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Kenny Marchant'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.
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.

Kenny Marchant has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2018 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

What is the Political Courage Test?

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 2018.

  • "Congressman Marchant believes that government has an obligation to protect human life, from conception to natural death. Throughout his career in public service, Congressman Marchant has supported numerous pro-life bills and has fought tirelessly for the rights of the unborn." (votesmart.org)
  • "I believe that government as an obligation to protect innocent human life, from conception to natural death, and oppose any use of taxpayer funds to pay for abortions." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by Planned Parenthood (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by the National Right to Life Committee (votesmart.org)
  • "The American people deserve a simpler, flatter, fairer tax system that rewards hard work and empowers middle-class families. The Fair Tax offers a blueprint for tax simplification that would spur economic growth, remove IRS bureaucracy, and reduce the tax burden for all Americans. I will continue fighting for a fairer tax system that lowers rates and protects the American people instead of Washington." (votesmart.org)
  • "We must keep working to make the system simpler, flatter, and fairer across the board. It only makes sense to provide tax certainty for small businesses and working families so they have the peace of mind needed to plan for their futures." (votesmart.org)
  • "Kenny is also an active member of the Republican Study Committee (RSC). The RSC is a group of House Republicans organized for the purpose of advancing a conservative social and economic agenda in the House of Representatives. The RSC is dedicated to […] a strong national defense […]" (www.kennymarchant.com)
  • "The United States must continue to maintain a military second to none, and I will continue to promote legislation that provides our service members with the resources they need to protect America’s security at home and abroad." (marchant.house.gov)
  • Rated 0% by Common Cause (votesmart.org)
  • Voted for HR 5912 "Prohibits Public Funding for Political Party Conventions" (votesmart.org)
  • "Congressman Marchant is a fiscal conservative, and he came to Congress to work hard to balance the budget and reduce the national debt. To that end, Congressman Marchant supports fiscally responsible legislation that strengthens the budget, controls federal spending, and reduces deficits and debt." (votesmart.org)
  • "In addition, President Obama promised that the stimulus bill would create 4 million jobs by the end of 2010. Instead, 3 million jobs have been lost since the stimulus became law. Congressman Marchant voted against the stimulus bill because he knows that we cannot borrow and spend our way to economic prosperity." (votesmart.org)
  • "The American people deserve funding resolutions that keep government spending at efficient and accountable levels. Unfortunately, this is not what came before the House. Moving forward, I will continue to advocate for a straightforward budgeting process with no gimmicks. The House's power of the purse should not be used as a mechanism for pushing through unrelated items." (votesmart.org)
  • "Taxpayers deserve a tax code that is simpler, flatter, and fairer. If we want to build a healthier economy, we need genuine tax reform and that requires a plan of action." (votesmart.org)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • "My constituents know the tax code is broken and they, as all Americans, deserve a plan of action to simplify the code. The discussion draft released today brings us closer to making the tax system fairer and easier to understand. Chairman Camp's plan is a common sense attempt to provide tax relief for hardworking taxpayers, create more jobs, and jumpstart the economy." (votesmart.org)
  • "As a member of the Education and Labor Committee, Marchant supports scholastic excellence through accountability and flexibility for teachers, parents, and students. Marchant believes greater state flexibility will increase opportunities for our students and educators." (votesmart.org)
  • "Kenny Marchant supports an expansion of our college student loan program in order to allow more students affordable access to higher education. He also supports an effective accountability system for our public schools that stresses academic excellence and gives flexibility to local educators." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by the National Education Association (votesmart.org)
  • "In an effort to return to a free market in energy, Congressman Marchant has cosponsored numerous bills that would help to reduce America's dependence on foreign sources of oil, increase our supply of domestically-produced energy, encourage conservation, and expand research into alternative and renewable energy technologies." (votesmart.org)
  • "We can achieve energy independence through an 'all of the above' approach, including the following: increasing domestic energy exploration and production, investing in clean renewable and alternative energy technologies, and providing incentives for conservation and efficiency measures." (votesmart.org)
  • "I, Kenny Marchant, pledge to the taxpayers of the state of Texas that I will oppose any legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue." (votesmart.org)
  • "On June 26, 2009, Congressman Marchant voted against the cap-and-trade bill. Congressman Marchant strongly opposes cap-and-trade legislation because it will relocate millions of American jobs overseas and amounts to the largest tax increase in American history." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by Environment America (votesmart.org)
  • "As a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and lifelong advocate of the Second Amendment, Congressman Marchant believes in an individual right to keep and bear arms. Throughout his career, Congressman Marchant has fought to protect and uphold the Second Amendment rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution." (votesmart.org)
  • "Kenny is a lifelong member of the NRA and a Second Amendment advocate, and he has cosponsored numerous bills that strengthen and protect the individual right to bear arms protected by the Constitution." (www.kennymarchant.com)
  • "Trampling on the 2nd Amendment by effectively disarming law-abiding citizens who are seeking to protect themselves, their families, and their property does nothing to prevent another Newtown." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 92% by the National Rifle Association (votesmart.org)
  • "As conservatives, we must redouble our efforts to repeal Obamacare. I remain fully committed and will fight to tear down Obamacare." (votesmart.org)
  • "Today, I voted to fully repeal Obamacare and pave the way for patient-focused alternatives that put Americans not federal bureaucrats in charge of their health care decisions." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of H.R. 596 "Repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Health Care-Related Provisions in the Health Care and Reconciliation Act of 2010" (votesmart.org)
  • "Learn about the plan to #RepealAndReplace Obamacare and provide relief to Texas families" (twitter.com)
  • "I'll continue working with my colleagues in Congress to secure our borders, enforce and uphold the rule of law, reform our legal immigration system and put American workers first." (votesmart.org)
  • "The President is keeping his promise to the American people to fully secure our borders […]" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor H.R. 3219 "Make America Secure Appropriations Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "Kenny Marchant firmly believes immigration reform begins with securing the borders and ports of entry through effective law enforcement, infrastructure and technology. Amnesty should not be provided to those who break the law." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 100% by the Federation for Immigration Reform (votesmart.org)
  • "The president's unilateral amnesty must be completely defunded. Americans' tax dollars should be used to secure the border and keep this nation safe, not to reward those who have broken the law." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by Americans for Safe Access (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 17% by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (votesmart.org)
  • "Congressman Marchant also believes it is critical that the U.S. continue a robust missile defense development program to defend ourselves and our allies against North Korea. We should continue to develop and deploy missile defense systems and reverse budget cuts to missile defense." (votesmart.org)
  • "bove all, it must stop Iran's march toward a nuclear weapon. The deal before us does not meet these objectives. Yet, it gives Iran upwards of 100 billion dollars in sanctions relief almost immediately. Money it can use to finance the spread of terrorism and violence. This agreement is a dangerous gamble. The security of America and our allies is on the line, and the deck is stacked in favor of a sworn adversary to the United States. I will be voting to reject this bad deal. I encourage all my colleagues to do the same." (votesmart.org)
  • "I strongly oppose the administration's nuclear agreement with Iran. This deal abandons our long-standing policy of preventing a nuclear-capable Iran and settles for simply managing Iran's nuclear ambitions." (votesmart.org)
  • "Congressman Marchant believes that in order to secure our safety at home, we must be willing to use force abroad when necessary. Congressman Marchant is an advocate of President Ronald Reagan's doctrine of 'Peace through Strength,' which holds that military strength is a necessary component of peace." (votesmart.org)
  • "To deal with the threat posed by Iran, Congressman Marchant believes the United States should strengthen deterrence against an Iranian attack on our allies in the region by deploying a comprehensive missile defense system to counter the threat of Iranian ballistic missiles." (votesmart.org)
  • "As an active member of the Anti-Terrorism Caucus, Congressman Marchant regularly attends meetings regarding the issues of terrorism and the jihadist ideology that remains a threat to our peace and security." (votesmart.org)
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.

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.
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) 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 (#1-6) you will support for the following general categories. Select one level per category.State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels (#1-6) you will support. Select one level per tax.

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 Increase Funding f) Transportation and Highway infrastructure
Slightly Increase Funding g) Welfare
h) Other or expanded categories
Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Maintain Status b) Cigarette taxes
Eliminate c) Corporate taxes
Maintain Status d) Gasoline taxes
Eliminate e) Inheritance taxes
Maintain Status f) Sales taxes
Maintain Status g) Vehicle taxes
h) Other or expanded categories
Undecided i) Should Internet sales be taxed?
Yes j) Do you support placing any operating surplus into the rainy day fund?
k) 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 candidates?

Yes a) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Texas governors?
No b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Texas state senators and representatives?___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
No 1) Individual
Undecided 2) PAC
Yes 3) Corporate
No 4) Political Parties
Yes d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
No e) Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
No f) Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
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 Texas are closed?
No j) Should Texas recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
Yes k) Should Texas 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.

X 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.
X c) Support the use of the death penalty in Texas.
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) Support the lower .08 blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
X j) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
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) Create statewide standards for defense counsel in capital murder cases.
o) Other or expanded principles

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

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

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

a) Implement a State income tax.
b) Implement a Statewide property tax.
c) Support the current system, which seeks to equalize funding by redistributing funding from wealthier districts to poorer ones.
X d) Other or expanded principles
Raise state funds to schools in order to eliminate Robin Hood

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:

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.
c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
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 Texas 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) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned.
Yes c) Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
No 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.
X e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
X 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.

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.
X 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.
X f) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
g) Legalize physician-assisted suicide in Texas.
h) 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.
X 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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