Orrin Hatch in 2000 National Political Awareness Test

On Budget & Economy: More $ for defense, research, Ag, Education, police

Hatch supports the following spending levels:
• Greatly Increase Funding
  • Defense
  • Medical research
• Slightly Increase Funding
  • Agricultural programs
  • Education
  • Law enforcement
  • Scientific research
• Maintain Funding Status
  • Arts funding
  • Environmental programs
  • International aid
  • NASA
  • National Parks
  • Transportation and Highway Infrastructure
  • Welfare

On Budget & Economy: Balance the budget; but high priority to all spending

Hatch sets the following priorities for spending the budget surplus:
• Highest Priority
  • Medicare
  • Social Security
• High Priority
  • Defense
  • Education
  • Federal debt reduction
  • Tax cuts
• Hatch would support enforcing the spending limits agreed to in 1997 by the President and Congress to balance the budget

On Civil Rights: Merit and outreach are the bases for helping minorities

Hatch supports the following principles regarding employment & affirmative action:
• Provide tax credits for companies that move job-creating industries into areas with high unemployment.
• Reduce government regulation of the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
• Establish empowerment zones in areas with large numbers of unemployed people.
• Encourage employers to offer flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
• Provide tax credits for businesses that offer on-site child care.
• The federal government should only utilize merits and qualifications in making government contracting decisions.
• Hatch says, “Support outreach to minority communities and assistance to economically disadvantaged persons.”

On Crime: Strict penalties; more prisons; status quo on death penalty

Hatch supports the following principles regarding crime:
• Would not eliminate the use of the death penalty; but would not broaden its use either.
• Impose stricter penalties for violent felons.
• Increase spending to build more federal prisons.
• Impose “truth in sentencing” for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole.
• Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
• Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
• Increase penalties for crimes committed on school grounds.
• Enforcement of civil rights should primarily be the responsibility of the federal government.
• Hatch says, “Maintain and increase funds for law enforcement block grants.”

On Drugs: Stricter sentencing; death penalty for drug traffickers

Hatch supports the following principles regarding drugs:
• Increase penalties for selling illegal drugs.
• Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
• Support capital punishment for convicted international drug traffickers.
• Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
• Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the US

On Education: More block grants; more student loans; school prayer OK

Hatch supports the following principles regarding education:
• Increase funding for block grants to states to help them hire additional teachers.
• Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for college.
• Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
• Religious expression on public school property should be allowed.

On Education: More vouchers; more charter schools

Hatch supports the following principles regarding school choice:
• Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
• Allow parents to use tax-free savings accounts to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
• Support creation of more charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.

On Foreign Policy: Relations with China; limited with Taiwan

Hatch supports the following principles regarding China:
• The US should have full diplomatic relations with China
• The US should not. recognize and extend full diplomatic relations to Taiwan
• The US should have full diplomatic relations with nations with documented human rights abuses
• Supports China becoming a member of the WTO

On Free Trade: Supports NAFTA, GATT, WTO, Fast-Track

Hatch supports the following principles regarding free trade:
• Supports NAFTA
• Supports broadening NAFTA to include other countries in the western hemisphere
• Supports GATT
• Supports continued US membership in the WTO
• Supports China becoming a member of the WTO
• Supports imposing tariffs on products imported from nations that maintain restrictive trade barriers on American products
• A nation’s human rights record should affect its MFN trading status with the US
• Supports granting the President “fast-track” authority in trade negotiations
• Supports the trade embargo against Cuba
• Supports strengthening the anti-dumping laws which give the Commerce Department additional power to fight imports priced below the manufacturing cost

On Homeland Security: Increase defense spending greatly

Hatch supports the following defense funding adjustments:
• Greatly Increase Funding
  • Armed Forces personnel training
  • Pay for active duty personnel
  • National Missile Defense Program
  • Modernization of weaponry and equipment
  • Programs to improve military retention rates
  • Research and development of new weapons
  • Troop and equipment readiness
• Slightly Increase Funding
  • Military hardware
• Maintain Funding Status
  • Covert intelligence operations
  • Military space shuttle missions
• Greatly Decrease Funding
  • Defense plant conversion