Project Vote Smart - Senator Jim D. Tracy - Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Senator Jim D. Tracy (TN)
Current Office: State Senate Current District: 16 Party: Republican				Biographical Voting Record Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)Interest Group Ratings Campaign Finances



Senator Jim D. Tracy repeatedly refused to provide any responses to citizens on the issues through the 2008 Political Courage Test when asked to do so by national leaders of the political parties, prominent members of the media, Project Vote Smart President Richard Kimball, and Project Vote Smart staff. What is the Political Courage Test? This candidate has responded to a different Political Courage Test. 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. Tennessee State Legislative Election 2002 National Political Awareness Test Please Note 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. Project Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches. Abortion Issues Budgetary, Spending and Tax Issues Campaign Finance and Governmental Reform Issues Crime Issues Educational Issues Employment and Affirmative Action Issues Environmental and Energy Issues Gun Issues Health Issues Welfare and Poverty Issues Legislative Priorities

Abortion Issues
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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.
	f) Eliminate public funding for abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
	g) Other or expanded principles

Budgetary, Spending and Tax Issues
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State Budget: Indicate the funding levels you will support for the following general categories.
	a) Education (Higher)
Greatly Increase Funding	b) Education (K-12)
	c) Environment
	d) Health care
	e) Law enforcement
	f) Transportation and Highway infrastructure
	g) Welfare
	h) Other or expanded categories
State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels you will support.
Slightly Increase	a) Alcohol taxes
	b) Capital gains taxes
Greatly Increase	c) Cigarette taxes
	d) Corporate taxes
	e) Gasoline taxes
	f) Inheritance taxes
	g) Sales taxes
	h) Vehicle taxes
	i) Other or expanded categories
Undecided	j) Should Internet sales be taxed?
	k) Other or expanded principles
State Budget Reform: Indicate which principles you support (if any) to address state budget reform.
	a) Implement a flat tax on income.
	b) Implement a graduated income tax.
	c) Implement a state lottery to help fund education.
	d) Use a portion of the state's "rainy day" fund to help balance the budget.
X	e) Other or expanded principles
Do an independent audit on each department Reform TN. Care

Campaign Finance and Governmental Reform Issues
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Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.
Yes	a) Do you support the current limit of two, four-year terms for Tennessee governors?
Undecided	b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Tennessee state senators and representatives?
c) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates?
Undecided	1) Individual
Undecided	2) PAC
Undecided	3) Corporate
Undecided	4) Political Parties
Yes	d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
Undecided	e) Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
Undecided	f) Do you support voting on-line?
Yes	g) Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying and ensuring accuracy of votes?
Yes	h) Do you support prohibiting the reporting of media exit polling results until all polling locations in Tennessee are closed?
No	i) Should Tennessee recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
Yes	j) Should Tennessee restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman?
	k) Other or expanded principles

Crime Issues
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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.
X	b) Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
X	c) Support the use of the death penalty in Tennessee.
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.
	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.
	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.
X	m) Increase state funding for additional security of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks.
	n) Other or expanded principles

Educational Issues
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Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
X	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) Support charter schools in Tennessee.
	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.
	g) Support displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools.
	h) Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
X	i) Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
X	j) Provide public funding to implement a statewide reading program.
	k) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
	l) Increase state funding to expand Head Start programs.
	m) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
	n) Support age-appropriate sexual education programs that teach about abstinence, contraceptives and HIV/STD prevention methods.
X	o) Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
X	p) Other or expanded principles
Charter School as long as they are under the Local school Board

Employment and Affirmative Action Issues
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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) Include sexual orientation in Tennessee's anti-discrimination laws.
	g) Other or expanded principles
Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity or gender be taken into account in state agencies' decisions on:
	a) College and university admissions
	b) Public employment
	c) State contracting
d) Other or expanded principles
I think many factors should be considered

Environmental and Energy Issues
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Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
X	a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
	b) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused or abandoned.
Undecided	c) Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
Undecided	d) Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
	e) Other or expanded principles

Gun Issues
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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.
	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

Health Issues
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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.
	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 Tennessee.
	h) Increase state funding for training health workers to recognize and respond to the release of biological agents.
	i) Support tighteneing eligibility requirements for TennCare.
	j) Support requiring co-payments on prescription drugs for some TennCare recipients.
	k) Other or expanded principles

Welfare and Poverty Issues
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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.
	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.
X	i) Other or expanded principles
I would like to get more welfare recipients to work

Legislative Priorities
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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.
No Answer

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