Because Senator Boxer answered our questions personally, we are quoting her answers directly, edited to fit our format.

• Started an after-school program in her children's school.

• Co-wrote the first law that provided permanent federal funding for after-school programs.

• Authored an after-school amendment to the No Child Left Behind Act to provide after-school services to 3.5 million students by the year 2007.

• Wrote a law to encourage businesses to donate computers to schools.

• Supports fully funding the No Child Left Behind law.

• Supports additional funding to ensure schools have the resources to teach children whose first language is not English.

• Spend less on federal education programs and give more to states as block grants to spend however they choose.

• Give our kids skills that will make them competitive in the job market.

• Increase funds for vocational training

• Repair school facilities.

• Supports raising the minimum wage.

• Supports providing good, affordable child care for infants and toddlers, as well as after-school and other education programs.

• Voted for the creation of the Child Tax Credit and supported increasing it and making it refundable for low-income families.

• Introduced legislation to allow parents who are owed child support to be able to deduct the unpaid child support from their federal income taxes.

• Authored the Invest in the USA Act to give businesses tax incentives to create good jobs here in America.

• Reduce regulations and taxes on businesses.

• Cut taxes for married couples.

• Help businesses pay soldiers on active duty the difference between their civilian. and military pay by providing them with a federal tax credit.

• Opposes gas tax increases.

CHILD CARE: How would you ensure that all working families have access to quality child care and all children have access to preschool learning opportunities?

• Has long supported increased federal funding for child care.

• Co-sponsored legislation to give a tax credit to encourage businesses to offer child care to their employees.

• This year, co-sponsored and voted for an amendment to provide an additional $6 billion over the next five years to provide child care to more low-income children and help families move off welfare.

• Authored the Early Education Act, which would begin providing our children with access to pre-kindergarten education.

• Strongly supports full funding for Head Start, Early Head Start, and other child development programs.

• No information available

• Strongly supports the law that created the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides low-income children with access to health care.

• Introduced the Health Insurance Tax Relief Act, which would make a portion of health care premiums fully tax deductible.

• Introduced legislation to allow all Americans to purchase the health care coverage offered to members of Congress.

• No information available

• Supports providing after-school programs to keep our kids out of trouble and help keep them moving in the right direction.

• Strongly supports the COPS and COPS in Schools programs that make sure there are enough police officers on the beat to keep our communities safe.
  

• Authored the Violence Against Children Act, which would increase the penalties for those who commit crimes against children and provide federal assistance to local authorities investigating these crimes.
  

• Supports renewal of the ban on the sale of assault weapons to keep these deadly weapons off our streets.
  

• Wrote a bill requiring child safety locks on all handguns sold in America.

• Helped pass the current "Three Strikes" law.

• Opposes current effort to limit the "Three Strikes" law (Prop. 66) to serious or violent crimes. "Letting those repeat offenders back onto the street is putting our families and children at a grave risk. In the past 10 years of "Three Strikes," California has seen its crime cut nearly in half with reductions in all categories. These crime drops, according to the US Department of Justice, have saved this state and its citizens over $28.5 billion dollars. The statistics speak for themselves. California's current 'Three Strikes' law works and should not be watered down."

• Supports mandatory sentences for violent and drug crimes.

• Fights for victims of crime.

• Instead of spending billions of dollars overseas, supports bringing the money home to fully fund education and health care and get our economy back on track.

• Says we need to stop giving tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest Americans.

• Fight for a more equal share of federal spending to keep federal dollars in California: "For every $1 sent by California taxpayers to Washington, we receive only 70 cents back in federal services and programs."

• Reduce regulations on businesses to encourage more of them to invest in California: "We need to continue tax reforms that provide long-term incentives for jobs investments."

• Cut federal taxes.