Big issues face voters as election nears

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Education:

Wendy Davis
Wants pre-kindergarten to be expanded into a full-day program for people with low incomes, limited English or who are military dependents. Wants to restore funding cuts made in 2011, reduce the use of high-stakes achievement tests and let schools create their own accountability measures. Supported a bill that reduced the number of high school tests needed for graduation from 15 to five.

Greg Abbott
Proposes a $64 million increase for early-elementary reading and math instruction as well as $118 million to boost higher-performing pre-kindergarten. Wants to assign a letter grade for school’s academic performance and create a district to manage schools in the state that receive an F.

 

Borders:

Wendy Davis
Supported the surge of state troopers to the U.S.-Mexico border but opposed Gov. Rick Perry’s deployment of the National Guard there.

Greg Abbott
Supports the National Guard troops at the U.S.- Mexico border, proposed a nearly $300 million border security package and opposes driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants.

 

Health care:

Wendy Davis
Has cited studies showing additional money added to Texas’ health care sector would create as many as 300,000 new jobs. Filibustered a two-year state budget that cut spending on services to women from $112 million to $38 million.

Greg Abbott
Opposes the Affordable Care Act, thinks that Texas should try to get a block grant instead of expanding Medicaid. Proposed $50 million increase for women’s health programs, specifically to help low-income women ages 18 to 44 with breast or cervical cancer and an additional $3 million to treat women for post-partum depression.