Weekly Report Archive :: 2008
December 29, 2008
As my first term in office comes to a close and I prepare for the coming session, I thought now would be a good time to review some of the successes Sen. Goss and I have had by working together in attracting state money investments to our region over the past two years.
We have been fortunate to work with colleagues, including our leadership, who understand the importance of our area, and we will continue to remind them of our needs during the coming session, even though the state’s economic outlook remains unclear.
Thank you all for your support during my time in office. I look forward to continuing to work with you in the months ahead.
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December 22, 2008
Even when the legislature is not in session, lawmakers continue to work for the well being of our state. One of the ways they do this is through study commissions and oversight committees. During this past session, we used our study commissions to address several issues, including improving North Carolina’s transportation infrastructure.
We are also continuing to evaluate the economic and environmental impacts of offshore drilling and working to better understand and reduce poverty, particularly in rural areas.
The following information outlines where we are now in our efforts and some of the recommendations and findings of our studies. I hope you will find them useful.
Thank you as always for taking an interest in North Carolina government and for supporting our efforts to make our state a better place.
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December 15, 2008
Last week, I shared some information with you about some of the new criminal laws that go into place this month. This week, I wanted to update you about some of the other new laws that are going into place this month. The laws touch on the environment, transportation, education and other critical areas.
As always, please contact me if you have any questions and thank you for your interest in state government.
Environment
The Solid Waste Management Act (SB 1492) addresses several environmental and public health issues related to the disposal and management of solid waste. The act includes increased penalties for solid waste violations, more stringent requirements for the acquisition of solid waste management permits, and more stringent financial requirements to ensure the proper design, construction, operation and maintenance of solid waste management facilities. The act also establishes a solid waste disposal tax to provide money in part for work on older landfills.
Under new drought preparedness law (HB 2499), the governor has more authority during a drought to address water shortages. The law also requires public water providers to develop drought and water shortage plans at least once every five years. Heavy water users will be subject to stricter reporting requirements. During the worst droughts, the state could require weekly reports from public water systems.
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December 8, 2008
Several new criminal laws approved last session went into place last week. These laws represent a good cross-section of the kinds of changes we continue to push for in Raleigh, changes that protect our most vulnerable residents and attempt to punish our worst criminal offenders.
Thank you as always for taking the time to learn more about the work of your General Assembly. Please call or write my office if you need any additional information or if I can be of any service to you. You can email me at culliet@ncleg.net.
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Novmeber 24, 2008
During this time of economic uncertainty, the North Carolina General Assembly has worked diligently to protect our state from the worst consequences of the economic slowdown. As it became apparent earlier this year what was happening in housing markets and in people’s lives, we took several steps to help those in need. I hope this week to update you on how state government continues to respond to the financial problems we face.
Our governor acted quickly to cut state spending as revenue began to fall and we anticipating his early actions will put the state in a stronger position when we return in January to begin crafting our next budget. We also have nearly $800 million in reserves to help us meet our needs until the economy rebounds.
A few signs offer proof that North Carolina is in a stronger position than many other states. Our foreclosure rate is less than a third of the national average. Our average home prices have grown slightly, while nationally home prices have fallen 8 percent over the past year or so. And for the seventh time in 8 years we were recognized by Site Selection Magazine as the state with the top business climate.
I look forward to serving you in the session ahead. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns that I can assist with and thank you for your interest in our state.
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Novmeber 17, 2008
Small businesses are at the core of our nation’s economy and my fellow lawmakers and I know that the health and strength of these businesses is also critical to the well-being of our state. Here in the high country, small businesses make up the majority of the business community. That’s why I’m a strong supporter not only of our small businesses but the entire business community. I am an active member of our House Business Caucus. During the previous term, the General Assembly made several changes that we believe will help small businesses thrive and also improve conditions for their employees.
Most of the changes are tied to the state’s tax structure, but they touch on issues of health, consumer protection and research, as well as other areas. These important incentives will help small businesses owners stay competitive.
Thank you as always for your interest in the work of state government. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any assistance.
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Novmeber 10, 2008
Our nation will celebrate Veterans Day this week and I know that like me you are grateful for the service of these men and women. At the state level, we have tried to show our appreciation during the past session by granting military members more educational opportunities, protecting their health and watching over the family members they leave behind when they are deployed. We have had a great deal of success in these areas and in the session ahead we will continue looking for ways to recognize their contributions to our state and nation.
I also want to thank you for your confidence in electing me to a new term in the N C House. I pledge to you that I’ll continue to be your strong voice in Raleigh.
I look forward to serving you in the session ahead. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns that I can assist with and thank you for your interest in our state.
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Novmeber 3, 2008
The most important thing any of us can do is try to make life better for our children and the others who come behind us. That’s part of the reason our state and our communities invest so much in education, health care and creating economic opportunity.
Much of that effort helps build a better future for our young people. Those of us in the General Assembly also put a great deal of effort into protecting our children from abuse and neglect while they are young. During my past term, legislators approved a number of new laws intended to keep our children safe. I want to let you know about these changes since I know that you want the best for your children, just as I do.
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October 27, 2008
Early voting has started and campaigns are coming to a close (thank goodness). I thought it would be a good time to remind you about some of the ways we have worked in the General Assembly during my past term to improve how we oversee elections and campaign finance. We also took some steps to improve disclosure about political candidates, following up on our efforts from last session to require economic disclosure.
Our efforts to make both registration and voting easier, coupled with the importance of this coming election, appear to be contributing to high early turnout. I urge you to exercise your right and vote.
If you have any questions about this information or anything else, please feel free to contact me. Thank you as always for this opportunity to share information with you about your state government.
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October 20, 2008
Several new laws go into place this month, laws that are intended to help you protect your homes, protect our environment and improve how our Division of Motor Vehicles operates, among many others.
I have shared information about many of our new laws with you previously. If you would like a full list of these laws and when they go into place, visit www.ncleg.net and click on 2007-08 Legislative Effective Dates in the News and Information section at the top of the page.
Please let me know if you have questions about any of the laws listed or if I can be of any help. As always, thank you for this opportunity to communicate with you.
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October 13, 2008
During uncertain economic times, such as we’re currently experiencing, retirees and people with fixed incomes are often hit the hardest. Many of these people are senior citizens. During the past biennium, we have worked in the General Assembly to ease their burden by providing tax relief, affordable health care and housing. We also continue trying to make them feel safer and more secure when they have to live away from home.
This week, I want to share a few of our successes in these areas. Thank you as always for allowing me to communicate with you. Please contact me if I can be of any service.
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October 6, 2008
The economy of our state and nation continues to be of vital concern and this past week has been a tumultuous one for both. As federal lawmakers debated a financial rescue plan in Washington, our own Wachovia bank was bought in a deal that many people had thought was improbable. The impact of the sale on Charlotte, Winston-Salem and other communities in our state isn’t entirely clear, but please know that I will be working to help protect jobs in North Carolina.
Recently, I shared an update with you about what the General Assembly has done over the past two years to try to protect our state’s strong economy. We have created tax credits for families and small businesses, strengthened mortgage foreclosure laws and provided incentives for businesses to create jobs in this state. I welcome any additional ideas you may have for the coming session.
This week, I want to update you on a new effort in the state House of Representatives to broadcast our floor sessions. This has been discussed for several years in North Carolina as a way to open up our deliberations to anyone who is interested and to improve confidence in how we handle our business.
As Chair of The House Select Committee on Television Sessions, I called our first meeting for last Wednesday. Below is a summary of the meeting and the effort to date.
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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September 29, 2008
Substance abuse has touched everyone’s life in one way or another and in the legislature we have tried to find ways to improve treatment for people who can’t afford private recovery services. Unfortunately, substance abuse destroys lives and families. The good news is that this disease can be treated. If someone in your family is abusing illegal drugs or alcohol please urge them and assist them to get into treatment.
Over the past two sessions, we have made changes in these programs that allow more efficient use of state money and set up a study group that continues to examine issues surrounding substance abuse services in North Carolina.
We have also expanded substance abuse treatment programs for our inmates in our attempt to reduce the numbers of people who return to prison. A recent study in Iowa found that up to 90 percent of the inmates there had a history of drug and/or alcohol abuse and that treatment programs in prison lowered the chances of recidivism. Another study found that prisoners in California who participated in substance abuse treatment had a recidivism rate of 27 percent, compared to a rate of 76 percent for other prisoners.
I have some additional information about some of our substance abuse treatment initiatives below. Thank you for allowing me to share this information with you and please let me know if you have questions or if I can provide any additional information.
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September 22, 2008
The rapid increase in gas prices when Hurricane Ike threatened the Gulf Coast underscored the need to find new, alternative fuels. In North Carolina, we have made this effort a priority over the past two years, investing millions of dollars in biofuels research and updating our laws to require more use of biodiesel fuels.
The General Assembly has also adopted other innovative energy-saving initiatives and set plans in place to reduce energy consumption. In all, we have developed a very balanced approach to helping the state and our residents move away from dependence on fossil fuels. This week, I will update you on some of the highlights of our energy reforms during the past biennium.
Thank you for your support in these efforts and I hope you will contact me if you have any questions or concerns. In addition, if you believe gas stations in your area have unfairly raised the price of gasoline during the past several days, please contact the Attorney General’s office to file a price gouging complaint. I received several phone calls and emails from citizens who were concerned about price gouging, so I hope you’ll file a complaint if you know of specific cases. You can file the complaint by calling 1-877-566-7226 or visiting the Attorney General’s Web site, www.ncdoj.gov. Print off a complaint form and mail or fax to the Attorney General’s office. Not only is price gouging illegal, it’s immoral.
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September 15, 2008
One of my jobs as a state representative is to make sure everyone has access to affordable health care and that we do what we can to help eliminate disparities where they exist. Over the past two years, I have helped develop budgets and policies that address some of these issues.
Along with my colleagues in the General Assembly, I have worked to put more money into preventing childhood obesity and chronic illnesses, such as diabetes. We also continue to help children gain access to dental care and provide grants to help pay for services for our seniors. This past session, we established a study with the North Carolina Institute of Medicine that will look at many of the issues related to access to health care and we hope it will guide us as we prepare for the coming session in January.
We continue to push to create healthy environments for our children and people in the workplace. New laws approved last year ban smoking in government owned spaces and prohibit tobacco in our schools.
During this past term, the state also made major changes in how we pay for Medicaid and in the services provided to mental health patients and those who are considered high risk patients. I will have more information later about our efforts to reform and restore confidence to the state’s ailing mental health system, but this week I wanted to provide some highlights relating to health care.
As always, thank you for your support and for allowing me to share this information with you. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance.
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September 8, 2008
Our state cannot compete in this new economy unless we prepare more of our young people to enter the workforce prepared for rapid changes in culture and technology. The investments we have made in all levels of education in our state – from preschool programs to the university system – are now largely equipped and capable of producing engineers, scientists, teachers, nurses and other workers in career fields that will become increasingly critical to our state and nation.
Unfortunately, about 1 in 3 students in North Carolina leave our public school system before they can earn a high school diploma. It’s a decision that reduces their standard of living for a lifetime and ultimately weakens all of our communities. We have to make ALL our young people understand that to compete in today’s knowledge based global economy, the minimum education required is a high school diploma.
We have tried several programs in North Carolina to address dropout prevention. Our newest initiative is a community grant program created in the General Assembly. Other programs begin in preschool when we seek out at-risk children and try to put them on the right course early. These programs are truly long-term efforts and I will continue to support them while I represent you. I am a member of the High School Dropout Study Commission and I can think of no more important program for us to tackle. I have included some information about some of them in this week’s newsletter. If you would like additional information about what our public schools are doing to improve graduation rates, please visit the Department of Public Instruction Web site at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/dropout/.
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 serve the people of our district.
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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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