BETTY CASTOR: Would have voted against the war resolution if she had known Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. Supports troops in Iraq until the nation is rebuilt but wants international help and more personnel.
MEL MARTINEZ: Would have voted for the war resolution. Supports troops staying in Iraq until nation is rebuilt. Opposes sending more troops in Iraq as costly and unnecessary.
Health Care:
CASTOR: Favors extending coverage to parents of children in Healthy Kids and similar programs to provide insurance for every family. Supports tax credits to small businesses that insure employees. Would spend $60-billion over a decade to insure 9.4-million people, paying for programs by repealing tax cuts for the wealthy and saving money by increasing preventive care and reducing medical errors.
MARTINEZ: Supports associated health plans to allow small businesses to band together to negotiate for lower rates. Supports private Medicare accounts, known as health savings accounts, for new workers.
Immigration:
CASTOR: Supports citizenship for working people who pay taxes. Supports expediting citizenship for legal immigrants serving on active duty in the military. Opposes new travel restrictions to Cuba.
MARTINEZ: Opposes amnesty and supports registration for illegal immigrants, but supports health benefits for them. Supports new travel restrictions to Cuba.
Education
CASTOR: Opposes No Child Left Behind federal law because she says it provides unrealistic and unnecessary teacher quality requirements and because it does not mesh with the state's A-plus plan, a similar grading system with different standards.
MARTINEZ: Supports the No Child Left Behind Act. Supports standardized testing of students and opposes union efforts to keep substandard teachers in classrooms.
Minimum wage
CASTOR: Supports state and federal efforts to raise minimum wage.
MARTINEZ: Opposes state and federal efforts to raise the minimum wage.
School vouchers:
CASTOR: Opposes vouchers.
MARTINEZ: Supports vouchers.
Abortion:
CASTOR: Supports abortion rights and a ban on partial-birth abortions, except in cases where the life or physical health of the mother is threatened.
MARTINEZ: Opposes abortion in all instances except to save the life of the mother, including cases of rape or incest. Supports ban on partial-birth abortion. Opposes taxpayer-funded abortion in the United States and overseas.
Assault weapons ban:
CASTOR: Supports.
MARTINEZ: Opposes.
Gay Marriage amendment:
CASTOR: Opposes a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Supports civil unions.
MARTINEZ: Supports amendment to ban gay marriage.
Caps On Lawsuit Damages
CASTOR: Opposes caps.
MARTINEZ: Supports a $500,000 cap on punitive damages in medical malpractice cases.
Stem Cell Research:
CASTOR: Supports increasing federal funding for stem cell research on embryos that would otherwise be discarded at fertility clinics.
MARTINEZ: Supports President Bush's policy of limiting stem cell research to the existing lines. Opposes the use of human embryos for stem cell research.
Patriot Act:
CASTOR: Supports Patriot Act but wants to revise the law to remove parts that may invade people's privacy and add stronger checks and balances to prevent violations of civil liberties.
MARTINEZ: Supports Patriot Act and would let courts interpret disputes over the law's effects on privacy rights.
