Weekly Report Archive
September 1, 2008
The General Assembly returned to Raleigh last Wednesday for a special session to consider a bill vetoed by Gov. Easley. The bill (H2167) would allow people to haul some boats without permits and to expand the times when the boats could be moved. I voted to override the veto for economic reasons especially for many of our eastern and coastal counties. In the end, both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted overwhelmingly to override the governor’s veto, clearing the way for the bill to become law. Gov. Easley is the first governor in state history to use the veto and he has vetoed nine bills while in office. This was the first time in state history the General Assembly has overridden a veto.
This week, I also wanted to share some information with you about how the General Assembly continues to work for the future of this state. I believe we can all agree that education is one of the surest long-term investments we can make for the people of North Carolina and if you’ve ever heard me speak then you know just how strongly I believe in and support education... There is clear and convincing evidence to show that on the whole better educated people earn more and give more back to their society. We need to make certain that everyone in this state who has the ability and interest in attending college can afford to do so and that once they’re there they receive the best education we can give them.
Over the years, we have made substantial investments in the UNC system and the university’s appropriation this fiscal year is nearly $2.7 billion. I want to share a few of the ways over the past biennium we have tried to make college more accessible and more affordable while also improving the quality of our universities. We also gave the system $15 million to use toward campus safety improvements.
I welcome any of your thoughts and comments about my work for you. Please feel free to call or write if you have a concern.
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August 25, 2008
Our state’s community colleges are a vital link between education, business and government. They have been given a complex mission to provide high-school equivalency courses, worker training for new industries and for laid-off workers, technical education and college-level instruction. The leaders of our 58 institutions have handled their wide-ranging task with great skill and helped North Carolina create one of the foremost community college systems in the nation. You’ve heard me say many times I am a strong supporter of our community college system. Sylvia has her AA from a community college so I have first hand knowledge of the important role our community colleges play. We are blessed to have Wilkes CC and Caldwell CC serving us here in the high country.
While I’ve been in Raleigh, I’ve continued to be a strong supporter of the community college system and during this term, my colleagues and I have worked to provide these schools with more of the resources they need. Their total state budget is now nearly $1 billion and this week I want to highlight some of the ways we’ve enhanced their programs.
Please contact me if I can be of assistance or can provide any additional information. Thank you for your interest and support.
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August 18, 2008
Education remains one of the main priorities of government in North Carolina and this year, even as we faced challenges in our economy, the General Assembly continued its strong investment in public schools. As I have reported in previous weekly reports, education is a priority for me. I currently serve on the Education Committee, Education Appropriations Committee and Vice Chair of the Education Committee on Universities.
More than half of the state’s budget is spent on K-12 education, community colleges and public universities. Most of that money – $7.8 billion in this fiscal year – is spent on public schools. Our investment in this area pays off in a number of ways as more students graduate from high school and go to college and beyond. This year, we expanded our investment in a new dropout prevention program and in the states acclaimed More at Four preschool program, created a teacher mentoring program and continued to look for ways to improve technology. I will explain some of these programs in a little more detail below. The list is not comprehensive, but should give you an idea of how we value education.
Thank you as always for your interest in state government and please let me know if I can be of any service. I look forward to continuing to work with you to best serve the people of our district.
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August 11, 2008
While our economy in North Carolina remains fairly solid compared with much of the nation, parts of our state and some sectors of our industry have been challenged in recent months by financial pressures. Frankly, if the economy doesn’t improve the 09 General Assembly will face some serious challenges. The struggles of the mortgage industry have been particularly difficult for many people at risk of losing their homes. High gas prices and big increases at the grocery store are making it tough for many of our families.
This session, my colleagues and I made it a priority to help families make ends meet by protecting homeowners, expanding job opportunities and increasing incomes. This was an area of vital importance for everyone in this state and I’m pleased that we addressed these concerns in a number of ways. I have outlined some of the major initiatives in this newsletter and I know that we will return next session prepared to continue working to protect the economy and jobs of this state in whatever way we can.
Thank you as always for your interest in state government and please let me know if I can be of any service. I look forward to continuing to work with you to best serve the people of our district.
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August 4, 2008
This week I want to highlight some of the bills we passed this session dealing with the environment. As a member of and Vice Chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources committee it’s something I’m very interested in and committed to. Those of us living in the high country should all be concerned about clean air and water and protecting our beautiful mountains.
Gov. Mike Easley has signed into law a bill that is expected to help our state better manage its water resources, particularly during times of drought. The bill is one of several items from this session intended to help the state protect our natural resources and our environment. We also continued our efforts to protect clean water and preserve open space and farmland. These initiatives are particularly important as our state grows and there is increasing development pressure.
Thank you for your support over this past session and in the months ahead. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact my office or call me at home, 828-295-3353.
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July 28, 2008
I’m proud of what we accomplished in the short session. In this report, I want to update you on some of those accomplishments.
Thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me.
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July 21, 2008
Well, it’s over. Gov. Easley signed the state budget bill into law, clearing the way for the General Assembly to adjourn last Friday. We completed the session by approving important legislation on a number of matters, including drought, mortgage foreclosures, driver’s licenses, ethics, election reform and anti-gang legislation. This newsletter includes a description of some of these major items we addressed and I’ll be sharing more information with you in the weeks to come.
I am now at home in the District. Please feel free to call me at 828-295-3353 if I can be of any help to you.
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July 14, 2008
As expected, we voted on and approved the budget last week. It now awaits the signature of Gov. Mike Easley.
This budget, $21.4 billion, reflects our continued commitment to better education, accessible, affordable healthcare and an improved economy. We also invested in public safety, the military and our environment. It’s a budget that does a lot to help people make ends meet without raising any taxes in these challenging economic times. I’ve included some details of the plan below. You can also view the entire documents by visiting www.ncleg.net.
This week, we will handle the last pieces of legislation we’ll consider this session and then adjourn, hopefully at the end of this week.
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July 7, 2008
Budget negotiators finished their work late last Thursday. We are voting this week on the budget. While I certainly would have liked to do more for our state employees, teachers and retirees, I think we did the best we could with the amount of money we had to work with. I expect we’ll adjourn perhaps as early as next week now that the budget is done. I’ll have more to say about the specifics of the budget in next weeks report.
We continue to move important legislation. Last week, the House approved a nine-month moratorium on involuntary annexation and made changes to improve our education system.
If you have any questions about the work of the General Assembly or if I can help in any way, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your interest in state government and I hope all of you had an enjoyable Fourth of July. Sylvia and I had all our children and grandchildren here. The grandchildren and I did the Boone and Blowing Rock parades, plus we were at the Christmas in July celebration in West Jefferson.
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June 30, 2008
Budget talks gained momentum last week as negotiators met over the weekend and for several hours each day to work toward a compromise. They have reached a general agreement on salaries and many other items already and continue to work toward a quick resolution. They plan to have the final deal ready soon. Maybe next week I’ll be able to share some specific details.
While these talks continue, the House has continued to work on issues important to the people in our communities, such as annexation, health and education. We will continue to work on these vital matters as we wrap up this session and I look forward to returning home full-time soon. I’m saying by July 11th. We’ll see.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. I would be pleased to assist you in any way.
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June 23, 2008
The Senate approved its version of the state budget last Thursday, clearing the way for negotiations on a final version to begin. Like the House, the Senate budget focuses on education, health care and bolstering the state’s economy. Both plans offer pay raises of 3 percent for teachers and 2.75 percent or $1,100, whichever is greater, for state employees and a 2.2% COLA for our state retirees.. Both proposals also set aside $50 million for tax credits, but differ in how the money would be used. Negotiators from each chamber were appointed and discussions to work out the differences got underway. The Speaker appointed me to the Education Conference Committee. We started immediately meeting with our Senate colleagues to work out our differences. Each chamber will have to approve the compromise before sending it to Gov. Mike Easley for his approval. The goal is to have a budget both Houses and the Governor can agree on by the end of the month. We’ll see.
We continue to work on important changes in our laws that will make our communities and our children safer. The House passed several of those changes last week and I will share more information about them with you.
If you would like information about anything else or if I can be of help to you, please let me know. Thank you as always for your interest in state government.
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June 16, 2008
Now that the House of Representatives has sent its budget proposal to the Senate, my colleagues and I have been considering other policy matters, both in our committees and on the House floor. This week, we addressed issues of public safety, health, transportation and local governance, among other matters.
The Senate is expected to complete its proposed budget soon (perhaps as early as this week) and then a conference committee comprised of members of both chambers will negotiate a final proposal to present to the governor. I’m hopeful we’ll have a final budget by the end of June.
As always, if you have any questions about these matters, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your interest in state government and the opportunity to represent you.
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June 9, 2008
Last week, I was able to share with you some of my goals for this session. This week, the House approved a proposed budget that gives financial support to those goals.
The budget we approved helps families make ends meet, improves education, expands access to health care, supports our military, protects our environment, works to make our communities prosperous and safe, improves transportation and strengthens confidence in government.
We also continue to make the most efficient use of your money by eliminating outdated programs and trimming budgets when necessary.
We did this without any tax increases and were still able to add $62 million to the state’s savings, increasing the fund to nearly $850 million, and put $65 million into the state’s repair and renovation fund.
This budget now goes to the Senate, which will draw up its own plan. A committee of representatives and senators will then meet to work out differences before sending the plan to the governor for final approval. Our goal remains to have the final budget approved by the end of this month.
Below are some of the major budget expenses proposed by the House. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about the proposal and thank you as always for your interest.
See major budget expenses proposed...
June 2, 2008
Good leaders must constantly re-evaluate their plans if they are going to address the critical needs of our state. After establishing an agenda last year for this two-year session, the Democratic majority in the House has followed it up with a one-page action plan for this short session. This action plan will really help us stay on track so that we can improve on the good work of last year and address new challenges, such as the trying economy and the continuing drought. Many of these priorities will be addressed through our budget, which may be approved by the House in the coming week. I will share information about that with you after it receives approval.
Thank you for your support and interest in state government. Please contact my office (culliet@ncleg.net) if you would like a copy of the action plan or if I can help in any other way.
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May 26, 2008
The General Assembly held a historic session in Greensboro last Thursday to help the state's third-largest city celebrate its bicentennial. Members of both the House and Senate came to the session, where both chambers passed a resolution honoring the city and its institutions of higher education. The session was held on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University. It marked only the third time the legislature has met outside of Raleigh since it became the state capitol.
Back in Raleigh, I and my colleagues continue to make progress on revising the state's budget. We remain confident we will have the bill ready by June 2 and approved by the end of this fiscal year. As I mentioned last week, we have less money in over collections (April surprise) that we have in past years when the economy was growing more rapidly so we are looking even more carefully for spending cuts and efficiencies.
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May 19, 2008
On Monday of last week, I returned to Raleigh for the opening of the “short session” on Tuesday. Typically during this session, legislators adjust the state budget approved in the previous session and take up some of the unresolved matters from the previous year. Most of those matters are contained in funding bills filed last year and still eligible for consideration this session. I will remind you about some of them this week.
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May 12, 2008
This week my colleagues and I are back for the short session that begins Tuesday, May 13th. Much of our work during this year's session will focus on adjusting the state budget to conform to our State’s Constitution which requires a balanced budget. We will also consider the recommendations of the committees that met during the interim. Legislation that passed one chamber during the last session also remains eligible for consideration. This week, I thought it would be useful to point out some of the legislation that has already passed the House and is eligible for consideration in the Senate. Of course, the Senate passed a number of bills that didn’t move through the House and they are also eligible for consideration.
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May 5, 2008
Protecting our citizens and communities is one of our most important duties in the General Assembly. As we get closer to returning to session, the following is an update on some of the work my colleagues and I have been doing in the interim to address public safety issues. You’ll be hearing more about these issues after we return to session May 13.
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April 28, 2008
Health care issues are extremely important concerns for North Carolinians. We all want our families and loved ones to be healthy and strong. As government officials, it is our job to help make sure you have the options and care you need. Legislators serve on several interim committees focused on health care issues. These committees range in scope from public health service to licensing midwives.
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April 21, 2008
There are several study committees meeting during the interim that deal with the way our state and local governments operate. Legislators serve on these committees to ensure that government serves you in best way possible and meets your needs. As I have previously reported, I currently serve on three of these Joint Study Commissions. We’re meeting weekly now to get our recommendations and bills ready for the short session.
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