The Seattle Times asked gubernatorial candidates Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi to answer the questions below. The responses, submitted by their campaigns, have been edited for length and clarity. More on the candidates' positions is available on their Web sites: www.gregoire2004.com and www.dinorossi.com.

Higher education

State projections show the higher-education system needs to make room for more than 33,000 more students by 2010. Some have proposed allowing colleges and universities to raise undergraduate tuition as needed to increase access. Do you support that approach?

Gregoire: By any measure, our state is facing a higher-education capacity crisis. There are a number of approaches described in my plan. We will develop a tuition policy and give incentives to the business sector to invest in high-demand education slots. We will ensure students can graduate from our colleges and universities on time, creating space for others. We should explore the location of another four-year institution for our state. Working closely with the Higher Education Coordinating Board, we should explore new, more creative funding sources. Rossi: Yes, I support giving colleges and universities more flexibility in setting tuition. But the state must make sure tuitions don't rise so much that students are priced out of an affordable higher education.

Sales tax, teacher pay, class size

Do you support the League of Education Voters' initiative, I-884, which would increase the state sales tax by a penny to provide $1 billion annually for education?

Gregoire: I applaud the reforms and have concerns about the funding mechanisms. If passed, as governor I will ensure it is fully implemented and that all monies go to the purpose of the initiative.

Rossi: No, I do not support an increase in the state sales tax. Washington still has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, and our economy is struggling. The last thing the people of this state need is a tax hike.

Do you support restoring full funding for the teacher pay initiative, I-732 (approved in November 2000)? If so, how?

Gregoire: Voters clearly want funds for increased teacher pay. I think we all recognize that teaching has become an incredibly difficult profession. Because of these increased demands, we simply have to pay teachers what they're worth. We need to restore funding for this initiative.

Rossi: Yes. This initiative did not include a funding source, so because of our struggling economy and budget deficits, the state has been unable to provide full funding in recent years. Our first priority must be restoring Washington's economic health, improving the business climate and getting people back to work. Once our economy rebounds, we will have more funds to pay for priorities such as this.

Do you support restoring full funding for the class-size initiative, I-728 (approved in 2000)? If so, how?

Gregoire: The best way for teachers to teach and students to learn is to have manageable class sizes. Paraeducators have also become very valuable in the classroom and give students the kind of one-on-one attention that they need to learn. We need to restore funding for this initiative.

Rossi: Yes. This initiative did not include a funding source, so because of our struggling economy and budget deficits, the state has been unable to provide full funding in recent years. Our first priority must be restoring Washington's economic health, improving the business climate, and getting people back to work — once our economy rebounds, we will have more funds to pay for priorities such as this.

Transportation

The Legislature increased the gas tax by a nickel in 2003 to address some of the state's backlog of transportation projects. Do you support an additional increase in the gas tax to fund additional projects, such as replacing the Highway 520 bridge?

Gregoire: Transportation has a significant impact on our economy and quality of life. We need to have a policy of "fix it first, fix it right." Safety and maintenance must be a top priority. The nickel gas-tax increase was only a down payment. We must first show taxpayers that their nickel is bringing about projects that are completed on time and on budget. Next, we need to look to the future to determine the long-term solution to our transportation needs, including freight mobility, highways, bridges, ferries and rapid transportation.

Regarding megaprojects like the 520 bridge, Alaskan Way Viaduct or the two bridges leading to Portland, they need to be funded at the state and federal level with a partnership and not left to the local governments.

Rossi: I supported the Nickel Fund in 2003 because we must continue to invest in our transportation system. Obviously, as anyone who drives on our crowded roads knows, we have many more improvements to pay for. But we can't have additional gas-tax increases now — first, because of our weak economy and high unemployment rate; second, because state government has to prove to the people that it is spending current taxpayer dollars efficiently and effectively.

Should automobiles be banned from Washington beaches?

Gregoire: Due to safety and ecological concerns, I personally don't drive on beaches. However, I do not propose an outright ban on the practice right now.

Rossi: No. The people who live and work in our beach communities oppose a ban on beach driving. Most of Washington's coast is already closed to driving. Allowing cars to reach the beach in those remaining areas that are open is, for most citizens, especially our elderly and handicapped citizens, the only way they can access this wonderful part of our state.

Child, social and health services

What should be done to comply with the recent federal child-welfare audit, which found Washington's system was in the bottom third of the country?

Gregoire: The paramount duty of the DSHS Children's Administration must be the protection of our state's children. I'm encouraged by DSHS's plan, Kids Come First II, prepared in response to the federal audit. The plan recognizes the need for more timely responses to reports of child abuse and neglect, providing greater stability to children by reducing the number of multiple placements, involving family members in decisions about the placement of kids and offering more support for family caregivers and foster families.

Currently, the Children's Administration receives a disproportionately small amount of DSHS' total funding. Recent budget cutbacks have depleted much of our funding for prevention programs. As governor, I will work to ensure our children get the resources they need and deserve, and that we invest in prevention — the best way to stop child abuse before it starts.

Rossi: There are many good people who work at DSHS, but the agency itself has been plagued with problems that must be reformed. Child welfare is a major problem, as is care for the developmentally disabled, oversight of Medicaid dollars and other issues related to care for the vulnerable. As governor, I will put a high priority on state-agency reform, including top-to-bottom DSHS reform.

How would you reduce or eliminate the number of uninsured people?

Gregoire: Make insurance affordable for small business. We need to offer pooled purchasing for small business so they have the market power to be able to provide affordable health-care coverage for their employees.

Reduce the cost of prescription drugs. Washington should make the purchase of prescription drugs more affordable by joining with the five other states who have already begun pooling the purchase of pharmaceuticals.

Most of the uninsured today are employed or are a dependent of an employed family member. We need to find incentives for large business to provide quality health-care coverage and discourage large companies from sending their employees to the Basic Health Plan. Under my administration, when the state contracts for services, we should give preference to employers who provide health insurance to their employees and families.

The state's Basic Health Plan is a good model to bring affordable health insurance to those who otherwise cannot afford it. We should continue to use the tobacco-settlement money to support the plan annually, and where possible, restore the capacity that has been lost in recent years due to cuts.

Rossi: The number of uninsured and underinsured people in Washington is on the increase, yet the leaders in Olympia have done little to address this growing crisis. Premium costs are high, and choices are few.

Incredibly, Washington consumers only have a few insurers to choose from when picking an insurance plan. I believe the state has contributed to this crisis by imposing far too many mandates on the health-care system. For example, the state mandates that acupuncture be covered; mandates like these may be well-intentioned, but they have resulted in higher costs and fewer choices for consumers. It's no wonder there are so many uninsured and underinsured people when premium costs are so high — people simply cannot afford to buy health insurance.

My priority as governor will be to bring more insurers back to our state so consumers have more choices, and — through competition among insurers — lower costs. This is a high-priority issue for me — it is unacceptable that so many of our fellow citizens cannot afford quality health insurance.

Budget shortfall

The state is facing another budget shortfall during the next biennium that could top $1 billion. Will you support tax increases, budget cuts or a mix?

Gregoire: The best way to deal with budget shortfalls is to grow our economy. Right now, we have 200,000 people out of work and far too many without health insurance. The best way to increase revenues in our state is to get those people back to work.

We're also going to take a hard-nosed and long overdue look at some of the tax loopholes in our system. There are more than 430 tax exemptions on the books now, totaling more than $45 billion per biennium. They reduce state revenues by billions of dollars every budget period. For example, we need to ask the question: Do we really need to be exempting gold-bullion sales?

We need to continue the Priorities of Government and Price of Government project initiated two years ago, but we must involve the public in setting the priorities. The next step is to ensure accountability for all taxpayers dollars to ensure that services are delivered efficiently and effectively.

Rossi: I will not support tax increases in the next budget. During the 2003 legislative session, I served as chairman of the budget-writing Senate Ways & Means Committee. At that time, we had the largest dollar deficit in state history: $2.8 billion. I worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass a bipartisan budget that did not raise taxes and still protected funding for the most vulnerable, including the developmentally disabled, low-income seniors and the mentally ill. I proved that you can be a fiscal conservative and still have a social conscience.

State employees are in the midst of their first-ever contract negotiations with the state. Do you support giving pay raises to state employees? If so, are you willing to raise taxes if necessary to cover those raises?

Gregoire: State employees have sustained pay cuts for the past four years given that they received no pay raises and shouldered an increase in their health-care costs. Though it is too soon to tell what the economic picture will look like for 2005, pay raises for state employees must be a priority.

Rossi: We are projected to have a budget deficit of close to $1 billion during the 2005 legislative session. We also continue to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. At this point, I can't say whether the state could afford a pay raise to state employees, because so many people in Washington are suffering and without work right now.

Tax reform

The state's tax system has been called the most regressive in the nation. What would you do, if anything, to overhaul the state's tax structure?

Gregoire: With our state just coming out of a recession and over 200,000 Washingtonians out of work — and without health insurance — we should be talking about creating jobs and growing our economy. I have a detailed and comprehensive plan to do just that.

Rossi: If the question is, do you support a state income tax, my answer is no. A state income tax would hurt the people of Washington. And future legislatures would inevitably find ways to increase the burden on taxpayers.

Prescription drugs

Do you support allowing U.S. citizens to import prescription drugs from Canada or elsewhere?

Gregoire: I will lead the fight to give Washington residents the right to import prescription drugs from Canada, which would reduce costs by as much as 30 percent.

Rossi: Yes, as long as they meet our safety standards. Health and safety of the patient should be our first priority. I do not support price controls because I don't think they work. I support helping low-income people pay for their prescriptions.

Gambling

Do you support I-892 to expand gambling and use the proceeds to reduce property taxes?

Gregoire: Our state already offers ample opportunity for folks who want to gamble. I'm opposed to expanded gambling for the same reasons expressed by the law-enforcement community in our state.

Rossi: I am not supporting any initiatives this year. I believe it's time for a fresh start in Olympia. The reason we have had government by initiative in our state in recent years is an absence of leadership in Olympia — I will bring change and a new approach.

Unemployment insurance

Do you support the changes that Gov. Locke and the Legislature made to the unemployment-insurance system in 2003, or would you favor rolling back some of those changes?

Gregoire: The legislation made many of the changes with the stated goals of ensuring that the Boeing 7E7 would be built in our state. I remain committed to that goal. However, I believe we can restore benefits to the affected seasonal workers without jeopardizing our commitment to Boeing.

Rossi: I supported the 2003 changes. We should not roll back the reforms — they were, and continue to be, necessary to help improve our state's business climate.

Smoking ban

Do you support passing a state law to prohibit smoking in all public places, including restaurants and bars?

Gregoire: My No. 1 goal is to ban smoking in places where children 18 and under are allowed to be present. However, for the future health of our state, we should consider a ban on smoking in public places similar to California's, which bans smoking in restaurants and bars.

Rossi: Although I am not a smoker and don't like to be around smoke, I do not believe the state should pass such a ban.

Gay marriage

Do you support changing state law to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry?

Gregoire: We are in litigation on this issue right now in two counties. In my role as attorney general, I am defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Because of this, I can't express my personal opinion on the issue; indeed, I have already had my role in the case challenged by some legislators.

Rossi: No. I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. When I served in the state Senate, I voted for the Defense of Marriage Act. With that said, I am not making this an issue in my campaign.

Death penalty

The death penalty has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, as scores of death sentences have been overturned by federal courts. Several death-row inmates have been exonerated on the basis of new DNA evidence. Have any of these developments changed your views on the death penalty?

Gregoire: I support the death penalty as used here in Washington where prosecutors invoke it in only the most egregious cases.

Rossi: I believe the death penalty should be reserved for the worst criminal offenders.