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Sam Brownback on Education
Republican Sr Senator (KS)
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We still need integration, but voluntary & incentivized
Q: The Supreme Court recently ruled that even voluntary integration in America’s public schools is unconstitutional.A: I live in the town of Topeka, Kansas. Brown v. Board of Education was decided in my hometown. I believe we still need
integration taking place in the schools, and I think it’s an important thing. I think we need to do it on a voluntary and incentivized basis as much as we possibly can, but it is important for us to maintain it as a goal and objective of this country.
Source: 2007 GOP Presidential Forum at Morgan State University
Sep 27, 2007
Equal funds for abstinence as contraceptive-based education
Q: I’m 18. One in four sexually-active teens has a sexually-transmitted disease. Meanwhile, 2.5 million American teens like me have taken public abstinence pledges, to save sex until marriage--the only 100%-proven effective solution and prevention for
STDs. Would you bring abstinence-education funding onto equal ground with contraceptive-based education?- HUCKABEE: Yes.
- TANCREDO: Yes.
- COX: Yes.
- BROWNBACK: Yes.
- PAUL: Yes.
- HUNTER: Yes.
- KEYES: Yes.
Source: [Xref Cox] 2007 GOP Values Voter Presidential Debate
Sep 17, 2007
Evolution debate puts faith & science at odds unnecessarily
Q: Do you believe, literally, creation was done in 6 days, as it is described in the Bible?HUCKABEE: Whether God did it in 6 days or whether he did it in 6 days that represented periods of time, he did it, and that’s what’s important. If anybody wants
to believe that they are the descendants of a primate, they are certainly welcome to do it. But I believe that all of us are the unique creations of God.
BROWNBACK: It’s interesting that we’re doing this here, at Saint Anselm’s--that saint had a
philosophy of faith seeking reason. I believe we are created in the image of God for a particular purpose. And I am fully convinced there’s a God of the universe that loves us very much and was involved in the process. How he did it, I don’t know. One of
the problems we have with our society today is that we put faith and science at odds with each other. They aren’t at odds with each other. If they are, check your faith or check your science. And we should engage faith and reason, like Saint Anselm did.
Source: 2007 GOP debate at Saint Anselm College
Jun 3, 2007
Does not believe in evolution
Q: Do you believe in evolution?McCAIN: Yes.
Q: I’m curious, is there anybody on the stage that does not agree, believe in evolution?
[TANCREDO, HUCKABEE, and
BROWNBACK raise their hands, indicating that they do not believe in evolution].
McCAIN: I believe in evolution. But I also believe, when I hike the Grand Canyon and see it at sunset, that the hand of God is there also.
Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC
May 3, 2007
Stare decisis would have upheld separate-but-equal
SEN. BROWNBACK: Did the Supreme Court get Plessy v. Ferguson wrong? [the “separate but equal” decision]ALITO: Plessy was certainly wrong.
BROWNBACK: Brown v. Board of Education overturned Plessy, after Plessy had stood on the books since 1896.
It was depended upon by a number of people for a long period of time. You’ve got it sitting on the books for 60 years, twice the length of time of Roe v. Wade. You’ve got these number of cases that considered Plessy and upheld Plessy. Now, stare decisis
would say in the Brown case you should uphold Plessy. Is that correct?
ALITO: It certainly would be a factor that you would consider in determining whether to overrule it.
BROWNBACK: But obviously, Brown overturned it, and thank goodness it did.
Correct?
ALITO: The court got it spectacularly wrong in Plessy. And it took a long time for that erroneous decision to be overruled. Separate facilities, even if they were identical, could never give people equal treatment under the law.
Source: Sam Alito Senate Confirmation Hearings
Jan 11, 2006
Voted NO on additional $10.2B for federal education & HHS projects.
Vote on the passage of the bill, the American Competitiveness Scholarship Act, the omnibus appropriations bill for the Departments of Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor. Pres. Bush then vetoed the Bill. Proponents support voting YES because:
Rep. OBEY: This bill, more than any other, determines how willing we are to make the investment necessary to assure the future strength of this country and its working families. The President has chosen to cut the investments in this bill by more than $7.5 billion in real terms. This bill rejects most of those cuts.
Opponents recommend voting NO because:
Rep. LEWIS: This bill reflects a fundamental difference in opinion on the level of funding necessary to support the Federal Government's role in education, health and workforce programs. The bill is $10.2 billion over the President's budget request. While many of these programs are popular on both sides of the aisle, this bill contains what can
rightly be considered lower priority and duplicative programs. For example, this legislation continues three different programs that deal with violence prevention. An omnibus bill is absolutely the wrong and fiscally reckless approach to completing this year's work. It would negate any semblance of fiscal discipline demonstrated by this body in recent years.
Veto message from President Bush:
This bill spends too much. It exceeds [by $10.2 billion] the reasonable and responsible levels for discretionary spending that I proposed to balance the budget by 2012. This bill continues to fund 56 programs that I proposed to terminate because they are duplicative, narrowly focused, or not producing results. This bill does not sufficiently fund programs that are delivering positive outcomes. This bill has too many earmarks--more than 2,200 earmarks totaling nearly $1 billion. I urge the Congress to send me a fiscally responsible bill that sets priorities.
Reference: American Competitiveness Scholarship Act;
Bill H.R. 3043
; vote number 2007-391
on Oct 23, 2007
Voted NO on $52M for "21st century community learning centers".
To increase appropriations for after-school programs through 21st century community learning centers. Voting YES would increase funding by $51.9 million for after school programs run by the 21st century community learning centers and would decrease funding by $51.9 million for salaries and expenses in the Department of Labor.
Reference: Amendment to Agencies Appropriations Act;
Bill S Amdt 2287 to HR 3010
; vote number 2005-279
on Oct 27, 2005
Voted NO on $5B for grants to local educational agencies.
To provide an additional $5 billion for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Voting YES would provide:- $2.5 billion for targeting grants to local educational agencies
- $2.5 billion for education finance incentive grants
Reference: Elementary and Secondary Education Amendment;
Bill S Amdt 2275 to HR 3010
; vote number 2005-269
on Oct 26, 2005
Voted NO on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education.
Vote to adopt an amendment to the Senate's 2006 Fiscal Year Budget Resolution that would adjust education funding while still reducing the deficit by $5.4 billion. A YES vote would: - Restore education program cuts slated for vocational education, adult education, GEAR UP, and TRIO.
- Increase the maximum Pell Grant scholarship to $4,500 immediately.
- Increases future math and science teacher student loan forgiveness to $23,000.
- Pay for the education funding by closing $10.8 billion in corporate tax loopholes.
Reference: Kennedy amendment relative to education funding;
Bill S AMDT 177 to S Con Res 18
; vote number 2005-68
on Mar 17, 2005
Voted NO on funding smaller classes instead of private tutors.
Vote to authorize a federal program aimed at reducing class size. The plan would assist states and local education agencies in recruiting, hiring and training 100,000 new teachers, with $2.4 billion in fiscal 2002. This amendment would replace an amendment allowing parents with children at under-performing schools to use public funding for private tutors.
Reference:
Bill S1
; vote number 2001-103
on May 15, 2001
Voted NO on funding student testing instead of private tutors.
Vote to pass an amendment that would authorize $200 million to provide grants to help states develop assessment systems that describe student achievement. This amendment would replace an amendment by Jeffords, R-VT, which would allow parents with children at under-performing schools to use public funding for private tutors.
Reference:
Bill S1
; vote number 2001-99
on May 10, 2001
Voted NO on spending $448B of tax cut on education & debt reduction.
Vote to reduce the size of the $1.6 trillion tax cut by $448 billion while increasing education spending by $250 billion and providing an increase of approximately $224 billion for debt reduction over 10 years.
Reference:
Bill H Con Res 83
; vote number 2001-69
on Apr 4, 2001
Voted YES on Educational Savings Accounts.
Vote to pass a bill that would permit tax-free savings accounts of up to $2000 per child annually to be used for public or private school tuition or other education expenses.
Reference:
Bill S.1134
; vote number 2000-33
on Mar 2, 2000
Voted YES on allowing more flexibility in federal school rules.
This vote was a motion to invoke cloture on a bill aimed at allowing states to waive certain federal rules normally required in order to use federal school aid. [A YES vote implies support of charter schools and vouchers].
Status: Cloture Motion Rejected Y)55; N)39; NV)6
Reference: Motion to Invoke cloture on Jeffords Amdt #31;
Bill S. 280
; vote number 1999-35
on Mar 9, 1999
Voted YES on education savings accounts.
This Conference Report approved tax-sheltered education savings accounts.
Status: Conf Rpt Agreed to Y)59; N)36; NV)5
Reference: H.R. 2646 Conference Report;
Bill H.R. 2646
; vote number 1998-169
on Jun 24, 1998
Voted YES on school vouchers in DC.
This legislation would have amended the DC spending measure, imposing an unconstitutional school voucher program on the District.
Status: Cloture Motion Rejected Y)58; N)41; NV)1
Reference: DC Appropriations Act;
Bill S. 1156
; vote number 1997-260
on Sep 30, 1997
Rated 27% by the NEA, indicating anti-public education votes.
Brownback scores 27% by the NEA on public education issues
The National Education Association has a long, proud history as the nation's leading organization committed to advancing the cause of public education. Founded in 1857 "to elevate the character and advance the interests of the profession of teaching and to promote the cause of popular education in the United States," the NEA has remained constant in its commitment to its original mission as evidenced by the current mission statement:
To fulfill the promise of a democratic society, the National Education Association shall promote the cause of quality public education and advance the profession of education; expand the rights and further the interest of educational employees; and advocate human, civil, and economic rights for all.
In pursuing its mission, the NEA has determined that it will focus the energy and resources of its 2.7 million members toward the "promotion of public confidence in public education."
The ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.
Source: NEA website 03n-NEA on Dec 31, 2003
Page last updated: Feb 08, 2010