Candidate Positions

Original source: http://brownback.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=175794

Original source: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/jan/31/brownback_its_time_tackle_global_warming/

On a day when the temperature didn’t reach double digits, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas called for reductions in greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

Speaking with reporters Tuesday, the Republican presidential candidate said most scientists agree that rising levels of carbon dioxide have caused a rise in global temperatures. Brownback said levels of carbon dioxide, or CO2, have increased since the industrial revolution but have risen more quickly in recent decades.

“It seems to me just prudent that we recognize we have climate increase and temperature change,” he said. “We have CO2 loading and we need to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.”
…..
Although Brownback said global temperatures had risen and climate change needed to be addressed, he declined to use the term “global warming.”

Original source: http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=17647

Refreshing breezes are difficult to come by on Capitol Hill in midsummer, but Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) created an invigorating stir in late June when he broached the idea of expanding the federally funded Washington, DC school voucher experiment.

The senator proposed lifting the $7,500 annual per-student cap on vouchers and allowing needy children to use their scholarships at private schools outside the District of Columbia.

Original source: http://www.brownback.com/s/Issues/tabid/60/Default.aspx

Gun Rights/Second Amendment
At the heart of the Bill of Rights is the Second Amendment. This Amendment guarantees an individual the right to keep and bear arms, which is essential, as the Amendment itself affirms, to “the security of a free state.” Restrictive gun control laws aimed at weakening this constitutional right are not the answer. Instead, it is important for the government to enforce criminal gun laws already on the books, for communities to stand against gun violence, and for parents to teach children about gun safety.

Original source: http://brownback.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=253170

Brownback Comments on Immigration Bill Passage
Four Brownback amendments included for doctors, nurses, and orphans

Monday, March 27, 2006

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today commented on the Judiciary Committee passage of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill, which has now been referred to the full Senate.

“I am pleased that we were able to report out a bill that makes positive strides toward a guest-worker program and strong enforcement at the border and on the employer,” Brownback stated. “Committee passage is a big step, but not the final step. Workable immigration reform is one of the biggest issues facing the country today and in the future, and we struck a good balance. We need to continue to work on this bill from the floor of the Senate to ensure that we don’t make the mistakes of the 1986 amnesty bill or the 1996 enforcement-only bill, which together led to an explosion of the illegal immigrant population.”

The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill combines border and employer enforcement provisions with a guest-worker program for future immigrants and provides undocumented immigrants currently in the United States with a path toward citizenship.

Brownback continued, “We have to be a nation of laws. We have to get to a system that is less complex and can be enforced not only at the border but across the whole nation. We must increase border security, and we must have workplace enforcement. We must also have a guest-worker program that will keep our farms working and our economy growing. We must do our part to protect the ‘huddled masses yearning to be free’ and at the same time keep the American dream attainable for those who work hard and obey the law.”

Original source: http://brownback.senate.gov/english/legissues/cultureoflife/stemcellresearch.cfm

Embryonic stem cell research is research in which a living human embryo is killed for the purpose of extracting its cells for laboratory testing.

Clearly, we must to continue to work to find cures for diseases, and to alleviate suffering. However, it has never been acceptable to deliberately kill one innocent human being in order to help another. Life begins at the beginning at conception. Human beings develop from the one-celled stage onward, and deserve respect because of the dignity they have as human beings.

Central to the debate on embryonic stem cell research is our view of the human embryo. The central question in this debate is simple: Is the human embryo a person or piece of property? It is alive. Is it a life? If life begins at conception then we must protect this innocent human life from harm and destruction.

It is important to note that there are alternative legitimate areas of research, which are showing more promise than destructive embryonic stem cell research – areas that do not create the moral and ethical difficulties.

One of the most promising scientific findings is in regard to new advances being made in adult stem cell research. Dr. Donald Orlic of the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland comments, “We are currently finding that these adult stem cells can function as well, perhaps even better than, embryonic stem cells.” I strongly support aggressive research with adult stem cells, and I have supported doubling the budget for the National Institutes of Health.

Original source: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-hopefuls-getting-more-time-to-weigh-stem-cell-vote-2005-10-25.html

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), another possible presidential contender, is a longtime critic of the House approach.

“The vote in the House to allow taxpayer-funded destruction of young human lives is deeply troubling,” Brownback said. “We all have a duty to protect the innocent, and this vote represents a failure to recognize the scientific fact that stem-cell research that destroys embryos kills young human children.”

Original source: http://www.brownback.com/s/Issues/tabid/60/Default.aspx#Life

Life is worthy of respect and protection from the moment of conception. I fear that our society has forgotten the value of human life. I believe every life has intrinsic meaning and purpose, and that the termination of life is taken too lightly in our country today. Abortion ends a human life. It destroys an individual who could have lived and participated in our society. Already, it has eliminated tens of millions of children. I believe we should strive to fully embrace a culture of life through our national politics. I will continue to fight to protect life at every stage. I hope that one day America will remember the value we once placed on human life.