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Bill Weld

Former Governor, Massachusetts

Website

 

Opportunity
Justice
Democracy

Opportunity

Racial Wealth Gap

Bill Weld’s campaign platform does not address the racial wealth gap. However, on his “Meet Bill” page, he states: 

  • “Income inequality encompasses not just wage & wealth disparity, but differences in access to healthcare, parental leave, child care, quality education, and a host of other social goods that help each person reach his or her full potential.”

Affordable Housing

Bill Weld’s campaign platform does not address affordable housing. However, he has acknowledged America’s current housing crisis during a roundtable discussion hosted by the non-profit Housing Action NH in New Hampshire. He emphasized the government’s role in providing affordable housing: 

  • “The individual can never thrust into the corner—never thrusting the individual in a corner means the federal government has a role to play in ensuring that everyone has a place to call home.”

Access to High Quality Education

Bill Weld addresses his plans for accessing a high-quality education in his education policy plan. His plan will:

  • “Expand a public service loan forgiveness program, either deferring or reducing student loan payment obligations for those who teach in public schools for up to five years after graduation.”

  • Provide two years of free tuition at community college (& free tuition the last two years of tuition at a state college or university).

  • “Prioritize reducing the interest rate on federal student loans and extend scholarships for vocational training.”

  • “Exempt unpaid interest after three years until the borrower is earning 250 percent of the wage at the federal poverty line.” 

  • “Forgive the student debt after 240 monthly payments.”

Environmental Equity

Bill Weld does not address environmental equity in his campaign platform. However, he recently stated markets should decide climate policy:

  • “That’s letting the market decide about carbon — that’s a much more powerful engine than just saying I’m going to spend $10 trillion dollars to promote clean energy,” he added. “You don’t know if you’re going to get there.”

Health Equity

Bill Weld addresses health equity in his health care policy plan. He will

  • Simplify the FDA approval process.

  • “Reform the patent process for prescription drugs which allows pharmaceutical companies to prevent cheaper generic alternatives from coming to market.” 

  • “Allow Americans to purchase safe and low-cost prescription drugs from Canada and any other approved jurisdictions.”

  • Allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.

Transportation Access

Bill Weld’s campaign platform does not address transportation access.

Justice

Bail/Prison Reform 

Bill Weld addresses bail/prison reform in his “Criminal Justice Reform” plan. His plan will:

  • “Confront prison overcrowding.”

  • “End mandatory minimum sentencing.”

  • “Encourage bail reform.”

  • “Deschedule cannabis as a class one narcotic.”

  • “Reexamine civil asset forfeiture.”

  • “Release non-violent offenders convicted of minor possession of marijuana from prison.”

  • “Demilitarize police.”

Re-Entry Services

Bill Weld’s campaign platform does not include a plan for establishing re-entry services. However, in February 2019, he publicly commented on re-entry services:

“Congress should build on the recently passed First Step crime reform bill with bail reform and more funding for reentry programs.”

Ending Capital Punishment

Bill Weld has expressed that he is in favor of capital punishment. Weld recently suggested that President Trump committed ‘treason’ and discusses the consequences:

  • “It’s treason pure and simple, and the penalty for treason under the U.S. code is death. The penalty under the Constitution is removal from office, and that might look like a pretty good alternative to the president if he could work out a plea deal.”

Expanding Gun Safety Measures

Bill Weld addresses expanding gun safety measures in his “Firearms” plan. The plan will:

  • “Focus on gun safety courses, not gun ownership.”

  • “Support red flag laws to keep guns out of the hands of people with mental illness.” 

  • “Establish waiting periods for gun purchases.”

  • “Ban handgun sales to people under 21.”

Improving Police-Community Relations 

Bill Weld addresses improving police-community relations in his “Criminal Justice Reform” plan. His plan states: 

  • “The Justice Department should encourage community policing. We need to collect data on police shootings, including the circumstances and prevalence of these incidents. I would also encourage all police to get more involved in their communities – again, as many police departments already do.”

Democracy

Voting Rights

Bill Weld’s campaign platform does not address voting rights.

Access to Voter Registration

Bill Weld’s campaign platform does not address access to voter registration.

Gerrymandering

Bill Weld’s campaign platform does not address gerrymandering. However, he publicly commented on gerrymandering during a town hall meeting in New Hampshire:

  • “We should have independent commissions drawing the lines. I think having commissions is superior than having (redistricting) decided judicially.”

Census 2020

Bill Weld’s campaign platform does not include plans for the 2020 Census.