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Joseph Tropila's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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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.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Joseph Tropila REPEATEDLY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY
RESPONSES TO CITIZENS ON ISSUES THROUGH THE 2006
NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST WHEN ASKED TO DO SO BY

Key national leaders of both major parties including:
John McCain, Republican Senator
Geraldine Ferraro, Former Democratic Congresswoman
Michael Dukakis, Former Democratic Governor
Bill Frenzel, Former Republican Congressman
Richard Kimball, Project Vote Smart President

Over 100 news organizations throughout the nation also urged their candidates to supply their issue positions through the National Political Awareness Test.

What is the Political Courage 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.

Montana State Legislative Election 2002 National Political Awareness Test

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.

X a) Abortions should always be illegal.
b) Abortions should always be legally available.
c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
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.State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels you will support.

Slightly Increase Funding a) Education (Higher)
Greatly Increase Funding 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
Slightly Increase Funding g) Welfare
h) Other or expanded categories
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Maintain Status b) Capital gains taxes
Slightly Increase c) Cigarette taxes
Slightly Increase d) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status e) Gasoline taxes
Slightly Decrease f) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
Slightly Increase g) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
Greatly Decrease h) Inheritance taxes
Slightly Decrease i) Property taxes
Maintain Status j) Vehicle taxes
k) Other or expanded categories
Yes l) Should all new tax proposals require voter approval?
Undecided m) Should Internet sales be taxed?
No n) Should Montana ban video gambling and slot machines?
o) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.d) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates?

No a) Do you support the current term limit of eight years per sixteen-year period for Montana governors?
No b) Do you support the current limit of two four-year terms for Montana state senators?
No c) Do you support the current limit of four two-year terms for Montana state representatives?
Yes 1) Individual
Yes 2) PAC
No 3) Corporate
Yes 4) Political Parties
Yes e) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
Yes f) Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
No g) Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
Undecided h) Do you support voting on-line?
Yes i) Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying and ensuring accuracy of votes?
Yes j) Do you support prohibiting media exit polling of voters until all polling locations in Montana are closed?
No k) Should Montana increase signature requirements for placing an initiative on the ballot?
No l) Should Montana recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
Yes m) Should Montana restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman?
AGAINST TERM LIMITS, AND WOULD NOT OVERTURN PEOPLES INITIATIVE TO HAVE TERM LIMITS

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

a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring ofadditional prison staff.
b) Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
c) Support the use of the death penalty in Montana.
X d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
e) End parole for repeat violent offenders.
X f) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
g) Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
X h) Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
i) Lower the .10 blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
j) Ban open alcohol containers in passenger vehicles.
k) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
X l) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
X m) Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
n) Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
o) Increase state funding for additional security of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks.
X p) Other or expanded principles
MT. HAS A DEFICIT- HARD TO INCREASE MANY ITEMS I WOULD LIKE TO

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

a) Support national standards and testing of public school students.
b) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
c) Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
d) Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
X e) Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
X f) Support displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools.
X g) Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
h) Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
i) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
j) Increase state funding to expand Head Start programs.
X k) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
X l) Support age-appropriate sexual education programs that teach about abstinence, contraceptives and HIV/STD prevention methods.
m) Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
X n) Other or expanded principles
MT CURRENTLY IN DEFICIT!

Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning employment.Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity or gender be taken into account in state agencies' decisions on:

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) Include sexual orientation in Montana's anti-discrimination laws.
g) Other or expanded principles
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?
Yes d) Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
X e) Other or expanded principles
IF ANY STATE FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE SEE ABOVE

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.
e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
f) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
g) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
h) Require a license for gun possession.
X i) Other or expanded principles
LIVING IN A HUNTING STATE, I AM SATISFIED WITH MONTANA LAWS AS THEY NOW STAND!

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) Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
c) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
X d) Support patients' right to sue their HMOs.
X e) Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied by their HMO.
f) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
g) Legalize physician-assisted suicide in Montana.
h) Increase state funding for training health workers to recognize and respond to the release of biological agents.
X i) Use Montana's portion of the national tobacco settlement money only for anti-smoking and health programs.
j) Other or expanded principles

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

a) Support current time limits on welfare benefits.
X b) Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
X c) Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
d) Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
X e) Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
f) Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
g) Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
X h) Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand state services to include the working poor.
i) 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.

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