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Jeb Bush on Civil Rights
Republican FL Governor
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Provide licensure exams in Spanish, for free
Senate Bill 1016 contains a provision that recognizes the changing face of Florida. Currently, licensure exams are given in English. An applicant who seeks to take a licensure exam in Spanish must provide six months notice and
pay the cost of developing the test. This bill relieves Spanish-speaking Floridians from that burden. Exams in Spanish will be generally available without an additional cost. Taken together, these provisions make this a good bill.
Source: Approval notification on Senate Bill 1016
Jun 23, 2000
Supports Affirmative Action; against quotas
Regarding affirmative action, should state government agencies take race and sex into account in the following sectors: - College and university admissions? “Yes.”
- Public employment? “Yes.”
- State contracting? “Yes.”
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Bush says, “I oppose guaranteed results through quotas and set asides. However, I believe it must be an important state goal to hire people who reflect the diversity of Florida and to provide opportunities that might not otherwise exist.”
Source: Vote-smart 1998 Florida NPAT
Jul 2, 1998
No hate-crimes status for gays; no gay marriage
Q: Do you believe that the Florida government should include sexual orientation in Florida’s anti-discrimination laws? A: No.
Q: Do you believe that the Florida government should recognize same-sex marriages?
A: No.
Source: Vote-smart 1998 Florida NPAT
Jul 2, 1998
Gay rights & feminism are “modern victim movements”
Since the 1960s, the politics of victimization has steadily intesnified. Being a victim gives rise to certain entitlements, benefits, and preferences in society. The surest way to get something in today’s society is to elevate one’s status to that of
the oppressed. Many of the modern victim movements-the gay rights movement, the feminist movement, the black empowerment movement-have attempted to get people to view themselves as part of a smaller group deserving of something from society.
It is a major deviation from the society envisioned by Martin Luther King, who would have had people judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin-or sexual preference or gender or ethnicity. Eventually there will come a
time when everybody will be able to claim some status as a victim of society, leaving few in society who will actually be considered the victimizers. Who, then, will be left to blame in a world in which it is victim against victim?
Source: Profiles in Character, by Jeb Bush & B.Yablonski, p. 59-60
Nov 1, 1995
Support principles embodied in the Equal Rights Amendment.
Bush adopted the National Governors Association policy:
In 1976 the National Governors Association expressed support for ratification and implementation of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would constitutionally guarantee full citizenship rights and opportunities for women. In 1982 the drive for ratification fell short, and efforts to initiate the amendatory process were taken.
The National Governors Association reaffirms its support for the principles embodied in the Equal Rights Amendment, i.e., that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on the basis of gender.
Source: NGA Executive Committee Policy EC-14: Equal Rights Policy 01-NGA1 on Feb 15, 2001
Page last updated: Feb 08, 2010