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Amos Bell'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.

Amos Bell 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?
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.

Vermont 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.

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.
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.
X f) Require parental notification before a minor may receive an abortion.
g) Eliminate public funding for abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
h) 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.

Maintain Funding Status a) Education (Higher)
Maintain Funding Status b) Education (K-12)
Slightly Decrease Funding c) Environment
Greatly Increase Funding d) Health care
Slightly Increase Funding e) Law enforcement
Greatly Increase Funding f) Transportation and Highway infrastructure
Greatly Decrease Funding g) Welfare
h) Other or expanded categories
Slightly Increase a) Alcohol taxes
Slightly Increase b) Capital gains taxes
Maintain Status c) Cigarette taxes
Slightly Decrease d) Corporate taxes
Slightly Decrease e) Estate taxes
Maintain Status f) Gasoline taxes
Maintain Status g) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
Greatly Increase h) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
Slightly Decrease i) Property taxes
Slightly Increase j) Sales taxes
Maintain Status k) Vehicle taxes
l) Other or expanded categories
Undecided m) Should Internet sales be taxed?
Undecided n) Should Vermont join a multi-state lottery game to raise funds for education?
Undecided o) Should Vermont eliminate Act 60, which requires property tax sharing to fund education?
p) Other or expanded principles

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

Yes a) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Vermont governors?
Yes b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Vermont state senators and representatives?
Yes 1) Individual
Yes 2) PAC
Yes 3) Corporate
Yes 4) Political Parties
Yes d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
No e) Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
Undecided f) Do you support using an instant-runoff method of voting for statewide offices?
No g) Do you support voting on-line?
Yes h) Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying and ensuring accuracy of votes?
Yes i) Do you support prohibiting the reporting of media exit polling results until all polling locations in Vermont are closed?
Yes j) Should people in civil unions have the same benefits as married couples in Vermont?
Yes k) Should Vermont restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman?
l) Other or expanded principles

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

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.
c) Implement the use of the death penalty in Vermont.
X d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
X 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.
X i) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
j) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
X k) Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
X l) Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
m) Increase state funding for additional security of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks.
n) Other or expanded principles

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

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) Allow students at all grade levels to attend any public school in the state.
X d) Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
X e) Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
X f) Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
X g) Support displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools.
X h) Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
i) Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
X j) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
X k) Increase state funding to expand Head Start programs.
X l) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
m) Support age-appropriate sexual education programs that teach about abstinence, contraceptives and HIV/STD prevention methods.
X n) Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
o) Other or expanded principles

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:

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.
X e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children of low-income working families.
f) Include sexual orientation in Vermont'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) Promote increased use of renewable energy sources.
c) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused or abandoned.
Yes d) Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
Yes e) Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
f) 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.
e) Support allowing 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.
i) Other or expanded principles

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

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) Reduce benefits for Medicaid recipients in order to alleviate budget shortfalls.
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 Vermont.
X i) Increase state funding for training health workers to recognize and respond to the release of biological agents.
j) Use Vermont's portion of the national tobacco settlement only for anti-smoking and health programs.
k) Other or expanded principles

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

X 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.
X 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.
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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