THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 26, 1994 TAG: 9410250524
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines
This information was compiled from a questionnaire filled out by the candidate at the request of Project Vote Smart, an arm of the Center for National Independence in Politics and from statements during the campaign
The positions that the other two U.S. Senate candidates have taken on these issues and others appeared with their profiles on Monday (Coleman) and Tuesday (North). On Sunday, Nov. 6, The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star Commentary section will bring together, in one place, all three candidates' views on these issues.
CRIME
Supports:
- A national ban on the public sale of assault weapons and on the sale of handguns to minors.
- ``Truth-in-sentencing'' legislation for violent criminals so they serve a full sentence with no chance of parole.
- Creation of ``boot camps'' for juvenile and adult first-time offenders.
- Prosecution of youths as adults when they are third-time violent felons.
- Imposing death penalty for certain federal crimes, including civil rights murders; rape and child molestation murders; death resulting from drive-by shootings or car-jacking; and murder of court officers or federal witnesses.
- Mandatory life sentences for third-time violent felons.
- Increased penalties for selling illegal drugs.
- Also supports funding for: programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills; increased availability of college loans for youth in crime-ridden urban areas; programs which provide job training and employment opportunities for at-risk urban youth; violence in schools initiatives/programs; more funding for additional police officers; expanded federal support for education and drug treatment programs.
BUSINESS and the ECONOMY
Supports:
- Investing federal dollars in ``investment tax credits'' for companies that invest in worker training, purchase new equipment, and fund research and development.
- Increased funding for federal and state job-training programs.
- Creating ``enterprise zones'' in urban areas with high unemployment by providing tax credits for new and expanding businesses.
- Increasing employment through ``lower interest rates by reducing annual budget deficits and improving our system of education.''
- Elimination of tax breaks for companies that move American jobs to low-wage countries.
- Policies that will help open markets on the Pacific Rim.
HEALTH CARE
Supports:
- President Clinton's position for a comprehensive health care plan for all Americans. This would include a managed competition health care plan to contain costs and improve access that does not include mandated health alliances, government cost control powers, or employer/employee mandates.
- Providing tax incentives for small businesses to help provide health care to their employees.
- Creating a voucher system for the working poor so they can buy into a health care plan.
- Allowing Americans to set up tax-free medical savings accounts, which would be taxed if used for any purpose other than medical costs.
DEFENSE and FOREIGN POLICY
Supports:
- Defense conversion by funding job-placement and job-training programs for displaced military personnel and defense technology workers.
- Strict sanctions against any nation selling technology or products that aid in the construction of nuclear weapons; also strict sanctions against any new nation attempting to develop nuclear weapons.
- Investment of federal funds in the research and development of new defense technologies.
- Allowing gays to serve in the armed forces.
THE ENVIRONMENT
Supports:
- Passage of stronger clean water and clean air legislation.
- Consideration of increasing federal taxes on gasoline and diesel fuels. Also: further increasing fees charged to mining companies that mine on public lands, and fees charged to people whose livestock graze on public lands.
- Encouragement of further market based strategies to clean up the environment such as pollution credits.
SOCIAL PROGRAMS
Supports:
- Stronger child support collection procedures and increased penalties for parents who do not pay.
- A two-year limit on welfare benefits for recipients who are able to work. Also would require welfare recipients to accept some form of government-sponsored job after two years if unable to find work in the private sector.
- Requiring unwed teenage mothers to live with a parent or guardian (if possible) to receive benefits. Also would limit the benefits given to single women if they have additional children.
- Providing child care services to welfare recipients who work or attend school.
- Increased spending on programs that help homeless people find shelter and employment.
ABORTION
Agrees that: Abortions should be legal in all circumstances as long as the procedure is completed within the first trimester of the pregnancy.
EDUCATION
Supports:
- Establishing national standards for K-12 schools and encouraging states to adopt them.
- School choice programs so that parents receive vouchers that can be used to send their children to participating schools, so long as public schools are fully funded. MEMO: Main story on page A1.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo
KEYWORDS: SENATE RACE CANDIDATE PROFILE BIOGRAPHY by CNB