
| No | 4) Political Parties |
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? |
| Undecided | e) Do you support using state tax revenue to fund the Clean Elections public financing law? |
| No | f) Do you support voting on-line? |
| Yes | g) Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying and ensuring accuracy of votes? |
| Undecided | h) Do you support prohibiting the reporting of media exit polling results until all polling locations in Massachusetts are closed? |
| Yes | i) Do you support lowering the Chapter 40B requirement for town affordable housing stock? |
| No | j) Should Massachusetts recognize civil unions between same-sex couples? |
| Yes | k) Should Massachusetts restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman? |
| l) Other or expanded principles | |
c-1.c-2,c-3,c-4 agree with present law |
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Indicate which principles you support (if any) to address crime. | |
| X | a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff. |
| b) Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons. | |
| X | c) Implement the use of the death penalty in Massachusetts. |
| X | d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released. |
| X | e) Support charging inmates fees for prison services in Massachusetts. |
| X | f) End parole for repeat violent offenders. |
| X | g) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders. |
| h) Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. | |
| X | i) Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes. |
| j) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults. | |
| k) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes. | |
| l) Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers. | |
| m) Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth. | |
| X | n) Increase state funding for additional security of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks. |
| o) Other or expanded principles | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education. | |
| X | a) Support national standards and testing of public school students. |
| X | b) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious). |
| X | c) Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure). |
| X | d) Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers. |
| X | e) Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay. |
| f) Support displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools. | |
| g) Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools. | |
| X | h) Support requiring public high school students pass the MCAS to graduate. |
| X | i) Limit bilingual education to one-year immersion programs. |
| X | j) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries. |
| X | k) Provide state funding for full-day kindergarten programs. |
| X | l) Increase state funding to expand Head Start programs. |
| X | m) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable. |
| X | n) Support age-appropriate sexual education programs that teach about abstinence, contraceptives and HIV/STD prevention methods. |
| o) Support abstinence-only sexual education programs. | |
| p) Other or expanded principles | |
Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning employment. | |
| X | a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market. |
| X | b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector to encourage investment and economic expansion. |
| X | c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding or relocating businesses. |
| X | d) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees. |
| e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children of low-income working families. | |
| f) Other or expanded principles | |
Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity or gender be taken into account in state agencies' decisions on: | |
| No | a) College and university admissions |
| No | b) Public employment |
| No | c) State contracting |
| d) Other or expanded principles | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy. | |
| X | a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology. |
| X | b) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused or abandoned. |
| Yes | c) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? |
| No | d) Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law? |
| e) Other or expanded principles | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues. | |
| a) Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting. | |
| b) Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |
| c) Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |
| d) Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |
| X | e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns. |
| X | f) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns. |
| X | g) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows. |
| X | h) Require a license for gun possession. |
| i) Other or expanded principles | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health issues. | |
| X | a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms or state-funded care where necessary. |
| b) Reduce the amount Massachusetts pays to pharmacies for filling Medicaid patients' prescriptions. | |
| c) Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs. | |
| d) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits. | |
| X | e) Support patients' right to sue their HMOs. |
| X | f) Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied by their HMO. |
| g) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government. | |
| h) Legalize physician-assisted suicide in Massachusetts. | |
| X | i) Increase state funding for training health workers to recognize and respond to the release of biological agents. |
| j) Other or expanded principles | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare. | |
| a) Increase state funding for homeless programs. | |
| X | b) Support current time limits on welfare benefits. |
| X | c) Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients. |
| X | d) Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients. |
| e) Provide child care for welfare recipients who work. | |
| f) Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work. | |
| g) Eliminate government-funded welfare programs. | |
| h) Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations. | |
| i) Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand state services to include the working poor. | |
| j) Other or expanded principles | |
| In a total of seventy-five (75) words or less, 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. | |
