How did Charlie Crist, Nan Rich and Rick Scott respond to the Catholic Bishops candidate questionnaire?

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops is the nonpartisan public policy voice of the Catholic Church in the sunshine state. The Florida Conference has released its Candidate Questionnaire Project responses from those running for Governor, U.S. Congress and the state legislature.

The deadline for primary candidate responses was Tuesday, July 29, 2014 for the Primary Election and is Tuesday, October 7, 2014 for the General Election. How did Charlie Crist, Nan Rich and Rick Scott respond to the Catholic Bishops?

Charlie Crist did not respond. However, Nan Rich and Rick Scott did provide responses with comments. It is useful to understand where these candidates stand on issues of importance to the Catholic Church in Florida as public policy has had and will have great impact on the Catholic Church and its institutions.

Here are the replies from Nan Rich and Rick Scott to the questions asked by the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops:

DO YOU SUPPORT OR OPPOSE?

ABORTION WAITING PERIOD: Requiring a 24-hour waiting period before obtaining an abortion?

NAN RICH

OPPOSE
Candidate Comments: I oppose requirements that impose mandatory, medically unnecessary delays on women before they can access reproductive health services.

RICK SCOTT

SUPPORT

COVERING THE UNINSURED: Using federal and state funds to decrease the percentage of uninsured Floridians by at least 50 percent?

NAN RICH

SUPPORT

RICK SCOTT

NO RESPONSE
Candidate Comments: With the historic reforms we made, our Medicaid system is better off today than it was before we took office. We received a waiver from the federal government to make our system more accessible and affordable to low income people who most need access to high quality medical care. 

Some states have chosen to spend MILLIONS of taxpayer money to grow their Medicaid program even more, however I have consistently said that Florida would only expand Medicaid if it did NOT cost taxpayers. It would be wrong to make promises to provide care that the state could ultimately not afford or sustain.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: Restoring funding for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program (VPK) by increasing the per-pupil scholarship amounts to the 2009-2010 school year levels?

NAN RICH

SUPPORT

RICK SCOTT

SUPPORT

FREEDOM TO SERVE: Allowing individuals and organizations the freedom to serve the public in accord with moral or religious beliefs concerning the sanctity of life and marriage?

NAN RICH

OPPOSE
Candidate Comments: I don’t believe employers should be able to impose their religious beliefs on their employees.

RICK SCOTT

SUPPORT

JUVENILE INDICTMENT MINIMUM: Establishing a minimum age at which a child can be tried as an adult?

NAN RICH

SUPPORT

RICK SCOTT

NO RESPONSE
Candidate Comments: I believe the law should allow for discretion depending on the severity of the crime.

PARENTAL EMPOWERMENT: Allowing parents to designate an approved percentage of the State’s per-pupil funding for each school-age child that can go toward tutoring, dual enrollment, prepaid college, virtual schooling, and nonpublic school tuition?

NAN RICH

OPPOSE

RICK SCOTT

NO RESPONSE
Candidate Comments: I believe parents know what’s best for their child’s education. I continue to support school choice, so that all of Florida’s children have a greater opportunity for a quality education that best meets their needs. Specifically I support the John McKay scholarship program for our students with disabilities and our Florida tax credit scholarship program that provides funding for scholarships to eligible children of families that have limited resources.

UNANIMOUS JURY FOR A DEATH SENTENCE: After unanimously determining guilt, requiring a unanimous jury recommendation to sentence someone to death rather than the current 7-5 simple majority?

NAN RICH

SUPPORT

RICK SCOTT

OPPOSE

WAGE THEFT RESOLUTION: Preserving the opportunity for local governments to establish mechanisms to resolve wage theft disputes?

NAN RICH

SUPPORT

RICK SCOTT

NO RESPONSE
Candidate Comments: It is appropriate for local governments to establish, if they see fit, the mechanisms for resolving wage theft disputes. However, I remain open to supporting efforts to streamline the procedures so that employers throughout the state are not subject to a patchwork of varying regulations – which would create additional financial burdens for job creators

To view all responses received by the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops Candidate Questionnaire Project go here.

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