Shenna Bellows in Survey of 2014 Senate campaign websites
On Education:
Voucher programs siphon public school money
Supporting Public Education: I wouldn't be in this race if not for the good public education I received. Fully funding our schools, building new ones where they're needed, and hiring more teachers will mean more opportunities for students to succeed no
matter where they live or how much money their family earns. I oppose voucher programs that siphon public money to private or religious institutions that don't level the playing field and often exclude the students who most need a chance at a young age.
I also oppose the overly onerous new testing requirements mandated by the federal government. No Child Left Behind, supported by Republican Susan Collins, was a huge mistake.
It's time to invest in education at the local level again. Public schools helped build the intellectual foundation of this country, and they need to be supported.
Source: 2014 Maine Senate campaign website BellowsForSenate.com
Aug 31, 2014
On Free Trade:
NAFTA damaged our manufacturing sector; so will TPP
Fair Trade, Not Corporate Giveaways: Too many jobs have been shipped overseas in the last two decades. We have witnessed firsthand the damage wrought to our manufacturing sector by bad trade deals like NAFTA. That's why I oppose the Trans-Pacific
Partnership and fast-track authority for trade agreements. We are increasingly interconnected in a global economy. International trade is important to Maine's economy, but international trade agreements must be fair trade agreements--protecting workers'
rights at home and abroad, protecting the environment for future generations and protecting consumer safety.Some politicians like to think of the economy as just another issue. For me, the economy is every issue. Better economic policies in Washington
can make the difference when you pay your bills, start a family, & get the job you want. Investing in Maine's economy can make those things possible for every Mainer, and that's what I'm going to do from the first day I'm in Washington.
Source: 2014 Maine Senate campaign website BellowsForSenate.com
Aug 31, 2014
On Health Care:
Supports ObamaCare & universal health coverage
- I Support Universal Health Coverage: My mother went back to school to become a nurse, and I've seen up close how much good we can do in Maine when we expand healthcare coverage. I support universal access to affordable healthcare for all
Americans including acute, chronic, preventative, and long-term care. The Affordable Care Act is an important first step toward universal coverage, but it needs to be improved to expand coverage to all people and simplify the process for signing up.
- Protecting Patients and Ending the Repeal Debate: Republican Susan Collins voted against the Affordable Care Act and continues to call for full repeal of the law years after it became law--without offering a replacement solution.
- Expanding
Medicare and Medicaid: The federal government should be negotiating drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies, which would reduce costs for patients and save us billions of taxpayer dollars a year that now pad Big Pharma's bottom line.
Source: 2014 Maine Senate campaign website BellowsForSenate.com
Aug 31, 2014
On Social Security:
Scrap the Cap: highest-paid Americans pay their fair share
Social Security is funded by an outdated system that caps taxpayer contributions to a percentage of the first $117,000 they earn. That means millionaires and even billionaires pay the same amount into Social Security as someone who makes $117,000 a year.
Nobody thinks it's fair, everybody knows it has to change--and Congress hasn't done anything about it. I support a solution called "Scrap the Cap" that eliminates the taxable cap and makes sure the highest-paid Americans pay their fair share.
This is the fiscally responsible way to expand Social Security benefits.I am passionate about strengthening and expanding Social Security benefits for our seniors and future generations. I support legislation that would expand Social Security benefits
like the "Strengthening Social Security Act" and the RAISE Act. I strongly oppose privatization of Social Security and proposals like means testing or raising the retirement age that would undermine the fundamental promise of Social Security.
Source: 2014 Maine Senate campaign website BellowsForSenate.com
Aug 31, 2014
On Abortion:
Leader in reproductive freedom
Shenna is a leader in women's rights and reproductive freedom. She has been recognized for her work to advance women's health and reproductive choice by awards from the University of Maine Women's Studies Department,
Mabel Wadsworth Women's Health Center, the American Association of University Women, the Frances Perkins Center and the Maine Democratic Party.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, BellowsForSenate.com, "About"
Nov 14, 2013
On Civil Rights:
Leader in Women's Leadership Coalition & women's rights
Shenna is a leader in women's rights. She has been recognized for her work to advance women's health and reproductive choice by awards from the
University of Maine Women's Studies Department, Mabel Wadsworth Women's Health Center, the American Association of University Women, the Frances Perkins Center and the Maine Democratic Party.
Shenna believes that coalitions can change the world. In addition to working in coalition to advance voting rights and marriage equality, she was a leader in the
Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, the Maine Choice Coalition, the Women's Leadership Coalition, and the Maine Freedom of Information Coalition.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, BellowsForSenate.com, "About"
Nov 14, 2013
On Environment:
Supports recycling & conservation passionately
Shenna is passionate about the environment and science. She worked as a research assistant for several summers during high school and college at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory.
She worked for the campus recycling program at Middlebury College, and today she serves on the Manchester Conservation Commission.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, BellowsForSenate.com, "About"
Nov 14, 2013
On Immigration:
Leader in the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition
Shenna believes that coalitions can change the world. In addition to working in coalition to advance voting rights and marriage equality, she was a leader in the
Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, the Maine Choice Coalition, the Women's Leadership Coalition, and the Maine Freedom of Information Coalition.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, BellowsForSenate.com, "About"
Nov 14, 2013
On Civil Rights:
ENDA is a good start; full marriage equality is next
Former leader on the Mainers United for Marriage campaign, Shenna Bellows, issued the following statement on the historic Senate passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act today. "I appreciate--as we all should--that Susan Collins joined all of
the Democrats in voting for ENDA today, but the measure falls short of full equality. I look forward to the day when both of Maine's US senators have the courage to stand up for full equality, including the freedom to marry, for all Americans."
Bellows was a leader in the 2005 Maine Won't Discriminate campaign when Maine passed a broad anti-discrimination law that prohibits discrimination in employment, credit, housing and education. "It is high time that all
Americans are able to live and work freely, without fear of being fired because of who they are. It is, of course, also high time that all Americans enjoy the freedom to marry the person they love," said Bellows.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website press release, "ENDA"
Nov 7, 2013
On Government Reform:
Same-day voter registration for Maine & federally
Bellows is urging passage of federal same day voter registration legislation. "Maine voters endorsed same day voter registration at the polls in 2011, and Congress should follow Maine's lead," said Bellows. "The attack on voting rights nationwide
threatens our democracy, and it's time that good people from all parties take a stand to protect our voting rights. I pledge to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to modernize our voter registration systems, just like
I did on the 2011 Protect Maine Votes campaign."Bellows co-chaired the 2011 Protect Maine Votes referendum campaign to restore same day voter registration when Republicans in the legislature struck it down in 2011. Maine has enjoyed same day voter
registration since 1973, and it consistently enjoys one of the highest voter participation rates in the country. Voter participation for the 10 states with same day voter registration is higher than states without same day voter registration.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website press release, "Same Day"
Nov 5, 2013
Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018