Weekly Report Archive :: 2009

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December 28, 2009

North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreased from 10.9 percent to 10.8 percent in November, according to the N.C. Employment Security Commission. This is a small decrease, but it does reflect some improvement in the job market that I hope will continue into next year. Unfortunately, unemployment continues to be high in Ashe and higher than I’d like to see in Watauga.

This bit of bright news comes at the end of a tumultuous financial year and can be attributed in part to the federal recovery effort’s programs to stimulate automobile and home purchases, among many others. In North Carolina, money from the Workforce Investment Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has helped create or retain about 28,000 jobs to date and those numbers are expected to increase in the months ahead.

The information below from the North Carolina Office of Economic Recovery and Investment highlights some of the way this money from the federal government is being used. (All numbers have been rounded off.) Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

Overview

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) can best be divided into three major funding categories: adult, youth and dislocated workers. WIA and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds were awarded by the federal Department of Labor.

Approximately $79.8 million was made available to North Carolina in March 2009. Of this amount, $56.8 million was distributed to the state’s 24 workforce development boards. Within each funding stream, the dollars were budgeted as follows:

• $8.8 million – Training and related services to adult citizens

• $21.3 million – Services to disadvantaged youth delivered through a federally mandated Summer Youth Employment Program. This new program is a requirement of ARRA. More than 6,000 youth are currently enrolled in work and job readiness activities around the state.

• $26.6 million – Employment, training, and support services to dislocated workers

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December 21, 2009

Those of us in public service realize that we must constantly work to try to improve your confidence in government. Some public officials have breached your trust in the past, but I will not be one of them. As I tell people all the time, "It's not difficult to do it right". I continue to work diligently in favor of stronger ethics laws, cleaner campaigns and better lobbying laws, and I expect that we will continue this important work in the coming session.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. You can reach me at culliet@ncleg.net, 828-295-3353 or on Facebook. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

Ethics

A new state law requires the governing boards of cities, counties, boards of education, sanitation districts, unified governments, and consolidated city-counties are required to adopt a code of ethics to guide them in the performance of their official duties. The law (H1452 - S.L. 2009-403) also requires board members to receive at least two hours of ethics education within 12 months of appointment or election.

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December 14, 2009

In recent months, there has been a lot of discussion on the national stage regarding health care and health care reform in America. For that reason, I thought it would be a good idea to inform you about what we have done at the state level to improve health care for the people of North Carolina.

Despite a difficult budget situation this year, the House of Representatives worked to reduce overall healthcare costs by promoting wellness and prevention programs. We also worked to protect our citizens by improving patient safety, expanding access to health care for children, making structural improvements to the State Health Plan and addressing mental health needs. The following information highlights just some of the legislation that we have passed this session to help us achieve these goals.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

Improving Health Care

We passed a law that will result in smaller rate increases than originally projected for members of the State Health Plan, while also increasing the plan’s transparency (SB 287 – S.L. 2009-16). The new law reduces the premium rate increase for the next two years from 10 percent to 8.9 percent. It also adds coverage for treatment by chiropractors, mental health and substance abuse professionals and speech therapists and includes provisions to encourage plan members to stop smoking and to lose weight. The law calls for an independent audit of the plan; more detailed billing information, and increased disclosure of transactional data and administrative costs. The law also requires monthly financial reports and establishes a 15-member Blue Ribbon Task Force that will examine the plan’s rate structure and governance, among other things. The State Health Plan is an important benefit for all our hard working state employees. I know not all of them were please with the action we had to take. My hope is we’ll continue to carefully monitor what is taking place and make changes carefully and thoughtfully.

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December 7, 2009

Throughout the most recent legislative session, I worked with my colleagues in the House of Representatives on initiatives that we believe will improve life in North Carolina. Some of these new laws went into place at the beginning of this month and I wanted to share some information about them with you. These laws cover everything from texting while driving to the regulation of some dangerous reptiles. They are intended to make you and your families more secure, to protect our children and to make sure those who do violate our laws are properly punished.

You can access the full list by visiting the General Assembly’s website at www.ncleg.net and opening the document 2009 Legislation Effective Dates.

In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns that I can help you resolve, I hope that you will contact me. I’m pleased to do what I can to help any of my constituents. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353. Thank you as always for your interest in the work of the General Assembly and state government and thank you for your support.

Children

Judges now have more sentencing flexibility to aid attempts to collect child support (SB 817 – S.L. 2009-335). The law is intended to increase child support collections by giving judges greater discretion to sentence those who commit criminal contempt by failing to comply with an order to pay child support.

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November 30, 2009

In this time between Thanksgiving and Christmas and even in the face of high unemployment numbers and a slowly recovering economy, we still have much to be thankful for this year. Our state is showing signs of recovering from this economic storm, and we will come out ahead. One of the most valuable resources of our state is the beauty and diversity of our natural environment. That’s why it is so important that we work in the state government to protect these invaluable natural resources and promote North Carolina’s tourism industry. I serve on the House Commerce Committee which has oversight responsibilities for our State Tourism Dept. which operates as a part of the Commerce Department. I’m also a member of the Environmental Review Commission which oversees environmental issues. For us here in the high country, we know first hand the value of tourism and even though the summer and fall tourist have for the most part left, we look forward to a great winter season for our ski slopes and winter sports locations. Tourism is critical to our economic success here in Ashe and Watauga. The following information highlights just some of the legislation and budgetary measures we implemented this year to support tourism in North Carolina.

If you have any questions or if I can be of assistance, please feel free to contact me. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353. Thank you as always for your interest in the work of the General Assembly and state government and thank you for your support.

Tourism

A new state law creates the North Carolina Sustainable Local Food Advisory Council (SB 1067 - S.L. 2009-530). One of the issues to be considered by the council is an in-depth analysis of the potential impacts that the production of sustainable local food would have on economic development in North Carolina, both the direct impacts for the producers of sustainable local food and the actual and potential indirect impacts, such as encouraging restaurants that feature locally raised agricultural products and promoting food and wine tourism.

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November 23, 2009

Even in the face of a changing world economy, agriculture continues to play an important role in our state’s economy. For that reason, my colleagues and I in the House of Representatives are committed to supporting agriculture in North Carolina. I serve on the House Agriculture Committee and Chair the House Water Resources and Infrastructure Committee. As Chair of this committee, I’m committed to protecting agriculture’s access to water. We have passed a number of new laws this session that I believe will make our agricultural industry stronger. We have also approved studies on a range of issues, including ways to improve poultry worker health and safety and extending greenhouse gas credits to farmers.

The following information includes just some of the legislation we passed this year regarding agriculture in North Carolina.

Should you have any questions or if I can be of assistance, please feel free to contact me. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353. Thank you as always for your interest in the work of the General Assembly and state government and thank you for your support.

Animals

The state veterinarian can now implement emergency measures when there is imminent threat from a contagious animal disease that could spread rapidly and have serious consequences. (S.L. 2009-103 – HB 1083). Authorized measures include restrictions on the transportation of potentially infected animals, agricultural products, and other commodities into and out of potentially infected areas, restrictions on access to such areas, quarantines, emergency disinfectant, destruction of infected animals, and other control measures at portals of entry to the State. The state veterinarian was temporarily granted this authority in 2003, but the legislation was set to expire this year.

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November 16, 2009

Signs of an economic recovery are showing and like you, I hope they take hold soon. In the meantime, we continue working diligently to get our state and our economy back on track. While the state’s unemployment rate continues to be around 11 percent, state efforts with the aid of federal stimulus dollars have helped to prevent an already dire jobless situation from growing worse. Late last week, officials reported that federal stimulus spending flowing through state agencies has created or saved 24,440 jobs. In addition, Site Selection Magazine ranked North Carolina as the number one business climate in the country for the fifth year in a row [Top 5: 1-NC, 2-TX, 3-VA, 4-OH, 5-TN].

Many of our efforts in Raleigh have focused on keep North Carolinians in their homes. We made important strides toward protecting North Carolina homeowners throughout this past legislative session because we believe housing is a cornerstone of community. You cannot have strong communities if people lack housing.

The following information highlights significant legislation passed this year pertaining to the economy and jobs and protecting North Carolina homeowners.

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A Special Veterans Day Report
November 11, 2009

Each November 11 our country comes together to remember our veterans who have served and sacrificed in the name of freedom. The debt owed to them is immeasurable. Their sacrifices and those of our military families are freedom’s foundation. Indeed, without the brave efforts of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and their families, our country would not stand so boldly, shine so brightly, and live so freely.

Veterans Day is a day of remembrance and rededication. We pause to remember the noble service and high sacrifices of those who have worn this nation’s uniform. And we rededicate ourselves, in the words of President Lincoln, “to care for him who shall have borne the battle.”

Almost one-fourth of the members of the House of Representatives are veterans of the Armed Services (including myself) and we are proud of their service, so it was important to us to send out a special newsletter to our constituents to honor Veteran’s Day. The following information highlights significant legislation passed this year pertaining to veterans living in North Carolina.

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November 9, 2009

Education remains our top priority in the General Assembly and while our smaller budget prevented us from investing more this year than we had in previous years, we were still able to address many important issues. Providing our children with a world class education is the best way to build a strong economy that will be sustainable in the long term, so we worked diligently this year to pass legislation that will improve the quality of education across the state, keep our children safe at school, and decrease the dropout rate. As a member of the Education Committee, Appropriations Sub-Committee on Education (Vice Chairman) and the Education Sub-Committee on Universities, education continues to be one of my primary focuses.

The following information highlights significant legislation passed this year pertaining to North Carolina public schools.

If you have any questions or if I can be of assistance, please feel free to contact me. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353. Thank you as always for your interest in the work of the General Assembly and state government and thank you for your support.

Budget

This year’s budget includes funding for 12 additional Learn and Earn high schools in North Carolina that will be operational in 2009-2010. The Learn and Earn initiative is a free program that allows high school students to get a jump start on their college education or to gain career skills. At this time, there are 60 Learn and Earn high schools across the state.

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November 2, 2009

There continues to be a great deal of debate at the federal level about health insurance. I urge you to stay informed as the process moves forward. In North Carolina this past year, we also had to address some of the systemic problems with the state's health plan for government workers and retirees. We also spent a great deal of time trying to strengthen the state's insurance program for coastal homeowners. Both of these programs provide important support and security to hundreds of thousands of people and I'm pleased the General Assembly was able to negotiate solutions that keep the programs solvent.

The following information highlights just some of the legislation we passed this year pertaining to insurance issues, with a strong focus on the State Health Plan and the Coastal Property Insurance Pool, presently known as the Beach Plan.

If you have any questions or if I can be of assistance, please feel free to contact me. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353. Thank you as always for your interest in the work of the General Assembly and state government and thank you for your support.

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October 26, 2009

Part of our job as members of the General Assembly is to pass laws that will keep North Carolinians safe. This responsibility includes making sure emergency responders, such as firefighters, EMS personnel and law enforcement officers, have all of the resources they need to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. While budget constraints prevented us from doing as much as we might have liked for our local heroes (and they are all heroes), we did get some important legislation passed that will enhance the safety of the citizens of North Carolina and protect those who protect us.

The following information highlights just some of the legislation we passed this year pertaining to firefighters, law enforcement, emergency management and public safety.

If you have any questions or if I can be of assistance, please feel free to contact me at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353. Thank you as always for your interest in the work of the General Assembly and state government and thank you for your support.

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October 19, 2009

While the dominant theme this past session was addressing our financial challenges, the General Assembly still had many important policy areas to consider. One of them was state’s mental health system, which has been in disorder for a number of years. During the 2009 session, we worked with the governor to bring stability to the system and build on gains we made in recent years.

To address the budget shortfall in our mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse programs, we concentrated on finding efficiencies, moving to more effective services and making small but crucially important investments. The cuts will mean an undeniable reduction in services, but as problems emerge, we are working closely with the Department of Health and Human Services to adjust and to implement improved approaches we may not have otherwise identified.

I have included information about these important changes below.

If you have questions or concerns, I hope that you will contact me. I’m pleased to do what I can to help any of my constituents. You can reach me at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353. Thank you as always for your interest in the work of the General Assembly and state government and thank you for your support.

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October 12, 2009

Throughout the most recent legislative session, I worked with my colleagues in the House of Representatives on initiatives that we believe will improve life in North Carolina. Some of these new laws went into place at the beginning of this month and I wanted to share some information about them with you. These laws cover everything from identity theft to fisheries. You can access the full list by visiting the General Assembly’s website at www.ncleg.net and opening the document 2009 Legislation Effective Dates.

In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns that I can help you resolve, I hope that you will contact me. I’m pleased to do what I can to help any of my constituents. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353. Thank you as always for your interest in the work of the General Assembly and state government and thank you for your support.

Consumer Protection

A new state law has modernized “Do Not Call” notice procedures. Telephone companies can now use email or direct mail to notify subscribers who want to stop unwanted solicitations by using the “Do Not Call” registry. The new law (H.B. 686 – S.L. 2009-122) allows the Attorney General, in consultation with the Public Staff of the Public Utilities Commission, to create a message that local companies would send to consumers.

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October 5, 2009

The economic crisis we’re facing across the country including North Carolina forced us to cut spending in a number of ways this year. This budget has cuts totaling $2.4b. The most in our state’s history.  Inevitably, some of these cuts have trickled down to local governments, requiring that we eliminate free work by prison work crews and payments to jails for housing some prisoners. Despite these cutbacks, we were able to write several new laws that benefit local governments and the people they serve. I think one of the requirements of being a State Representative is to stay in contact with County and municipal leaders and to advise them when bills are introduced that might have an affect on the communities they represent. I believe if you were to ask our County and City Managers, County Commission Chairs and members, School Superintendents, Mayors and Council Members, Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, they would all say that I keep them informed and respond quickly to their emails, phone calls, etc. We were also able to continue to invest in some areas critical to the success of North Carolina communities. This week, I want to highlight some of the ways the House of Representatives worked to better and protect local communities across this great state.

If you have any questions or if I can be of assistance, please feel free to contact me at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353.

Transportation and Energy

A new state law will allow counties the opportunity to raise more money for mass transit projects, including rail service and buses (H.B. 148 - S.L. 2009-527). The legislation allows residents of Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange and Wake counties to vote on whether to increase local sales taxes by ½ cent and car registration fees by up to $2. The money would be used for public transportation. Other counties could increase sales taxes by a ¼ cent for such projects. The legislation is based on a plan Mecklenburg County used to finance its new downtown rail line.

Counties and municipalities in North Carolina are authorized to provide development incentives in exchange for reductions in energy consumption under a new state law (S.B. 52 - S.L. 2009-95). More specifically, counties and municipalities will be able to grant incentives to a developer or builder if they agree to construct a new development or reconstruct an existing development in a way that significantly reduces energy consumption.

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September 28, 2009

This past session, we worked hard to support our service men and women by helping returning veterans with mental or physical injuries get the care they deserve, increasing the opportunity for our deployed service members to vote, and assisting their loved ones when they need help. Here in the high country, we have the 1451st National Guard unit in Boone and the 1453rd unit in W. Jefferson. Both these units have been activated in the pass and we’re grateful to the men and women of both units for their service to our country. The following information highlights just some of the legislation that we have passed this session to help us achieve these goals.

If you have any questions or if I can be of assistance, please feel free to contact me at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353.  Thank you for your support.

Education

This year, we appropriated $1.25 million to the Community Colleges System Office for the important work of the NC Military Business Center. The center helps small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the state seeking to win and complete federal contracts, with a focus on military-related contracts. I have arranged for several meetings with the Center’s personnel up here. I’m trying to get an office opened in Boone but with the current budget, it’s difficult.

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September 21, 2009

As our state grows, it has become increasingly important for us improve our transportation system. Crowded roads (yes, even up here in the high country) detract from our quality of life and decrease our sense of safety. Transportation projects help to reduce crowded roads and right now they also bring much needed jobs to our state.

During this past session, we have worked to spend stimulus transportation dollars fairly, studied ways to make improvements to our current system, and given our local governments more tools to increase local transit options. Both Ashe and Watauga have received stimulus dollars currently being spent on transportation projects including the King Street widening in Boone.  I am also including a few other highlights of our work in this area this past session.

If you have any questions or if I can be of assistance, please feel free to contact me at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353.

Transportation

More than 240 contracts totaling $824 million have been awarded for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina since March, and about $723 million of that funding has come from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). According to the Federal Highway Administration, every $1 million spent on transportation creates 30 jobs, and according to the construction industry, every dollar invested in transportation generates $6 in economic impact.

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September 14, 2009

While the General Assembly faced a daunting challenge this year to balance the state’s budget in the face of plummeting revenue numbers, we still thought it was critical to address important environmental issues facing our state. I think all of us appreciate the fragility of the environment in which we live so even in tough times we need to continue to make progress and that’s what we tried to do in this session.

The state obviously lacked money to invest in new initiatives or to even fully fund existing ones, but there were a number of policy matters that we resolved. Some of the highlights of our work on environmental issues in this past session follow.

If you have any questions or if I can be of assistance, please contact me at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353. Thank you as always for your interest in the work of the General Assembly and state government and thank you for your support. 

Environmental Legislation

Water quality in Jordan Lake, an important drinking water source for many Triangle-area communities, will be improved under a new state law (S.L. 2009-216). The legislation includes an extended timeline for compliance with rules to clean up Jordan Lake, and retains a vital requirement that local governments in the watershed begin retrofitting existing development to control runoff pollution.

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September 8, 2009

This session, I worked with my colleagues in the House to be good stewards of the environment by promoting energy conservation, the use of alternative energy sources and the development of clean energy technology. Energy efficiency and moving toward a more sustainable, greener economy is a top priority for many North Carolina lawmakers.

The following information highlights just some of the legislation that we have passed this session to help us achieve these goals.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

Conservation

Counties and municipalities in North Carolina will now be authorized to provide development incentives in exchange for reductions in energy consumption under a new state law (S.B. 52 - S.L. 2009-95). More specifically, counties and municipalities will be able to grant incentives to a developer or builder if they agree to construct a new development or reconstruct an existing development in a way that significantly reduces energy consumption.

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August 31, 2009

One of our chief responsibilities in the General Assembly is to work to level the playing field for all the people of North Carolina. Children, seniors, minorities and other vulnerable groups sometimes face challenges they cannot address on their own and they need our help.

We set goals to help these people where we could. This week, I want to share some of these successes with you.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353.  Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

Social Justice

We worked to provide fairness in the criminal justice system, equal access to justice, compensation to those who have been wronged by the state and protection to victims and vulnerable populations. The following information highlights just some of the legislation that we have passed this session to help us achieve these goals.

• The North Carolina Racial Justice Act has been signed into law (S.L. 2009-464). The intent of the law is to provide fair imposition of capital sentences by lessening the change that the death penalty will be imposed based on race. The law applies retroactively for the first year. Opponents worry the change will delay pending executions and clog the court system, but that has not been the experience in Kentucky, the only other state with a similar law.

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August 24, 2009

We came into this session knowing we would face a financial challenge. We were determined not to let it stop us from moving this state forward, so we developed goals in line with what you had asked us to do.

I'm pleased to say we reached all of those goals. Even in the face of financial difficulties, we found ways to improve state laws across the board. The following information highlights just some of the ways we have worked to improve Education, Health, and Economy and Jobs in North Carolina.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 828-295-3353.

Economy and Jobs

We focused our state’s fiscal policy on the creation, expansion and protection of jobs in North Carolina. Through legislative oversight and direction, we have worked to maximize the impact of the $6 billion in federal stimulus funds to support a green economy, infrastructure, and other programs. The following information highlights just some of the legislation that we have passed this session to help us achieve these goals.

• We passed a new law that helped North Carolina bring in a new Apple, Inc. facility that will be required to invest $1 billion in the state. The law (S.L. 2009-54) changes the way corporate income tax liability is calculated for multi-state taxpayers by considering only the company’s sales in the state when determining their tax bills. The existing formula also accounts for companies’ property holdings and payroll. The change applies only to companies that invest $1 billion or more over a nine-year period. No company in the state qualified for the incentive before Apple, Inc. announced that they would be locating their new facility in North Carolina, rather than Virginia.

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August 17, 2009

As of last Tuesday, the 2009 session of the General Assembly has adjourned, but not before we finished up work on a number of important matters.

Since passing our budget, we have concluded work to strengthen criminal laws, reform the state’s coastal insurance plan, improve transportation and clear the way for more efficient use of energy.

As I have shared a number of times, this has been a difficult session. The global economic crisis reached North Carolina this year and hurt our workers and businesses. The work by those of us in the General Assembly was in large part a response to this crisis, and I am happy to have supported a number of measures that create and protect jobs, help people protect their homes and ease the burdens on small business owners.

I will share more detailed information about the work of this session in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, thank you for your interest in state government and please let me know if I can be of any assistance. You can reach me at culliet@ncleg.net or at home, 828-295-3353.

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August 10, 2009

This year, the General Assembly was forced to make difficult and unprecedented decisions regarding the state budget which we approved last Tuesday and Wednesday. Governor Purdue signed the budget on Friday. Not since the great depression have we had to deal with such a financial crisis. We cut more than 500 line items and eliminated more than 50 programs to shrink our state budget by $2 billion compared to last year. I did enough budgets during my working years to know that you can only cut so much. You cut the fat, then to and through the muscle down to the bone. This budget makes cuts to the bone. As I said on the floor during debate, anyone who thinks I enjoy raising taxes is nuts but neither am I willing to cut to the point that we are laying off teachers and affecting the quality of education in our classrooms. It’s important to note that the income tax surcharge affects only the top 13 percent of earners in the state. Eighty seven percent (87%) of the people in N C will be exempt from this tax.

This smaller budget includes federal stimulus money ($1.3 billion) and additional tax revenue ($990 million), which together cover about half of our $4.6 billion shortfall. The other half is covered by real, tangible cuts. We are in no way growing government.

The information below shows both how we have significantly cut spending across the board and how we have tried to preserve or expand vital programs in our state.

Budget Reductions

We made significant cuts across the board in the state budget this year. While we have worked hard to preserve necessary programs and services, there were just some programs that we could not continue or fund in full. The following information highlights just some of the difficult decisions we have had to make this year.

Overview

State Employees: The budget eliminates 2,191 state employee positions, 726 of which are currently filled. There are no salary cuts or furloughs in this budget. Longevity pay is also preserved.

Education: Funding has been reduced for about 100 programs; 23 programs have been eliminated.

HHS: Funding has been reduced for about 125 programs; 13 programs have been eliminated.

Natural and Economic Resources: Funding has been reduced for about 75 programs; five programs have been eliminated.

Justice and Public Safety: Funding has been reduced for about 80 programs; 10 programs have been eliminated.

General Government: Funding has been reduced for about 80 programs; two programs have been eliminated.

Transportation: Funding has been reduced for about 30 programs; one program has been eliminated.

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August 3, 2009

Budget writers continued to work diligently with Gov. Perdue and the Senate last week to come to an agreement on a budget for the next two years. While there is still work to be done, I am confident that we have moved significantly closer to a consensus. In fact, I’ll be disappointed if we don’t vote on the budget this week.

The House also took up a number of key bills last week. We have worked to pass legislation that will prevent racial profiling and reform North Carolina’s probation laws. We have also improved the State Fair Housing Act and our predatory lending laws. The following information highlights just some of the important work we have done here in Raleigh this week.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or at 919-733-7727. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

Public Safety

State lawmakers have approved legislation that will reform probation in North Carolina by giving probation officers more tools to keep offenders from getting into further trouble (SB 920). If enacted, probation officers would be added to the list of persons who are allowed to access the juvenile records of certain offenders. The legislation would also make warrantless searches and drug screening regular conditions of supervised parole and would add additional controlling measures for offenders subject to intermediate punishment. The bill will now be presented to Gov. Perdue to be signed into law.

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July 27, 2009

The General Assembly moved closer to a final budget deal last week, but is now weighing a request from Gov. Perdue to change some elements of the proposed tax package. As of last Wednesday, we had a deal with the Senate but that all changed last Thursday when the Governor went public with her comments about the proposed revenue package. So it’s back to the drawing board, so to speak. We’ll continue to work on a plan that best spreads around the costs of protecting education and health and human services. I was disappointed that the deal we had negotiated with the Senate came apart on Thursday as a result of the Governor’s position. I thought we had a good plan even though I don’t like at all the ideal of having to raise any new taxes. The plan we had negotiated allowed us to restore some of the worst cuts previously proposed in education and health and human services.

As the legislative session heads toward its conclusion, we moved a number of important pieces of legislation through the House. We have approved reforms to our state’s 50 year old annexation law and have improved upon laws related to crime and public safety. We have also worked to pass legislation that will help improve our state’s energy efficiency and move North Carolina toward a sustainable, green economy.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 919-733-7727. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

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July 20, 2009

Last week, the General Assembly busily discussed a number of matters of great importance to this state. As our session nears its close, the House approved legislation to improve the state’s justice system, strengthen the state’s coastal insurance coverage and make our open meeting and public record laws stronger. We also approved a number of measures to make our state a better place for children.

We continue to work with our Senate counterparts to refine the state’s budget plan for the next two years. As you know, this has been the most challenging budget we’ve faced in several decades. The gap between our anticipated budget and projected revenue is more than $4 billion. Money from the federal government and expected tax revenue increases will cover about half the gap. We will make up the other half of the shortfall – more than $2 billion – with cuts in state programs.

I am including information below about some of the legislation taken up in the House last week. I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. You can contact me at culliet@ncleg.net or 919-733-7727.  Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state

Improving Government

The “Open Government Act” has passed the House, and is headed to the Senate (HB 1134). The legislation creates the Open Government Unit of the Department of Justice, which would serve as a moderator or mediator in resolving public records and open meetings issues between parties. The Open Government Unit is designed to further the goal of transparency in government and the principle that public records are the property of the people. Among other things, the legislation would provide that the successful plaintiff in a public records dispute is entitled to reasonable attorney’s fees.

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July 13, 2009

Deliberations continued in Raleigh last week between members of the House and Senate negotiating a spending proposal and a change in the state’s tax laws that will make up the 09-10 fiscal year budget.  We are making progress, but our work is slow in the face of this great challenge. I’m hopeful we’ll make more progress this week.

We continue with important policy work and have passed several pieces of important legislation. I am including some discussion of this legislation below.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 919-733-7727.  Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

Health

State lawmakers have voted in favor of legislation that authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to release confidential data in the Controlled Substances Reporting System to state medical examiners for the purpose of investigating deaths (SB 628). The bill would also make changes pertaining to confidentiality of prescription information. The legislation will now go to Gov. Perdue to be signed into law.

State lawmakers have amended North Carolina’s rabies laws to conform to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (SB 674). Once enacted, the legislation will allow stray or feral animals to be euthanized and tested for rabies after biting a human. The bill has now been sent to Gov. Perdue to be signed into law.

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July 6, 2009

I hope you and your family had a wonderful 4th of July weekend and celebration. Sylvia and I did. We had all our children and grandchildren visiting us. All of us should be grateful for what the 4th of July means and stands for. We continued last week to work on a budget proposal. I’d like to say a lot of progress was made but in all candor that’s not true. Hopefully this week will prove differently. The Continuing Resolution passed by both Houses has directed state agencies to operate at a 15 percent reduction until a final plan is approved.

As I’ve said before, this is an extraordinarily difficult year to craft a budget. We are cutting more than $2 billion in spending and would have to scale back even more if not for some one-time federal stimulus money the state will receive. We are making these cuts as strategically as we can and in ways that will do the least harm. Having said that, there will still be deep cuts all across state government.

While we have remained busy working on the state’s budget, we have also worked hard to pass legislation that we hope will improve your lives. The following information highlights some of the legislation that has made it through the House this week.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. You can email me at culliet@ncleg.net or call me at 919-733-7727. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

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June 29, 2009

Last week, those of us who are budget negotiators continued to move closer to a final budget plan. The job is more difficult than it has been in previous years because of a dramatic drop in state revenue. We have already agreed to eliminate dozens of programs and have proposed deep cuts in many of those programs that remain. At the same time, we must meet our federal obligations to fund Medicaid and to educate our continually growing number of students. Those two budget areas combined -- education and Medicaid -- comprise about 70 percent of our budget, giving us little leeway as we look for additional savings and efficiencies.

Some critics have said that budget writers in the General Assembly have exaggerated the level of cuts that are needed. As someone who is working closely with the budget, I want to assure you that this is not true. With a $4.6b budget deficit, we have had to make deep cuts in spending, which meant carefully scrutinizing items even as little as a few hundred dollars. The state also must rely on more than $1 billion in one-time federal stimulus money to pay for some programs. This money has to be used carefully. It is not an ongoing revenue source that we can rely on in future years. To replace some of that non-recurring money, the legislature will be reluctantly proposing some tax increases. The size of the tax package has not been determined, but whatever amount is added to the budget will help the state preserve programs in education and health care. It is critical that we act, rather than simply do as our critics have done and both complain that the cuts are too deep and refuse to act to restore some of the lost money. Although I voted against the House budget revenue package because of the lack of  so called “sin taxes”, I realize we have to raise additional revenues in order to restore some of the worst cuts in education, health and human services.

Early this week, the House will vote on a Continuing Resolution (already passed by the Senate) to keep the State operating at 85% of current budget until a new budget is passed. The fiscal year ends June 30 and it appears unlikely we’ll have a new budget by then.

We did receive a bit of good news this week. After examining corporate returns, the NC Department of Revenue determined that next year the state will get about $150 million more in one-time revenue than had previously been expected.

Outside of budget negotiations, several important pieces of legislation were approved by the General Assembly. The following information highlights some bills of interest that the House has taken up throughout the week.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. You can reach me at 919-733-7727 or at culliet@ncleg.net.  Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

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June 22, 2009

The House of Representatives passed a budget proposal last weekend that will help our economy while also investing in education and health care. I voted against the budget because I disagreed with the revenue package the House adopted. Approval of the package leads us to the next phase of the budget-writing process, and I am among those members (I am one of the Education Conferees) who are negotiating with the Senate over a final proposal to present to Gov. Perdue. My hope is we’ll have a final budget by the end of the fiscal year, June 30th.

Despite the large amount of work we’re doing on the budget, we continue our work to improve and refine legislation that makes our state a better place to live. The following information highlights some bills of interest that have made it through the House this week.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. I can be reached at culliet@ncleg.net or 919-733-7727.  Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

Crime

Storing and preserving DNA and biological evidence related to a crime would be the responsibility of the law enforcement agency investigating the offense under a bill that has been ratified by the General Assembly (HB 1190). Under existing law, clerks of court are responsible for storing such evidence, but bill supporters argue that law enforcement is better equipped for the job. The bill now goes to Gov. Perdue for a signature.

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June 15, 2009

In the past year, as the global economic crisis that has gripped the world finally reached North Carolina, tax collections in our state slowed significantly. The most recent projections show that our revenue this year will be about $4.6 billion short of expectations. At least 34 other states will also have smaller budgets in the year ahead, and the revenue picture is expected to worsen in many places.

Faced with this crisis, we have scoured our budget looking for efficiencies, outdated programs and ways to save limited resources. We ended up with a proposal that eliminated about $3.7 billion in spending – the largest budget reduction in the history of our state – and made difficult choices to do away with some needed programs and services that we can’t afford. We worked hard to protect as much of our investment in education as we could without devastating other areas of our budget. We also added new taxes and some fees so that we could retain those services that we – and you – hold most dear. Our proposed $785 million revenue package would allow the state to:

• Protect class sizes, teacher pay and prevent some teacher layoffs

• Restore 2,590 K-3 teacher jobs and about 600 UNC system jobs.

• Restore about 350 school counselor and social work jobs and about 350 principal and assistant principal jobs.

• Restore community college jobs

• Restore money for students at risk of dropping out of school

• Restores money for low-wealth counties

• Minimize program cuts and layoffs in our nationally renowned Smart Start early childhood program

• Restore cuts to Medicaid program, which provides health care to an increasing number of our residents

• Restore funding to some community-based mental health programs and other services for the mentally disabled

• Restore Medicaid physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy programs

• Restores cut to basic support care services for vocational rehabilitation, and restore funding for independent living programs in vocational rehabilitation

• Restore funding for 179 jobs in the state courts and for 155 Victim Witness Legal Assistants

• Partial restoration of operating reserves for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor

As much as I support the restorations, I did not vote for the new revenue package because I object to the sales tax increase. I preferred the so called “sin tax” approach.

Even with this revenue increase, we rely heavily on cuts to balance this budget. For every $1 in proposed new revenues, we have recommended about $3 in cuts.

The information below highlights the proposed two-year budget considered by the House. These numbers do not reflect any of the proposed restorations. After the House budget is passed, it will go to the Senate and conferees will be appointed to hammer out a final budget proposal which will be sent to Gov. Perdue for her signature.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state. I can be reached via email at culliet@ncleg.net or by phone at 919-733-7727 or 828-295-3353.

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June 8, 2009

Much of the energy at the General Assembly last week was focused on preparing the final version of the House’s proposed budget.

Our budget subcommittees are crafting their final budgets to submit to the full Appropriations Committee. I’m on the Education Appropriations Sub-Committee and we voted on our budget last Thursday before I left Raleigh. The cuts we had to make in Education and Health and Human Services are enough to make you sick to your stomach. The cuts are terrible. There’s simply no other way to describe them. After the bill is voted upon by the full committee, it will go the House floor for additional debate, and a final proposal could be approved as early as late this week or early next week. A conference committee comprised of members of the House and Senate will then negotiate a final version of the budget to submit to the governor.

This budget will contain little good news, as I’ve warned for several months now. The global economic downturn has reached North Carolina and our tax revenue is down about 20 percent from last year. We will have to cut all areas of our budget to meet this smaller revenue target. Education, particularly our community colleges, will get smaller cuts, but still must be trimmed in this environment.

I received many telephone calls and emails from constituents last week about the proposed budget. I welcome your calls and emails. I try to answer them as quickly as possible. Rest assured, we’ll do the best we can dealing with the budget deficit we face. I deeply regret the cuts we’re making, but until our economy recovers, we will have to reduce services.

Thank you as always for your interest in state government. I have included some information below to update you about the progress of several pieces of proposed legislation. I hope you will be in touch if I can be of any assistance.

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June 1, 2009

Last week, we continued the difficult task of writing the House budget for the coming fiscal year. In an attempt to shore up our state’s expected $4.6 billion shortfall, House members are considering a number of money-saving measures. As a member of the House Education Appropriations Sub-Committee, I’ve received numerous emails regarding the proposed cuts in the education budget. They are painful cuts but unfortunately necessary if we are to meet our budget numbers. I realize we’re making decisions that affect people’s lives. Certainly none of us takes any pleasure in the decisions we’re having to make. We continue to be committed to education as hard as that may be to believe right now. Education will take fewer cuts (as a %) than some other areas but there will be deep cuts all across state government. It is challenging to decide where and how to save money, but these hard decisions are unavoidable if we are to meet our Constitutional duty to balance the budget in the face of a 20 percent drop in revenues. After the House votes on its budget, conferees will be appointed to develop a final budget that will then be presented to both the House and the Senate.

Many important, effective and popular programs are going to be eliminated or severely cut back as we refine our budget over the next few weeks. At the same time, we may have to increase some fees. I continue to oppose any new taxes and hope none will be forthcoming.

These budget saving measures may be painful in the short term, but they are necessary if we are to protect programs and services that enable us to provide a quality education at all levels, meet the health needs of our most vulnerable persons, maintain and cultivate jobs, and keep us safe in our homes, neighborhoods and schools.

We are trying to spur the economy when we can and protect people’s investments in their homes. This week, we approved several bills that could help the state attract new investment and new building. I have included some information about those bills below.

I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.

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May 26, 2009

After two weeks of long sessions and committee meetings dealing with bills that have no monetary impact, the House of Representatives has turned its focus to crafting the next budget. The outlook is grim, as I have shared with you a number of times, but we are doing our best to accommodate a 20 percent drop in revenue.

As always, education will remain our top priority and it’s a priority we share with both Gov. Perdue and Senate budget writers. Education cannot be spared from cuts, though, since it comprises nearly 60 percent of our budget. Our aim is to trim judiciously so that we protect the classroom and allow our children to receive the best possible instruction we can provide.

Since we celebrate Memorial Day this week, it is fitting to acknowledge some measures we have taken this legislative session to improve the lives of veterans and members of the Armed Forces in North Carolina. These measures include everything from making it easier for them to renew their drivers’ licenses and cast timely ballots to protecting our severely injured veterans from being denied unemployment insurance benefits if they lose a job as a result of injuries sustained in war.

Memorial Day was established in 1868 to pay tribute to individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. We must never forget the importance of their oaths and their sacrifices.

As always, I welcome any thoughts or ideas you may have to share with me and I hope you will let me know if I can be of any service.

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May 18, 2009

The past two weeks in Raleigh have been extraordinarily busy as we approached the legislative “crossover” deadline. The deadline requires that all bills unrelated to spending or the budget pass out of at least one chamber or not be eligible during this biennium.

Our hard work last week paid off, as we made significant progress on legislation that I believe makes our state a better place to live. Among other things, we passed legislation to protect homeowners and added transparency to government and campaign financing. The following information highlights some other bills of interest that passed the House this week.

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions, and I hope that you will contact me if I can be of any assistance. Thank you for taking an interest in state government.

Health

A bill that would prohibit smoking in bars and restaurants passed both the House and the Senate this week (HB 2). The intent of the legislation is to protect North Carolinians from the harm of secondhand smoke. The bill now goes to the governor who has already said she will sign. The bill goes into effect January 1.

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May 11, 2009

Last week was a pivotal week in Raleigh as we continued our work to develop the budget and address the state’s economic situation. We received the most updated and accurate financial figures available to us, and I would like to share them with you.

Thank you as always for your interest in our state and please contact me if I can be of any assistance.

Current Year Revenues

The estimated revenue shortfall for the current year (fiscal year 08-09) has risen from $2.217 billion to $3.167 billion, an additional decrease in revenues of $949.5 million over the January forecast. Estimates are for General Fund collections to fall an unprecedented 10.8% below what was collected in FY2007-08.  Looking over collections data dating back to 1971, the state has never experienced a fall-off in collections of this magnitude. Of the last two recessions, only the 2001-02 baseline shortfall was of major significance at 6.2%.

Most of the change in the May forecast is due to an unparalleled fall in April income tax collections. April 15 final payment checks fell 39.7%.  A primary reason is the widespread impact of the recession. Declines in all sectors of the economy have accelerated losses in income, especially from capital gains in the equity and real estate markets. The January forecast envisioned a decline in final payments of 25%, which was greater than the last two recessions (20-21%), but nowhere close to the 39.7% decline actually experienced this April.

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May 4, 2009

Governor Bev Perdue received the latest information about our revenue picture last week and announced that the state collected $1 billion less in taxes than had been anticipated. The Governor had to take quick action to make up the shortfall, since our constitution requires that the state end every fiscal year with a balanced budget. In this case, she has two months to find $1 billion in savings, in addition to the $2.2 billion for which she had already planned. That forced her to turn to salaries. Personnel costs make up about two-thirds of the state’s total yearly budget.

The Governor made a number of decisions to balance the budget, including pulling money out of our reserve funds. Part of Gov. Perdue’s solution is to withhold one half of one percent of the annual salary of each state employee, including teachers. The total savings for the salary plan amounts to $65 million. Legislative leaders and leaders in the judicial system have agreed that employees in our branches will participate in any reductions or furloughs the Governor orders. This applies also to the salary I receive for being a state legislator as it should. I’d like to say that this will be all that will be required but frankly, I expect we’ll see both voluntary and involuntary furloughs. I can’t overstate the seriousness of the situation. In fiscal year 09-10 we’re looking at a $4 billion revenue shortfall. That’s 20% less than the 08-09 budget. There will have to be deep cuts made in order to have a budget that’s balanced against expected revenues.

There has been some confusion about the Governor’s order. Simply put, it applies to all state employees. The money will be deducted in equal amounts over the next two months. To calculate the total amount of the reduction, divide your yearly salary by 200. That is the total amount of the deduction. In exchange, each employee is being given an additional 10 hours of leave time for this calendar year. In addition, the plan will not negatively impact insurance, vacation, retirement, or longevity pay.

Decisions such as these are not easy and we know these are difficult times, but if the Governor had not acted the state would not have been able to meet its financial obligations, including its payroll.

We also heard from some of our state residents this week during a rare budget public hearing. For nearly three hours, we were fortunate to hear from people with interests in education, the environment, our prisons and our tax code. Budget-writers in the House welcome this guidance and we anticipate your input will help us craft a better budget.

Thank you as always for your interest in our state and please contact me if I can be of any assistance.

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April 27, 2009

We clearly live in challenging economic times and the outlook for our state budget this year reflects the downturn we’ve seen nationally.

State budget experts predict North Carolina will collect about $3 to $4 billion less in taxes in the coming fiscal year than originally anticipated. We should have the numbers in early May. That means the General Assembly will have to cut services and find efficiencies if we are to balance the budget as constitutionally required.

In our effort to gather as much information as possible as we go through this difficult process, House budget writers will hold a hearing this week to gather public comments about the budget. The hearing will be from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, at the North Carolina Museum of History. Ten community colleges across the state will host interactive broadcasts of the hearing and it will also be streamed live on the Internet.

We continue to consider other bills that will help our state move forward and that give municipalities more authority to make local decisions about transportation and campaign financing. We also negotiated a compromise with the Senate to address immediate financial shortcomings in the State Health Plan while we work out a long-term solution.

Thank you for your interest in our state and our work in Raleigh. Please contact me if I can be of any assistance.

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April 20, 2009

There was a lot of important legislation that passed through the House last week that is likely to impact your lives. We spent several hours discussing a bill that would give parents more say in what their children learn about sex in schools and we passed our version of a bill that would shore up the State Health Plan. We also worked to make our streets and highways safer by endorsing a proposal that would outlaw texting while driving.

We also remain hard at work on our budget proposal and continue looking for ways to preserve the programs that are most vital to our state.

The following information highlights a few bills of interest that the House has taken up this week.

As always, I welcome any thoughts or ideas you may have to share with me and I hope you will let me know if I can be of any service.

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April 13, 2009

Our work in Raleigh last week touched on a great many issues, from education to campaign reform and emergency planning. Our daily floor sessions are stretching out to several hours on some days and the pace of our committee work continues to increase.

This week will be a pivotal one in the General Assembly. We are due to receive the latest tax revenue projections and that information will shape the budget that is now in our hands. Our colleagues in the Senate approved their spending plan this week, but additional cuts or increased revenue may be needed to balance the plan depending on what we hear about tax collections. The Senate budget is based on a revenue short fall of approximately $3b. Don’t be surprised when the numbers come in after April 15 if the short fall number isn’t closer to $4b which will require additional cuts.

I am also including some information below about bills of interest that are moving through the House.

As always, I welcome any thoughts or ideas you may have to share with me and I hope you will let me know if I can be of any service.

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April 6, 2009

Last week was a particularly busy week for the House, considering legislation to protect health, boost our state health insurance plan and improve our education system.

I am pleased with the progress we are making in these difficult times. There is little money to spend on new initiatives, but we continue to look for efficiencies and ways to improve the services the state offers. Some of these will come through the policies we are considering. I understand that some of you are concerned about programs you’re hearing about that might be cut. While some cuts are necessary due to a projected $3.5b revenue short fall in fiscal 09-10, nothing is firm yet and won’t be until all the budgets are in and a final budget negotiated.

The bill we approved to limit smoking in public and in workplaces (H2, which I cosponsored) would limit exposure to secondhand smoke and the health problems with which it is associated. Our hope is that this change in the law would lower health care costs for many people. The bill now goes to the Senate.

We also elected new members to the University Of North Carolina Board Of Governors. I am very please to announce that I had sponsored and we elected. Jim Deal of Boone to the Board of Governors. Jim is the immediate pass Chair of the ASU Board of Trustees and is currently Chair of the Watauga County Commissioners. Jim will be a great addition to the board. It’s the first time in the history of the Board of Governors that we’ve had a member from Watauga County. Congratulations Jim!

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions, and I hope that you will contact me if I can be of any assistance.

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March 30, 2009

Last week, we continued our work to improve the lives of the people of North Carolina. We moved a number of important bills to make life easier for our military members, improve education and protect your safety. A number of these initiatives continue to work through our committees and will be discussed on our chamber floor within the next few weeks. Work continues on the budget. I’m getting lots of calls and emails about the governor’s proposal to cut longevity pay. Remember, the governor’s budget is just the first step in the budgeting process. Nothing is firm yet. I’ll do the best I can to keep longevity pay.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and ideas about my work in Raleigh and I have included below information about some of the legislation we are considering. I look forward to hearing from you.

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March 23, 2009

Governor Perdue released her proposed budget for 2009-2011 last week and as expected made many deep cuts. The governor’s proposal would cut at least 20 government programs, close seven prisons and result in the loss of hundreds of jobs. The governor’s budget is just the first step in the budgeting process. Both the House and the Senate will do their own budget and then conferees will negotiate the final budget.

The governor also made it clear that education would continue to be her priority. Her proposed budget would actually increase per pupil spending in North Carolina, just as she promised to do in her State of the State address. While neither the University of North Carolina campuses nor the community college system would see an increase in funding, the Governor’s budget would target money to boost financial aid and to help train students of all ages for work in emerging fields. Like the governor, I remain committed to providing every child in North Carolina with a world class education that will enable them to compete in the global economy. Education is the key to North Carolina’s long-term economic success.

Aid from the federal stimulus package will play a major role in shoring up North Carolina’s expected $3.4 billion budget shortfall. Among other things, federal money will be used for much needed transportation projects and will help increase education spending by $350 million over the next two years. I continue to be concerned about using stimulus dollars to fill budget gaps. The stimulus money is non-reoccurring which means it won’t be there next year. I think we need to go ahead and make the tough calls and live within our projected revenue. You can get more information about her budget proposal by visiting: http://www.governor.state.nc.us/budget.aspx.

Thank you as always for your interest in your state. Please contact me if I can be of any assistance.

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March 16, 2009

Governor Beverly E. Perdue delivered her historic first “State of the State” address last week to a joint session of the General Assembly, and I was honored to be among those in the audience. I thought the Governor gave a great “feel good” speech but would have liked more budget specifics.

In her speech, the governor made it clear that, despite the economic slowdown, education will remain the state’s top priority. I was glad to hear her say that. As I’ve said many times in this report, nothing we do is more important than the education we provide our young people. It’s an investment in our state’s future. Providing every child in North Carolina with a world class education will be imperative to our state’s economic survival in the long term. In this ailing economy, it will also be vital to break down the financial barriers that restrict access to higher education for many young people.

Most House members share the Governor’s priorities. We realize we need to continue to help build new, burgeoning industries such as biotechnology and biofuels. We need to support small businesses and we need to provide resources for our students.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and ideas about my work in Raleigh and I have included below information about some of the legislation we are considering. I look forward to hearing from you.

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March 9, 2009

The pace of our work in the General Assembly continues to increase and our committees are meeting regularly to consider some of the hundreds of bills that have been proposed. The economy, our budget and job creation remain our top priorities as we weigh what we can do in these difficult times.

Governor Perdue will visit our chamber this week to deliver an address (her first State of the State) to the General Assembly and I expect we will learn more about her plans for the state. Already, she has signaled that she intends to do all she can to protect and improve education. A position I agree with. Fittingly, she signed a bill into law this week that enables her to clarify leadership roles at the Department of Public Instruction.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and ideas about my work in Raleigh and I have included below information about some of the legislation we are considering. I look forward to hearing from you.

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March 2, 2009

We received notice last week that with the passage of the federal stimulus bill, North Carolina is on track to receive about $6.1 billion over the next 27 months. The governor’s office and members of the General Assembly are working diligently to determine how the money will be best spent. We received a briefing as to how the stimulus money would assist our education budget for 09-10.

Governor Perdue has already announced 70 highway and bridge projects that will soon get under way across the state. These 70 projects will be paid for with $466 million in federal stimulus money. The money is half of what the state will receive for transportation projects and had to be obligated within four months. It is expected to create about 14,000 jobs for the state.

The King Street project in Boone is back on the schedule as a result of the stimulus package. We desperately need to get this project finished in concert with the opening of the new high school. Otherwise, we’ll have traffic grid-lock.

We continued to have briefings last week on the budget and current revenue projections. I wish I had better news, but I don’t. The truth is, there will be some tough cuts in the 09-10 budget. We just have to “suck it up”, deal with it and plan for better days. We’ll get through this financial crisis but in the meantime we have to do what has to be done. I will do my best to protect education, our teachers and our state employees.

Even as our focus remains on the state’s fiscal situation, we have also remained busy with other matters. Below are a few of the bills filed recently that you many be interested in, including several that would help members of our military.

As always, feel free to contact my office if you need any assistance.

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February 23, 2009

Attention in the House of Representatives turned again this week towards our increased high school dropout prevention efforts.

House Speaker Joe Hackney joined with about three dozen other legislators to announce his intentions to keep his dropout initiative operating through the next two years. As a member of the Study Commission on High School Dropouts and High School Graduation, I attended the press conference. Obviously, it’ll be tough getting funding for another round of drop-out grants but we can’t let up. It’s simply too important.

The House will again hold a series of public hearings throughout the state and will also visit some of the roughly 120 programs that have active grants. The programs are spread throughout the state and address dropout prevention in a variety of ways. Watauga County Schools received a grant this year and I look forward to getting the results of their work. The whole idea behind these grants is to see if someone out there has found a better way to “skin the cat” so to speak. We want to find programs that work so that they can be offered to other school systems across the state. Not that “one size fits all”, but if we can identify several programs that actually reduce drop-outs then school systems can choose from several and use only those they think will work best in their system.

This program, and the many others run by both public and private groups in our state, will help our state remain competitive. Education is increasingly important in a poor economy, when jobs are at a premium and employers have a greater pool of workers from which to choose.

According to the State Board of Education, the overall dropout rate in North Carolina fell from 5.24 percent during the 2006-2007 school year to 4.97 percent during the 2007-2008 school year. This was the first decline after two years of increase and we must work to keep pushing that number lower.

The following information highlights some of the bills that have been filed in recent days to help improve our education system and keep more students in school.

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February 16, 2009

The House of Representatives has wrapped up its second full week of the 2009-2010 legislative biennium and we made a great deal of progress in preparing for the work ahead. House Speaker Joe Hackney announced our committee assignments last Wednesday, and we are now ready to get to work on the more than 160 bills that have already been filed.

Much of the work of our chamber is done in committees. Every bill that comes up for a vote on the House floor has been reviewed and debated by at least two committees, and often the most important changes we see happen during committee meetings.

Every House member serves on several committees, and I am pleased to report that I will be serving on the following committees for the 2009-2010 legislative session:

I will be serving as Chairman of a new House Committee, Water Resources and Infrastructure. I will serve as a Vice Chairman of two House Committees, Environment and Natural Resources and Appropriations Subcommittee on Education In addition, I will serve on the Appropriations, Commerce, Small business and Entrepreneurship, Education, Agriculture, Education Subcommittee on Universities and Energy and Energy Efficiency Committees. A total of 9 committees. Looks like I’ll stay busy.

We unanimously voted to change our committee structure to add a committee for Marine Resources and Aquaculture and a committee for Water Resources and Infrastructure. We also combined the State Government and State Personnel committees into a single body, and changed the Ways and Means Committee to Ways and Means/Broadband Connectivity.

I would now like to share some of the legislation that has been proposed in the past few days. I hope it will be of interest to you.

As always, please contact me if I can be of service to you.

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February 9, 2009

This week marked the first full week of the 2009 legislative session and I and other legislators used this time to prepare for the difficult decisions ahead of us.

The Fiscal Research Division of the General Assembly held two important meetings this week to brief lawmakers on the status of the budget and the State Health Plan. These briefings confirmed what we have known for several months – the poor national economic situation has come to North Carolina and will cause us to lose an estimated $2 billion in revenue this fiscal year and at least that much next year. I hate to keep “beating the same drum”, but this will be a very difficult budget year. Cuts will have to be made in order to balance the budget. The cuts will affect every state department so we might as well get prepared for them. It’s regrettable but since our Constitution requires us to balance the budget, we have no choice. My fear is that unemployment figures will reach double digits before this is over. We will survive this, we always do but it’ll take all of us working together and being willing to accept cuts in some of our favorite programs or initiatives. We also learned that the health plan will need an estimated $300 million this year and that we will either have to change the plan or put in hundreds of millions more in the years ahead for it to remain solvent. It’s going to take a combination of changes to the plan to keep it solvent. I want to make sure and will fight for that we don’t do it totally on the backs of our teachers and other state employees.

We also renewed our training in the state’s ethics laws and continue to meet with advocates for a variety of causes.

So far, House members have already filed more than 70 bills. I want to share some of their ideas with you and I hope that you’ll let me know what you think about them.

As always, I look forward to working with you in the months ahead.

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February 2, 2009

The General Assembly returned to session last week to begin our work, and there is much to do. In the coming months, we will work to improve the state’s economic health, further reform the mental health system and address much needed transportation projects, among other things.

As is tradition, after taking the oath of office, we elected our leaders in the House on the opening day of session and we are now waiting for our committee assignments. As I’ve said before, in my initial meetings with Speaker Hackney I’ve basically asked to stay on the Committees I served on in the last session. Soon after that, our committees will begin in earnest to consider the legislation that is already being filed. A number of bills were filed last week and I have some that’ll be filed this week including money for Horn in the West as well as an appropriation to build two additional Family Assistance Centers for our military families, especially our National Guard families. I’ll have more to say next week about other bills I’m filing.

Thank you again to all of you for your support as we begin this session. I look forward to working with you and hope you will call on me if I can be of any assistance.

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January 26, 2009

Earlier this week, House Speaker Joe Hackney and Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight officially established a joint study committee to consider the financial and environmental implications of oil and natural gas exploration off our state’s coast. This is a critical issue now as our nation continues to work toward energy independence. The possibility of “off shore” drilling has been a controversial issue across our state. It will be the role of this study committee to examine all sides and all issues before making any recommendations.

This study group will be the last group appointed before the General Assembly reconvenes next week. A group of legislators will be appointed later to review the group’s work and to work on any legislation that may be needed to carry out its recommendations. I will carefully monitor this new committee’s meetings and recommendations. Once the legislature receives their report, I’ll share it with you or at least the highlights and recommendations.

I am excited to return to Raleigh and work on your behalf and I hope you will continue to share your ideas and questions with me as we tackle difficult issues.

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January 19, 2009

This is a momentous time in history for North Carolinians and the nation alike. North Carolina has just inaugurated Bev Perdue as our first female governor, and this week our nation will inaugurate the first African American President, Barack Obama. Because this is such a historically significant time, it seems appropriate to reflect upon what our state government has done lately to address the issues of justice and equality.

The following information highlights some of the policies that the General Assembly enacted during the 2007-2008 session to improve justice and equality across the state. While our state has made important strides in advancing justice and equality, the following information is meant to serve as an example of how far we have come and a reminder of work yet to be done.

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January 12, 2009

As is usually the case, several new state laws went into place this year and I wanted to bring you up to date on these important changes. These laws address several important issues, including insurance, health and the environment.

Please contact me if you have any questions and thank you for your interest in state government. I look forward to working with you in the coming session.

Transportation

The General Assembly has passed a new law (SB 509) that increases the amount of time people have to get their vehicles re-inspected after failing a motor vehicle inspection from 30 days to 60 days. The law also waives the civil penalty for failure to meet the emissions inspection requirement while on active military duty outside the state. The law also does away with the familiar inspection window stickers and ties the inspection date to the yearly registration renewal.

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January 5, 2009

Before the 2009-2010 legislative session convenes on January 28, 2009, state legislators and other employees at the General Assembly must prepare for the upcoming session in a variety of ways. I thought this week I’d review some of the “housekeeping” duties that have to be handled.

Prior to the convening of session, Democratic and Republican members of the House elect their party leader and nominate their candidates for House Speaker and Speaker Pro Tempore. The House Democratic caucus elected House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman of Davidson County to a second term while the Republican caucus elected Rep. Paul Stam of Wake County to a second term as House Minority Leader. Rep. Thom Tillis of Mecklenburg County will be the Republican Whip. The Democrats have not yet elected their whips. That election will take place shortly after the session opens.

The House Democratic caucus nominated Speaker Joe Hackney of Orange County and Speaker Pro Tempore William Wainwright of Craven County for second terms. The election for the posts will be held on the first day of session.

The Speaker has several of these housekeeping duties in his job description. He must assign each member a parking space, an office and a seat in the House chamber. He must also approve the hiring of legislative assistants and approve how many hours they work. Much of that work will take place early in the session.

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Rep. Hugh Holliman
Majority Leader,
NC House