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Kim Norton's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Kim Norton has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2014 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests.

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.

Minnesota State Legislative Election 2012 Political Courage Test

Pro-choice a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
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?
f) Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
No 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?
i) Do you support increased regulations on abortion providers?
No j) Do you support requiring a doctor to be present when a woman takes a pill to induce an abortion?
Education and prevention are key to reducing the number of times a women is faced with this issue. While I would not personally choose to have an abortion, I do believe the decision lies with the woman, her partner, her physician and, if desired, her clergy - not with government involvement. It would be unfair and has been deemed unconstitutional to deny a woman on MA the same rights as someone privately insured. Lastly, it makes no sense to have a doctor watch a woman take a pill - the effects of the pill occur much later.

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.

Slightly Increase a) Education (higher)
Slightly Increase b) Education (K-12)
Maintain Status c) Environment
Maintain Status d) Health care
Maintain Status e) Law enforcement/corrections
Maintain Status f) Transportation/infrastructure
Maintain Status g) Welfare
h) Other or expanded categories:
Slightly Increase a) Alcohol taxes
Slightly Increase b) Cigarette taxes
Slightly Decrease c) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status d) Gas/Oil taxes
Slightly Decrease e) Property taxes
Slightly Increase f) Sales taxes
Maintain Status g) Income taxes (low-income families)
Maintain Status h) Income taxes (mid-income families)
Slightly Increase i) Income taxes (high-income families)
j) Other or expanded categories:

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?
No e) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
"Government-issued photo identification" links us to old fashioned and imperfect language in our constitution. There may be better identification methods (fingerprint, cornial scanning, poll books, face recognition) we could use, but putting the proposed language in the constitution will make that more difficult. We have a Secretary of State who is elected to manage these issues.
No 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?
c) Do you support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
No 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) Should citizens be allowed to use deadly force in defense of their homes, dwellings or vehicles?
h) Other or expanded principles:
Yes a) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
Yes 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?
Yes d) Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
Yes e) Do you support increased spending on infrastructure projects for the purpose of job creation?
f) Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
There are times when incentives might be needed in the private sector, they should be infrequent and time limited or with "circuit breaker" type stipulations.
a) Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
Yes b) Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
c) Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
No d) Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
e) Do you support state funding for charter schools?
Yes f) Do you support strengthening Minnesota's anti-bullying statute?
Yes g) Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
Yes h) Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Minnesota high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
I support strong state schools, charter or otherwise, but they should be high quality and produce positive results based on a fair measurement system. I support strong teachers, but the focus should be on recruiting and graduating high quality teachers - tenure has nothing to do with this, a strong evaluation system does. I could support a fair merit pay system-if an effective one could be found and agreed to. I support state financial aid, but targeting our workforce needs.
Yes a) Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy?
b) Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
Yes c) Do you support state funding for improvements to Minnesota's energy infrastructure?
Yes d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
e) Do you support enacting environmental regulations aimed at reducing the effects of climate change?
Minnesota has enacted strong energy and environmental policy and I believe we should honor these policies and continue to work toward their actualization.
a) Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
Yes b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
c) Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
Yes d) Should a license be required for gun possession?
I support the 2nd amendment rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Business, religious, personal and governmental buildings should be allowed to restrict gun possession. I support Minnesota citizen's right to feel safe in their homes and communities - which includes feeling safe from being shot by those carrying weapons legally or illegally.
No 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?
c) Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
d) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
e) Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
f) Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
I think every citizen should have access to quality health care. Whether the ability to pay their bill is through private means, through workplace insurance coverage or through a state shared or privately purchased commercial health insurance policy makes no difference to me - more important is that there is an identified payee so that costs are not shifted to others in a non-tranpsparent manner.
a) Should marriage only be between one man and one woman?
Yes b) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions?
Yes c) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws?
Yes d) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Minnesota's anti-discrimination laws?
All citizen's deserve to be treated respectfully and without discrimination.
Setting a state budget in a balanced and responsible (no borrowing, shifting etc...) manner and with long term vision for the state of Minnesota. Focusing on a strong Pre-K though Higher Education system will ensure that Minnesota remains a positive choice for business growth and development. Maintaining Minnesota's high quality of life standards and a strong safety-net for our vulnerable citizens should be a priority.

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