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Merika Coleman's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Office:

On The Ballot: Running, Democratic for State Senate (AL) - District 19

Key

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.
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.

Alabama 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.
X 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.State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels you will support.

Slightly Increase Funding a) Education (Higher)
Greatly Increase Funding b) Education (K-12)
Slightly Increase Funding c) Environment
Slightly Increase Funding d) Health care
Slightly Increase Funding e) Law enforcement
Slightly Decrease Funding f) Transportation and Highway infrastructure
Slightly Increase Funding g) Welfare
Greatly Increase Funding h) Other or expanded categories
Slightly Increase a) Alcohol taxes
Slightly Increase b) Capital gains taxes
Slightly Increase c) Cigarette taxes
Greatly Increase d) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status e) Gasoline taxes
Greatly Decrease f) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
Slightly Increase g) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
Slightly Increase h) Inheritance taxes
Slightly Increase i) Property taxes
Greatly Decrease j) Sales taxes
Maintain Status k) Vehicle taxes
Eliminate l) Other or expanded categories
Yes m) Should Alabama create a state lottery with proceeds funding education?
Undecided n) Should Internet sales be taxed?
o) Other or expanded principles
Public transit
Sales tax on groceries

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 the current limit of two four-year terms for Alabama governors?
Yes b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Alabama 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?
Undecided e) Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
Yes f) Do you support requiring voters to present photo identification before voting?
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 media exit polling of voters until all polling locations in Alabama are closed?
Undecided j) Should Alabama recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
Undecided k) Should Alabama restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman?
Yes l) Should Alabama hold a constitutional convention to rewrite the state constitution?
No m) Should the Alabama legislature rewrite the state constitution?
n) 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) Support the use of the death penalty in Alabama.
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.
h) Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
i) Support the lower .08 blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
j) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
X k) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
X l) Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
X 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.

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).
X c) Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
X d) Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
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.
h) Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
X i) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
X 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.
l) Support a constitutional amendment giving communities control over local school funding and standards.
m) Support age-appropriate sexual education programs that teach about abstinence, contraceptives and HIV/STD prevention methods.
n) Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
X o) Other or expanded principles
Also increase state runding for programs in the schools that expose children to cultural activities and the arts. Increase funding for technology.

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.
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.
X f) Include sexual orientation in Alabama's anti-discrimination laws.
g) Other or expanded principles
Yes a) College and university admissions
Yes b) Public employment
Yes 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.
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

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.
X 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.
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) 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 Alabama.
h) Increase state funding for training health workers to recognize and respond to the release of biological agents.
i) 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.
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.
X 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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