Policy Positions

Policy Positions

“Positions” are reached by consensus of League members after much (sometimes years of) discussion and research. Therefore, they are not taken lightly. No one may speak for the League without adhering to the Positions.

POSITION: A statement of the League’s point of view on an issue, arrived at through member study and agreement (consensus or concurrence), approved by the appropriate board and used as a basis for League action.

Here is a summary of those positions, what is referred to as “Pocket Positions.” Any position which was established at the local level, rather than the US or MN level, has “Northfield” after its title.

An outline is given below to make navigation easier.

Introduction

The national, state, and local positions on issues include 60+ pages of history, background, instances of action, and further description of positions.

Hopefully, these pocket positions will lead you to look for the complete explanations of League positions. You can find these online:

National Positions

Minnesota Positions

LOCAL ACTION

  • League action addresses issues rather than candidates or political parties.
  • Only after research is done, consensus is reached and a position is formed can the League take action. In deciding to take action, the Board must consider whether the issue and the action falls within a relevant position and whether the position is consistent with state and national positions. Action may include:
  • developing public support for League positions
  • supporting specific measures and policies which promote a League position or opposing those which threaten it.
  • Members may act in the name of the League of Women Voters only when authorized to do so by the Board. They may act only in conformity with, and not contrary to, a position taken by LWV Northfield, LWV Minnesota and LWVUS.

The League of Women Voters believes in representative government and in the individual liberties established in the Constitution of the United States. We also believe:

OPEN MEETING LAWS

  • Democratic government depends upon the informed and active participation of its citizens and requires that governmental bodies protect the citizen’s right to know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, holding open meetings and making public records accessible. (More)

REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT

  • Every citizen should be protected in the right to vote; that every person should have access to free public education providing equal opportunity for all; and that no person or group should suffer legal, economic or administrative discrimination.
  • Efficient and economical government requires competent personnel, the clear assignment of responsibility, adequate financing and coordination among the different agencies and levels of government.
  • Responsible government should be responsive to the will of the people; should maintain an equitable and flexible system of taxation. (More)

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

  • Responsible government should adopt domestic policies that facilitate the solution of international problems.
  • Cooperation with other nations is essential in the search for solutions to world problems, and that the development of international organization and international law is imperative in the promotion of world peace. (More)

NATURAL RESOURCES

  • Responsible government should promote the conservation and development of natural resources in the public interest. (More)

SOCIAL POLICY

  • Responsible government should share in the solution of economic and social problems that effect the general welfare; promote a sound economy. (More)

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OPEN MEETING LAWS

Governmental bodies must protect the citizen’s right to know by:

  • giving adequate notice of proposed actions
  • holding open meetings and maintaining accessible records.

A good summary of Minnesota open meeting laws can be found at the following website: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/openmtg.pdf.

REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT

Every citizen has the right to vote; free public education and equal opportunity; and freedom from legal, economic or administrative discrimination.

INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES – US

  • Support individual liberties guaranteed by the US Constitution; oppose weakening or abridgment of these rights.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE – US

  • Improve methods of financing all federal primary and general election campaigns.
  • Ensure public right to know, combat corruption and undue influence, support equitable competition among candidates, and promote citizen participation in the political process.
  • This position may also be applied to state and local campaigns.

VOTING RIGHTS – US

  • Protect all citizens’ right to vote and encourage all citizens to vote.

EQUAL RIGHTS – US

  • Secure equal rights and equal opportunity for all regardless of sex.
  • Promote social and economic justice and the health and safety of all Americans.
  • Support ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and efforts to bring laws into compliance with the goals of the ERA.
  • To eliminate or amend those laws that have the effect of discriminating on the basis of sex
  • To promote laws that support the goals of the ERA
  • To strengthen the enforcement of such existing laws.
  • Support equal access to education, employment and housing.

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CITIZENS RIGHTS – MN

  • Support of improved election laws regulating election procedures.Support improved campaign practices regulation.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY – MN

  • Support policies to ensure equality of opportunity in employment, real property, public accommodations, education and other public services for all persons.
  • Support administrative enforcement of anti-discrimination laws.
  • Support state responsibility for and responsiveness to Indian citizens.

GOOD GOVERNMENT – US

  • Efficient and economical government requires:
  • Competent personnel
  • The clear assignment of responsibility
  • Adequate financing
  • Coordination among agencies and levels of government
  • Improve procedures for the Legislature and Executive Branches; an improved process for amending the Constitution; timely redistricting on population of congressional districts and of all elected state and local governmental bodies; bicameral state legislature.

INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM, RECALL – US

  • Continue legislative initiative and voter referendum on constitutional amendments.
  • Oppose most voter initiative, referendum and recall of legislative and state constitutional officers.
  • Oppose legislature and state constitutional officer term limits.

APPORTIONMENT – US & MN

  • Apportion congressional districts and legislative bodies at all levels on population.
  • Maintain US Supreme Court “population-apportionment” standard; avoid amendments to U.S. Constitution that consider factors other than population. But see also ”Voting Rights.” The Voting Rights position recognizes that the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act prohibit dilution of effective representation of minority citizens.

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APPOINTMENT PROCESS – MN

  • Promote an open appointment policy established by ordinance or resolution in local governments in order to encourage and insure as broad a spectrum as possible of interested citizens be appointed to commissions, boards, advisory committees, etc.
  • Supports:
  • Timely publicity about upcoming vacancies
  • A procedure for interested citizens to apply and state their qualifications
  • Access by the public and members of the elected body to the candidates’ applications
  • A policy of nondiscrimination against any applicant because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or economic status (November 1984)
  • Ten-day submission deadline before government body acts on them (April 1992).

ORGANIZATION OF GOVT – MN

  • Support open appointment policies in local governments to ensure wide-range of citizen participation on boards and advisory committees, including:
  • Timely publicity about upcoming vacancies
  • Simple application procedures for citizens to present their qualifications
  • Access to completed applications by public and entire elected body reviewing them
  • Nondiscrimination because of applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or economic status (November 1984)
  • Ten-day submission deadline before government body acts on them (April 1992)

JUDICIARY – US

  • Support a judicial system with the capacity to assure a speedy trial and equal justice for all.
  • Support present system of selection and retention of appellate and district judges with certain modifications.
  • Oppose allowing candidates to accept and use endorsement by political parties.

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE – US

  • Support a correctional system responsive to the needs of the individual offender and of society.
  • Support sentencing decisions based on circumstances in relation to the crime, the offender and the effect on public safety, made by the judge within legislative guidelines.

CORRECTIONS – MN

  • Support abolition of the death penalty; Oppose its reinstatement in Minnesota

FINANCING GOVT – US

  • Responsible government should be responsive to the will of the people and maintain an equitable tax system, which is:
  • understandable
    • flexible – allows future program changes
    • accomplishes its objectives
    • simple to administer
    • progressive, not proportional
    • has minimal tax preferences; no federal value-added or sales tax
    • Relies on broad-based income tax

FEDERAL DEFICIT – US

  • Reduce current federal deficit by limiting defense spending and increased revenue through a broad-based , progressive rates.
  • Improve efficiency and management.
  • Oppose across-the-board spending cuts.
  • Oppose a constitutionally mandated balanced budget.
  • Support deficit spending to stimulate the economy and meet social needs and defense needs in times of national security crises.
  • Oppose a federal budget line-item veto.

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FINANCING GOVERNMENT – MN

  • Support balanced and diversified revenue system with broad-based taxes and user fees.
  • Evaluate each revenue source to determine if competitive with other states, efficient, equitable, progressive, reliable, responsive and simple.
  • Support sales tax with exemptions for essential items.
  • Support of an equitable property tax to finance local governments and partially fund education.
  • Support corporation franchise tax competitive with other states.
  • Support achieving social goals through visible expenditures, not deductions, exclusions and credits.
  • Support state funding of legislative mandates.
  • Support long-term financial management.

GOVERNMENT SPENDING – US

  • Government should:
    • have responsible deficit policies
    • Provide mandatory, universal, old-age, survivors, disability and health insurance.
    • Promote the conservation and development of natural resources,
    • Share in the solution of economic and social problems that affect the general welfare,
    • Promote a sound economy and
    • Adopt domestic policies that facilitate the solution of international problems.
  • Oppose deficit reduction by reducing Social Security benefits.

STATE GOVERNMENT SPENDING – MN

  • Base spending decisions on both long-term vision and immediate concerns.
  • Support, in order of priority:
    • high-quality K-12 educational opportunities
    • provide basic health and human services
    • protect natural resources
    • encourage economic self-sufficiency
    • provide for public safety
    • provide high-quality post-secondary educational opportunities
    • and preserve open spaces
  • Support use of specific criteria to cut budget, i.e. curtail subsidies for sports teams and convention centers, maintain existing infrastructure, tax relief for low-income households and provide services to the most needy.

NORTHFIELD

  • Adhere to City Charter budget making and budget reinforcement (May 1974, revised April 1992)
  • Use generally accepted accounting procedures consistently.
  • Follow budgeting that weighs and communicates city priorities, and for immediate and long-term needs.
  • Include staff, advisory commissions, and citizens in the budget making process
  • Allow adequate time for staff and committee consultation and for public hearings on the proposed budget, before adoption.
  • Use budget form that intelligently evaluates of city operations, in a single document available to any citizen
  • Includes all budget revenues for operating fund, capital improvement fund, garbage, water, sewer, liquor store, debt retirement and investment funds (May 1974)
  • Adequate funding for the Public Library (May 1981)
  • The establishment and use by the City Council of the City of Northfield of written policies on the use of public monies for any development or redevelopment projects
  • Develop and use cost/benefit analysis and fiscal impact statements for major development projects (February 1988).
  • Support economically and environmentally sustainable residential development that builds neighborhoods (November 1997).
  • Encourage commercial industrial development which enhances quality of community life (November 1997).

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

NATURAL RESOURCES

NATURAL RESOURCES – US

  • Support UN Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol if world leaders fairly and equitably negotiate the committed participation of developing nations.

CLEAN AIR – US

  • Support federal air controls (even if they result in higher prices and taxes) on: industry; government installations; and fuels and motor vehicles.
  • Reduce vehicular pollution through emission controls and change in engine design.
  • Develop energy-efficient transportation systems.
  • Regulate and reduce stationary-source pollution.
  • Regulate and reduce ambient toxic-air pollutants.
  • Reduce ozone, acid-deposition and other trans-boundary air pollutants.

ENERGY – US

  • Establish US as a responsible member of the world community;
  • Reduce energy growth rates.
  • Use varied energy sources and energy-efficient technologies;
  • Promote environmentally sound use of energy resources by considering entire cycle of energy production;
  • Promote renewable resources;
  • Limit nuclear fission;
  • Encourage use of renewable resources/energy conservation by funding research and development, financial incentives, rate-setting policies and mandatory standards at;
  • Enact mandatory energy -conservation measures including thermal standards for building construction and new appliances
  • Uphold new-auto emission control requirements;
  • Encourage policies such as marginal cost or peak-loan pricing and demand-management to reduce energy demand;
  • Maintain oil and natural gas price deregulation;
  • Assist low-income individuals unduly burdened by energy policies.

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NUCLEAR ENERGY – US

  • Oppose increased reliance on nuclear fission but recognizes its place in energy mix. To achieve this objective, State and Local Leagues may:
  • Oppose licensing for construction of nuclear power plants on the basis of the national position.
  • Oppose licensing of plants now under construction on a case-by-case basis, after considering need for power and available alternatives, and after notifying the LWVUS Board.
  • Support licensing for construction of nuclear power plants only in special cases and only with prior permission from LWVUS Board.
  • Work toward closing of operating nuclear power plants because of health/ problems with prior permission from the LWVUS Board.

ENERGY – MN

  • Use alternative energy sources and examine laws – federal, state and local – that limit energy conservation and use of alternative energy sources (May 1978)
  • Protect and manage natural resources in the public interest.

SOLID WASTE – US

  • Promote policies reducing the generation of waste;
  • Promote the reuse and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes.

SOLID WASTE – MN

  • Support measures to reduce generation of solid waste and ensure safe treatment, storage and disposal of all wastes.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT – US

  • Reduce and promote reuse and recycling of solid and hazardous waste;
  • Ensure safe treatment, transportation, storage and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes to protect public health and air, water and land resources;
  • Promote policies that recognize solid and hazardous waste as potential resources;
  • Promote policies to manage high- and low-level radioactive wastes to protect public health, and air, water and land resources;
  • Establish processes to involve citizens and state and local governments in siting proposals for treatment, storage, disposal and transportation of radioactive wastes;
  • Require full environmental review of treatment, storage and disposal facilities for radioactive wastes;
  • Require safe transport, storage and disposal of radioactive wastes.
  • Regulate pollution sources by control and penalties;
  • Inspect and monitor waste sites
  • Require full disclosure of pollution data;
  • Accelerate pollution control incentives;
  • Vigorously sanction and fine non-compliant states and localities.

RESOURCE MGMT – US

  • Manage Natural Resources as interrelated parts of life-supporting ecosystems
  • Support comprehensive long-range planning that requires:
  • Collection of adequate data and a framework and consideration of alternatives;
  • Consideration of environmental, social and economic impact of alternatives;
  • Balancing of private property rights with public health and environmental protection;
  • Coordination of the federal government’s responsibilities and activities;
  • Resolution of governmental agency policy inconsistencies and conflicts at all levels;
  • Regional, interregional and/ or international cooperation when appropriate;
  • Facilitation of coordinated planning/administration among government agencies and between agencies and the private sector;
  • Procedures for resolving disputes;
  • Procedures for mitigation of adverse impacts;
  • Accountability of each level of government for resources entrusted to them;
  • Special consideration for the protection of areas of critical environmental concern, natural hazards, historical importance and aesthetic value;
  • Special attention to maintaining and improving the environmental quality of urban communities.
  • Promote conservation, stewardship and long-range planning through shared management of natural resources by all levels of government.
  • Recognize land as a finite resource not as a commodity and that land ownership, whether public or private, requires land stewardship;
  • Support land-use planning that reflects conservation and prudent management of resources, and identify and regulate critical areas, including:
  • Fragile areas such as shorelands, estuaries, wetlands and deserts; rare or valuable ecosystems and geological formations; significant wildlife habitats; and unique scenic or historic areas;
  • Renewable resource lands such as watersheds, aquifers and aquifer-recharge areas, agricultural and grazing lands, forest lands);
  • Natural hazard lands such as floodplains, active seismic/ volcanic areas, and geologically unstable areas.
  • Reclaim lands damaged by surface mining, waste disposal, overgrazing, timber harvesting, farming and other activities;
  • Acquire land for public use;
  • Identify, regulate and review areas impacted by public or private investment where siting results in secondary environmental and socioeconomic impacts.
  • Support review of federally funded projects at all government levels;
  • Support conformity of federal and state land resource action, particularly where state standards are more stringent.

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND POLLUTION CONTROL – US

  • Preserve the physical, chemical and biological integrity of the ecosystem, with maximum protection of public health and the environment.

WATER RESOURCES – US

  • Support measures to reduce pollution in order to protect surface water, groundwater and drinking water by increasing citizen awareness.
  • Encourage water resource programs and policies that address the potential depletion or pollution of water supplies;
  • Support measures reducing water pollution from direct and indirect non point source discharges;
  • Encourage water quality policies to maintain diverse species for multiple types of bodies of water:
  • Support stringent controls protecting the quality of current and potential drinking water supplies, including protection of watersheds.
  • Increase citizen awareness of the importance of protecting groundwater supplies by:
  • Support water resource programs and policies reflecting the interrelationships of water quality and quantity and the potential depletion or pollution of water supplies;
  • Promote measures reducing water pollution from direct point-source discharges and from indirect non point sources;
  • Encourage policies to achieve water quality for maintaining species populations and diversity in all types of bodies of water:
  • Support stringent controls to protect the quality of current and potential drinking-water supplies.

WATER RESOURCES – MN

  • Support state role in the preservation and management of Minnesota’s water resources through protection, allocation, conservation, pricing and inter-basin transfer policies protective of Minnesota’s current and future needs.

AIR QUALITY – US

  • Promote measures to reduce pollution from mobile and stationary sources.

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AIR QUALITY – MN

  • Support measures reducing air pollution from vehicular and stationary sources.

LAND USE – PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – US

  • Promote the importance of public understanding and participation in decision making in the management of our natural resources.

LAND USE – MN

  • Support an overall land use plan with maximum cooperation and implementation at the regional and local levels with state help in developing and exercising land use management,
  • Opportunity for maximum local decision making with regional planning and regulation for matters of more than local concern.

AGRICULTURAL POLICY – US

  • Support federal agriculture policies that promote adequate supplies of food and fiber at reasonable prices to consumers, economically viable farms, environmentally sound farm practices
  • Support increased reliance on the free market to determine prices.

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RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT – US

  • Support agricultural research, development and technical assistance should as a major federal function.
  • Promote targeting of resources for the purpose of developing sustainable agricultural practices, including addressing the needs of mid-size farms.

AGRICULTURAL PRICES – US

  • Support the preference of an increasing reliance on the free market to determine the price of agricultural commodities and the production decisions of farmers over traditional price support mechanisms.
  • Promote adequate supplies of food and fiber at reasonable prices to consumers, economically viable farms, environmentally sound farm practices and increased reliance on the free market.

AGRICULTURE/TRADE – US

  • Support U.S. efforts to be directed toward expanding export markets for our agricultural products while minimizing negative effects on developing nations’ economies.
  • Promote multilateral trade negotiations be used to reduce other countries’ barriers and/or subsidies protecting their agricultural products.

FARM CREDIT – US

  • Support access to federally provided credit with reasonable terms and conditions for farmers.
  • Encourage sustainable agriculture;
  • Provide research, information and technical assistance to agricultural producers.
  • Increase reliance on the free market to determine prices that would result in weapons systems that are vulnerable or increase incentives to attack first.

AGRICULTURE – MN

  • Support of a system of sustainable agricultural production which provides safe, healthy food and preserves and protects the state’s human and natural agricultural resources and the environment.
  • Promote stewardship to preserve and protect the country’s human and natural agricultural resources.
  • Support policies which promote research and technical assistance in farming practices and rural economies that improve the economic viability of family farms, environmental health and the quality of life of family farmers and their communities.

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SOCIAL POLICY

EDUCATION – US

  • Support the federal government shared responsibility with other levels of government to provide equality of opportunity for education, employment and housing for all persons in the United States regardless of their race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation or disability.
  • Support federal programs to increase the education and training of disadvantaged people.
  • Support federal efforts to prevent and/or remove discrimination in education, employment and housing to help communities bring about racial integration of their school systems.
  • Promote a commitment to racial integration of schools as a necessary condition for equal access to education by opposing anti-busing/anti-desegregation, anti-spending riders and the recurring anti-busing constitutional amendment initiatives in Congress.
  • Promote adherence to existing national laws peacefully building coalitions, running rumor-control centers, sometimes going to court to get compliance.

EDUCATION FINANCING – US

  • Supports programs in basic education, occupational education and retraining when needed at any point of an individual’s working career.
  • Supports expanded opportunities in apprenticeship and on-the-job training programs.
  • Supports child-care centers for preschool children to give parents the opportunity for employment.
  • Supports greatly increased educational opportunity through compensatory programs for disadvantaged groups beginning at the preschool level and extending through secondary education.
  • Supports federal financial aid to help needy students remain in high school and to take advantage of post-high school training and education.
  • Supports regional approach to problems of economically depressed areas that cuts across state lines. This approach can be handled administratively by such means as interstate cooperation or more formal interstate compacts or commissions made up of representatives of state and federal governments. Development programs should reflect the needs of the particular area and can include such measures as:
  • Provision of education and training for available jobs, encouragement of new industry in the area, development and conservation of natural resources and the building of public facilities.
  • Programs that would inform individuals of their civil rights in education, employment and housing, and of the opportunities open to them.
  • Full use of mediation and conciliation in efforts to bring about integration of minority groups into full participation in community life.
  • Creation of a federal clearing-house for the exchange of information on solutions communities have found to problems of integration in employment, education and housing.
  • Programs to bring about effective integration of schools through federal technical assistance such as training programs and institutes for teachers and school administrators.
  • Withholding federal funds from school districts that fail to meet realistic and effective guidelines and standards for school integration.
  • Withholding government contracts from businesses and industries that discriminate in employment.
  • An effective federal fair employment practices agency.
  • In evaluating federal programs that have been, or will be, established to provide equality of opportunity for education and employment, the League will support those programs that largely fulfill the following criteria:
  • The nationwide effort to achieve equality of opportunity in education and employment should include participation of government at all levels and encourage the participation of private institutions.
  • Programs should be carefully tailored to the educational or employment needs of the people they are intended to reach.
  • People for whom community action programs are designed should be involved in the planning and implementation of those programs.
  • The programs should be carried out by personnel competent to meet the specific requirements of their jobs.
  • Programs should assist people to become self-supporting, contributing members of society.
  • The programs should be nondiscriminatory with provisions for enforcement.
  • Research, pilot projects and continuing evaluation should be encouraged and, where feasible, built into programs.
  • Programs may be closely related but should avoid unnecessary duplication.
  • State and local governments should contribute to the extent their resources permit; at the same time, adequate federal funds for the establishment and continuation of programs should be available if necessary.

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FINANCING SCHOOLS – MN

  • Support adequate funding of the school system to assure high quality in education and equality of opportunity (May 1978)
  • Support equal access to a good public education for all Minnesota children with adequate State level funding at a level that makes programs of comparable substance and quality available to all.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION – MN:

  • Support increased state responsibility in creating equal public educational opportunities for all Minnesota children through measures to correct racial imbalance and ensuring adequate financing of public schools.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND TENURE – MN

  • Support improvements in the collective bargaining and tenure laws of the state as they apply to K-12 teachers only.

LIBRARY FUNDING – MN

  • Support increased and restructured funding for public libraries.

HEALTH CARE – EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY – US

  • Promote a health care system for the United States that provides access to a basic level of quality care for all U.S. residents and controls health care costs.
  • Promote full access to all types of health care: preventive, primary, maternal and child health care; emergency and catastrophic care; nursing home care and mental health care; substance abuse programs; health and sex education programs; and nutrition programs.

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HEALTH CARE – EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY – MN

  • Support programs and policies to prevent or reduce poverty and to promote self-sufficiency for individuals and families.
  • Support income assistance programs, based on need, that provide decent, adequate standards for food, clothing and shelter.
  • Provide for essential support services.

HEALTH CARE – US

  • Support a basic level of quality health care at an affordable cost for all U.S. residents;
  • Equitable distribution of services;
  • Efficient and economical delivery of care;
  • Advancement of medical research and technology;
  • Reasonable total national expenditure level for health care.
  • Support a national health insurance plan financed through general taxes in place of individual insurance premiums, providing universal access and administered by a combination of the private and public sectors or by a combination of federal, state and/or regional government agencies.
  • Oppose a strictly private market-based model of financing the health care system.
  • Oppose the administration of the health care system solely by the private sector or the states.
  • Support increased taxes to finance a basic level of health care for all U.S. residents, provided health care reforms contain effective cost control strategies.

HEALTH CARE – COST CONTROL – US

  • Support an efficient and economical delivery of care by:
  • Reducing administrative costs,
  • Regional planning for the allocation of personnel, facilities and equipment,
  • Establishing maximum levels of public reimbursement to providers,
  • Supporting malpractice reform,
  • Use of managed care,
  • Utilization review of treatment,
  • Mandatory second opinions before surgery or extensive treatment,
  • Consumer accountability through deductibles

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HEALTH CARE – EQUITY ISSUES – US

  • Support equitably distributed health care by:
  • Allocating medical resources to under-served areas;
  • Providing for training health care professionals in needed fields of care;
  • Standardizing basic levels of service for publicly funded health care programs;
  • Requiring insurance plans to use community rating instead of experience rating;
  • Establishing insurance pools for small businesses and organizations.

HEALTH CARE – ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES – US

  • Promote the allocation of limited health care resources for patients not based on the ability of the patients to pay, but rather based on all of the following criteria:
  • Urgency of the medical condition,
  • Life expectancy of the patient,
  • Expected outcome of the treatment,
  • Cost of the procedure and duration of care,
  • Quality of life of the patient after treatment, and the wishes of the patient and the family.

MEETING BASIC HUMAN NEEDS – US

  • Promote self-sufficiency for individuals and families through effective social programs designed to prevent or reduce poverty.
  • Support the right to an income and/or services sufficient to meet basic needs for food, shelter and access to health care for persons who are unable to work, whose earnings are inadequate or for whom jobs are not available.
  • Support setting minimum, uniform standards and guidelines for social welfare programs at the national level
  • Support the premise that federal government bear primary responsibility for:
  • Financing programs designed to help meet the basic needs of individuals
  • Financing income assistance programs
  • Support state and local governments, and the private sector, in their role to finance food, housing and health care programs
  • Support policies and programs designed to prevent and reduce poverty:
  • increase job opportunities and access to health insurance;
  • Provide support services such as child care and transportation;
  • Provide opportunities and/or incentives for basic or remedial education and job training;
  • Support a decrease in teen pregnancy;
  • Support initiative to ensure that non-custodial parents contribute to the support of their children.

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INCOME ASSISTANCE – US

  • The following protections are guaranteed to the participants:
    • job training;
    • basic education;
    • exemptions for primary care givers;
    • supplemental support services such as child care and transportation;
    • equitable compensation to ensure that program participants earn the same wages and benefits as other employees performing similar work;
    • a disregard of some earned income for purposes of calculating benefit levels.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE – US

  • Support national urban policies committed helping cities to establish policies that:
  • Target community development programs for cities most in need.
  • Support financial incentives to help business locate or expand in distressed cities such as investment tax credits, loan guarantees, subsidies for hiring the long-term unemployed.
  • Support the expansion of middle-income housing while not diminishing attention to low-income housing needs.
  • Target federal purchasing and location of federal facilities in distressed cities.

HOUSING – US

  • Support policies to provide a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family.

HOUSING – MN

  • The public and private sectors should work together to ensure that everyone has access to adequate, decent, affordable housing.
  • Support an active state role in providing long-term decent and affordable housing for very low-, low-, and moderate-income households.
  • Support incentives to local units of government to promote a mix of housing opportunities.
  • Support disincentives to local units of government that do not promote a mix of housing opportunities;
  • Support revision of the tax system to narrow the tax disparity between rental and owner-occupied residential property; reduction of the tax rate on rental property available to very low-, low-, and moderate-income households; encouragement of maintenance of rental property available to very low-, low-, and moderate-income households.

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HOUSING – NORTHFIELD

  • Support a full range of housing opportunities (November 1997)
  • Support more adequate, efficient and equitable means of meeting human needs in Rice County
  • Support the reactivation of the Rice County Social Services Advisory Board (May 1978, April 1985)

FAMILY VIOLENCE – MN

  • Support improved procedures for agencies dealing with family violence; support for improved services for the victims.

CHILD SUPPORT – MN

  • Support stricter enforcement of court-ordered child support payments.

CHILD PROTECTION – MN

  • Support adequate staffing and resources for child protection services

EARLY INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN AT RISK – US

  • Supports policies and that promote the well being, encourage the full development and ensure the safety of all children. These include:
    • child abuse/neglect prevention;
    • teen pregnancy prevention;
    • quality health care, including nutrition and prenatal care;
    • early childhood education;
    • developmental services, emphasizing children ages 0-3;
    • family support services;
    • violence prevention.

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VIOLENCE PREVENTION – US

  • Support violence prevention programs in communities.

GUN CONTROL – MN

  • Restrict sale, possession and use of firearms by private parties.
  • Oppose MN Constitutional amendment giving individuals the right to bear arms.
  • Support additional municipal restriction of ownership/possession of firearms and ammunition.

CHILD HEALTH – US

  • Support programs and policies to expand the supply of affordable, quality child care for all who need it.

CHILD HEALTH – MN

  • Support access to comprehensive pre-natal and child health care.

CHILD CARE – MN

  • Support coordinated public policies and funding to ensure safe, affordable, quality child care throughout the state.

TEEN PREGNANCY – MN

  • Support prevention efforts to lower the rate of teenage pregnancy.

MENTAL HEALTH – MN

  • Support a comprehensive and coordinated system of programs and services for mentally ill adults and emotionally disturbed children and adolescents with priority given to persons with serious and persistent mental illness and/or acute mental illness.
  • Support sustainable Minnesota public policy and funding an array of community-based services to be made accessible to persons with mental illness.

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