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Bill Weld's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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.
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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.

Bill Weld has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2020 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

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Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2020.

  • “Every individual should be entitled to believe anything he or she chooses to believe-but no one person or group should be allowed to subject others to a legally binding system of crime and punishment that is founded upon personal beliefs rather than upon constitutional law. 4/4” (votesmart.org)
  • “Why I'm A Pro-Choice Republican... 1/4” (votesmart.org)
  • “Every individual should be entitled to believe anything he or she chooses to believe—but no one person or group should be allowed to subject others to a legally binding system of crime and punishment that is founded upon personal beliefs rather than upon constitutional law. 4/4” (votesmart.org)
  • “The new anti-abortion laws recently passed in several states are deeply disturbing as they clearly undermine the rights and safety of women. The new laws actively promote a sinister culture of fear, persecution, stigmatization, secrecy and hiding. 2/4” (votesmart.org)
  • “3. Restructure our entire tax system. We should take a long look at Steve Forbes’ plan for a 19% flat tax on income and the “post card” tax return. The savings from the simplification of the Internal Revenue Code and the whole process of taxation would be enormous. #Weld2020” (twitter.com)
  • “First of all as governor I never met a tax cut I didn't like I cut taxes 21 times and I never raised them so I'm not going to criticize a tax cut although obviously it could have been more more equitable.” (www.businessinsider.com)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • “As to the military, the baseline position of the Libertarian Party is an invincible defense. An invincible defense includes projection of military supremacy both air and naval around the world, because people around the world really do pay attention. It does not encompass interventionism, boots on the ground, American blood on foreign soil.” (votesmart.org)
  • “The United States must also align its goals with its resources. There are many claims on the U.S. budget, and the military is only one. Balance is required, as President Dwight Eisenhower advised at the end of his tenure, to avoid a bloated and unaccountable military-industrial complex. In recent years, necessary but incomplete investment in defense has not been matched by equally important investments in diplomacy, intelligence, and cybersecurity. We must have the full range of policy capabilities so that, as former Defense Secretary James Mattis memorably put it, the military doesn't need to "buy more ammunition."” (votesmart.org)
  • “We must preserve the military strength we need to protect ourselves and reassure our allies while also living within the confines of budgetary reality. We must update our forces to deal with our adversaries' improved air, sea, and armored capabilities. But we must do so with the money we have, not the money we wish we had. This is a challenge, but we fought the Cold War on a budget, and we can deal with today's threat environment on a budget as well.” (votesmart.org)
  • "We ask of the federal government that it do nothing more than what millions of families across our country do already: balance its checkbook. Just as parents and spouses must make difficult decisions when it comes to finances, our elected officials must also prioritize what is important and cut as much spending as possible." (weld2020.org)
  • "In addition to an overhaul of the federal income tax code, we must also eliminate excessive taxes on businesses which prevent employers from taking on new hires." (weld2020.org)
  • "Elementary and secondary education is primarily a matter for states and localities and accordingly, federal intervention should be minimal." (weld2020.org)
  • "Weld has endorsed keeping the United States in the Paris Agreement, spoke last year of the "pressing need to act on climate change," is an outspoken critic of Trump's environmental policies, and favors increasing renewable energy and nuclear power." (www.weld2020.org)
  • “No there's no room for coal or oil. I say not with a heavy heart but with a light heart. It's going to be just exhilarating not to be dependent on foreign oil. No room for coal or oil in our energy mix. It's going to be a renewables.” (www.businessinsider.com)
  • "Weld has endorsed keeping the United States in the Paris Agreement, spoke last year of the "pressing need to act on climate change," is an outspoken critic of Trump's environmental policies, and favors increasing renewable energy and nuclear power." (www.weld2020.org)
  • “We have to put a price on carbon, upstream at the wellhead for oil companies, at the mine shaft for mining companies, at the loading dock for being imported.” (www.businessinsider.com)
  • “So I am pretty strongly in favor of a version of these red flag laws that enable a co-worker or family member to petition a judge and you can get in front of the judge in six hours in this country, saying this guy has a history of violence, he's exhibiting recent violent tendencies, he's carrying around a list of people he says he'd like to kill.” (www.businessinsider.com)
  • "Beyond the practical issues, it is also not unreasonable to challenge the wisdom of putting politicians and government agents in the business of deciding who among us is allowed to own a firearm, whether for sport, to hunt, or to protect our families. When all is said and done, we must not go down the path of empowering the government to disarm the population. Throughout history, that never ends well, and it can end in slaughter. The 2nd Amendment exists for a reason, as the courts have confirmed." (weld2020.org)
  • ""Universal" background checks are easier said than done, raise some fundamental concerns, and may not be the overarching solution many seem to believe." (weld2020.org)
  • "The Supreme Court’s Heller decision in 2008 confirmed that the 2nd Amendment’s protection of the right to bear arms applies to individuals. In short, the 2nd Amendment means what it says. At the same time, the law and the courts have long recognized the need for reasonable, common sense regulation of firearms. For example, it is already illegal to own a fully automatic weapon (only one pull on the trigger) without going through a rigorous, and expensive, process to secure a federal permit. But drawing a line between a three- or five-shot hunting rifle and what many perceive to be an "assault rifle" because of its appearance or other features isn’t as easy as it sounds." (weld2020.org)
  • “So I want to skinny down the role of the government in the Affordable Care Act and place more decisions in the hands of patients and their doctors and have people making their own health care decisions instead of having that all come from a federal bureaucracy.”  (www.businessinsider.com)
  • "As President, I can guarantee to each and every American that I will not take away the insurance they currently have, whether it is through private insurance or it is the insurance which the ACA gave to them." (weld2020.org)
  • "That being said, there is work yet needing to be done. We need to amend certain features of the Affordable Care Act, and to build upon others; we do not need to completely tear down a program which have assisted millions of people. Above all, we need to make our health care system work for you, as consumer and as patient." (weld2020.org)
  • “First, Mexico was paying for the Wall. Then, @realDonaldTrump shut down the government in a failed attempt to make Congress fund it. They refused. Now, he’s taking the money from our military—costing American jobs and preparedness. Insanity.” (twitter.com)
  • “We need more judges to handle asylum cases, you need more people to process the refugees and regular applicants coming in from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. And that's what all the experts say we need. And it's probably not as expensive as a 200 mile long 200 foot high wall but that should be number one and then everything else is easy once everyone relaxes about the immigrants.”  (www.businessinsider.com)
  • "The United States should be a nation that tears down walls and builds bridges, not the other way around." (weld2020.org)
  • "I plan to follow President Reagan’s example. During his term in office, he promptly and succinctly created a pathway to citizenship for millions living in our country. As President, I plan to do that again and in far more expansive fashion. President Reagan signed that legislation because he saw our country the same way that so many immigrants did when they crossed through Ellis Island and spotted Lady Liberty: as a Shining City on a Hill and a beacon of hope and opportunity. The naturalization process as it currently exists has become entirely unnavigable for millions of immigrants, and this needs to be a priority" (weld2020.org)
  • "I support the DACA and the DREAM Act protections to assure that children are kept safe in our country. No child should be punished on account of acts in which they had no choice. We should also end requirements that applicants for citizenship must remain in their home countries while being processed." (weld2020.org)
  • "It is now clear that Mr. Trump’s petulant cancellation of the non-proliferation agreement was a colossal blunder. He has put the United States in a position of increasing danger, and gotten absolutely nothing in return." (votesmart.org)
  • “As to the military, the baseline position of the Libertarian Party is an invincible defense. An invincible defense includes projection of military supremacy both air and naval around the world, because people around the world really do pay attention. It does not encompass interventionism, boots on the ground, American blood on foreign soil.” (votesmart.org)
  • “I think a partial dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is a development worth promoting, and of course such an agreement might prove to be the first step to a fuller resolution.” (www.cfr.org)
  • “Solving the Iran problem will require a new diplomatic strategy that does not undermine our credibility--as Trump's decision to tear up the deal did--or appear desperate for a new deal. We cannot ignore Iran's latest acts of aggression against Saudi Arabia and others, even if Saudi Arabia poses its own set of problems for us with its support for Sunni extremists. But if a new deal can be negotiated--perhaps after we make clear to Iran that naked aggression is a nonstarter--it should be.” (votesmart.org)
  • “Where North Korea is concerned, the United States should be very skeptical, not engage in a reality TV bromance with its murderous leader, as Trump has done. We need a flexible approach that looks for an opening for a real solution, if possible involving the South Korea and China. But we should never take North Korea at its word or embarrass ourselves by endorsing its behavior while receiving nothing in exchange.” (votesmart.org)
  • “As to the military, the baseline position of the Libertarian Party is an invincible defense. An invincible defense includes projection of military supremacy both air and naval around the world, because people around the world really do pay attention. It does not encompass interventionism, boots on the ground, American blood on foreign soil.” (votesmart.org)
  • “But we also, I believe, need to live up to the Constitution and end this forever state of war we`ve been in, where in the Constitution, it`s up to Congress to declare war. And we`ve been putting ourselves into foreign theaters for the last 18 years and counting.” (votesmart.org)
  • “I agree with the congressman our troops should have been home from Afghanistan a long time ago. but we've been there 18 years.” (www.businessinsider.com)
  • "Free and fair trade benefits all Americans. We must restore this age-old American consensus that has served us so well." (www.weld2020.org)
  • “So everybody makes out better with free trade and the United States always makes our best because we have the highest productivity per worker.” (www.businessinsider.com)
  • “Well one thing I would do is stop doing foreign policy and foreign economic measures with taxes and just putting sanctions on everybody and tariffs.” (www.businessinsider.com)
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.
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.

1. If elected Governor, which of the following general principles or specific proposals will you support to address the problem of crime?

X Impose a statewide ban on the public sale of assault weapons.
X Cooperate with other states to eliminate illegal inter-state gun running.
X Hire more police officers and build more prisons.
X Impose "truth in sentencing" legislation for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole.
X Create "boot-camps" for adult first-time felons.
Consider penalties other than incarceration for non-violent offenders.
X Impose the death penalty for certain crimes, including civil rights murders, rape and child molestation murders, death resulting from drive-by-shootings or car-jackings, and murder of court officers.
X Reform the appeals process for death row inmates by limiting the number of appeals allowed.
X Impose mandatory life sentences for third-time violent felons.
Fund programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills.
X Expand "community policing" programs.
X Expand job placement programs for crime-ridden urban areas.
Other

2. If elected Governor, which of the following general principles or specific proposals will you support to address the problem of youth violence?

X Impose a statewide ban on the sale of guns to minors.
X Increase penalties for youths who are caught illegally possessing guns.
X Increase penalties for anyone selling guns to minors.
X Create "boot-camps" for juvenile first-time felons.
X Prosecute as adults, youths who are third-time violent felons.
Use metal detectors in public schools to keep weapons out of the classroom.
Increase funding for the monitoring of public schools and the hiring of more truant officers.
X Increase funding for community programs that focus on preventing youths from joining gangs.
Increase funding for local Boys & Girls Clubs and other social agencies in communities with at-risk youth.
Increase the availability of college loans for at-risk urban youth.
X Fund programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk urban youth.
Other

4. If elected Governor, which of the following general principles or specific proposals will you support to improve or change your state's public education system?

X Advocate "school choice" programs that provide parents with vouchers that can be used to send their children to any participating school.
X Advocate a "charter school" program where teachers receive state authorization and funding to establish new schools.
Advocate the "privatization" of public schools where the private sector is hired to run the school.
X Provide communities with increased state aid for public school improvements.
X Provide for the expansion of professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators.
Expand the number of hours per year that students are required to attend school.
X Advocate "school-to-work" programs so that high school students who will not attend college receive technical/vocational training instead of college prep courses.
Shift the funding of public schools from local property taxes to income or sales taxes overseen by the state.
Other

5. If elected Governor, which of the following general principles or specific proposals will you support concerning your state's economic development?

X Target certain industries with incentives to locate within the state.
X Improve the state's transportation system, including main transport routes, railways, sea & river ports, and airports.
X Invest in new technologies like high speed rail between major urban centers and/or industrial centers.
X Invest in new telecommunications technologies and the "information superhighway."
X Lower the tax burden on the state's citizens to spur investment and consumer activity.
X Invest in low interest loans and/or tax credits for expanding or small start-up businesses.
Target rural areas with low interest loans for start-up businesses.
Create incentives for housing development in rural areas.
X Coordinate efforts with businesses in the state to open markets and sell local goods in foreign countries.
X Allow the natural cycle of the market economy to operate independently without government intervention.
Other

6. If elected Governor, which of the following general principles or specific proposals will you support to address unemployment?

X Provide tax credits for companies who move job-creating industries into the state.
X Increase funding for the state's job-training programs.
X Invest in the repair and improvement of roads, bridges, and other state public works projects.
X Invest in national and international advertising to bring increased tourism to the state.
X Eliminate government regulations to encourage investment and economic expansion of the private sector.
X Allow the natural cycle of the market economy to create jobs without government intervention.
Remove agriculture's exemption from worker's compensation regulations.
X Create state "enterprise zones" in areas with a large unemployment rate.
X Support an overhaul of the current unemployment system by combining current state-wide job-training programs within a comprehensive "re-employment" system.
Maintain current state programs; the state's unemployment system needs no major initiatives at this time.
Other

7. If elected Governor, which of the following general principles or specific proposals will you support to change your state's welfare system?

X Strengthen child support collection procedures, including the tracking of delinquent parents and increased penalties for those who do not pay.
Impose a two-year limit on welfare benefits for recipients who are able to work.
Require welfare recipients to accept some form of state-sponsored job after two years if unable to find work in the private sector.
X Provide child care services to welfare recipients who work or attend school.
X Require able-bodied welfare recipients to receive job training, attend school, or work in order to receive benefits.
Require welfare recipients who don't have pre-school children to volunteer some community service each month.
X Require unwed teenage mothers to live with a parent or guardian (if possible) to receive benefits.
X Limit the benefits given to single women if they have additional children.
Move family support programs from the state level to the local level.
X Other
Require able-bodied recipients to work after 60 days, while offering day care and health care and eliminating the cash grant.

8. If elected Governor, which of the following general principles or specific proposals will you support concerning the environment?

Pass stronger state clean water and clean air legislation.
Phase in a prohibition of pollution-causing products such as gas-powered autos and lawn mowers.
Increase state taxes on gasoline and diesel fuels.
X Raise the state's automobile emission standards.
Increase fees charged to mining companies who mine on state lands.
Increase fees charged to livestock owners who graze on state lands.
Require the state to reimburse citizens who are required to limit the use of their privately owned lands due to state sponsored environmental regulations.
X Increase efforts at recycling.
X Require state agencies to purchase a certain percentage of their products from recycled materials.
Refuse to fund over-burdensome federally mandated environmental protection legislation.
Request flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding environmental legislation.
Establish uniform standards for the "Green Labeling" of consumer products.
X Encourage the selling of pollution credits to encourage industries to decrease amount of pollution.
Other

9. If elected Governor, which of the following general principles or specific proposals will you support concerning illegal drugs?

X Increase penalties for selling illegal drugs.
X Impose mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs near schools.
Support mandatory drug testing for state employees.
X Expand state support for drug education and drug treatment programs.
Maintain current state laws.
Decriminalize the possession and private use of certain illegal drugs.
Other

10. If elected Governor, which of the following general principles or specific proposals will you support concerning abortion?

Abortions should be legal in all circumstances as long as the procedure is completed within the first trimester of the pregnancy.
Abortions should be legal only when the life of the mother is endangered.
Abortions should be legal only when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape, or when the life of the mother is endangered.
Women under the age of 18 should be required to notify a parent or guardian before having an abortion.
Women should be required to notify their spouse before having an abortion.
The state should impose mandatory waiting periods before abortions are performed.
The state should eliminate funding for clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services.
The state should eliminate abortion services from any state-funded health care plan.
X Other
Have filed legislation to codify Roe v. Wade, require one parent consent under age 16, approve Medicaid funds for abortion services, and repeal statute precluding abortion coverage for state employees.

11. If elected Governor, which of the following general principles or specific proposals will you support to combat the AIDS virus?

X Promote sexual abstinence and a drug free life.
X Promote AIDS awareness and sex education in schools.
Fund programs that make condoms available to high school students along with health information.
Fund programs that provide clean needles to drug addicts who exchange used needles.
X Increase funding for AIDS research and care for AIDS patients.
Other
Yes 1. Should your state adopt a policy of limiting or banning Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to state-wide and federal candidates?
Yes 2. Do you support the principle of limiting the number of terms U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, and state-wide officers can hold elected office?

1. If elected Governor, what changes will you support (if any) concerning the level of funding for the following issue areas?

Slightly Increase Law Enforcement
Maintain Status State Health Care Programs
Slightly Increase Job Re-Training Programs
Greatly Increase Infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc.)
Greatly Increase Public Education (K - 12)
Slightly Increase Higher Education (State Universities, Community Colleges, etc.)
Slightly Increase Environmental Cleanup and Enforcement
Other
Other

2. Please indicate the changes you will support (if any) concerning your state's tax levels for the following categories.

Maintain Status Cigarette Taxes
Maintain Status Alcohol Taxes
Maintain Status Sales Taxes
Greatly Decrease Income Taxes on Families Earning Less Than $140,000
Slightly Decrease Income Taxes on Families Earning $140,000 or More
Greatly Increase Dependent Deductions on Taxable Income
Maintain Status Corporate Income Taxes
Other
a) Combatting crime by seeking increased penalties for criminals, including reinstating the death penalty; keeping illegal guns off the streets; and ensuring safe schools for our children. b) Reforming welfare by eliminating the cash grant and requiring able-bodied recipients to go to work right away, while providing them with day care and health care.
I don't believe either of these will require new state spending.

["3. If elected Governor, which of the following general principles or specific proposals will you support concerning your state's health care system?"]

Guarantee basic health care coverage to every citizen of the state, which may include some form of mandate on either individuals or businesses.
X Support 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.
X Provide tax incentives for small businesses to help provide health care to their employees.
Create a voucher system for the working poor so they can buy into a health care plan.
X Seek a Medicaid waiver from the federal government to extend health care coverage to working families living below the poverty line.
X Place limits on the amount of damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
X Use a state-wide standard health insurance claim form.
Create incentives to increase the supply and retention of health professionals in rural areas.
X Allow citizens and small employers to pool their purchasing power to increase bargaining leverage and lower costs.
X Immunize, at the state's expense, all children under age five for preventable childhood diseases.
X Expand pre-natal and infant care programs available in the state.
Impose stronger regulations to contain costs, regulate hospital expansion, or regulate the purchasing of expensive equipment.
Deregulate the state's private health care industry.
Other

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