The Raleigh Report
From the Office of Cullie Tarleton
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.
Domestic Violence
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have filed legislation that would make a series of changes to the state’s domestic violence laws based on the recommendations of the Joint Legislative Committee on Domestic Violence. Among other things, the bill would direct the legislature to study state oversight and coordination of services for victims of sexual violence, and would support a statewide domestic violence protective order notification system.
A bill has been filed that would award money to the Domestic Violence Center Fund. The bill (HB 151 which I co-sponsored) would also appropriate funds for the purchase and maintenance of online, web-based software for grant application and distribution for domestic violence, sexual assault, and displaced homemaker grant funds.
Children
Lawmakers have proposed the Healthy Youth Act, which would provide for abstinence until marriage and comprehensive sexuality education programs in grades seven through nine. Under existing law, sexual education programs are limited to teaching abstinence until marriage. If enacted, this new legislation (HB 88) would allow for parents to choose whether to enroll their child in a program that teaches only abstinence until marriage or to enroll their child in a program that teaches a more comprehensive sexuality curriculum that begins with a strong emphasis on abstinence.
Health
A bill has been filed that would require health care facilities to give a patient or client the option of choosing to have a personal care services provider be of the same gender as the client. The bill (HB 95) would also require the facility to inform the resident or client if the facility does not employ personnel of both genders.
Transportation
Lawmakers have filed a bill that would establish a Congestion Relief and Intermodal Transportation 21st Century Fund, which would provide for the allocation of funds to local governments and transportation authorities for public transportation purposes. The fund would also be used to expand intercity passenger rail service, among other things. The bill would also allow municipalities to levy up to a half-cent sales tax exclusively for mass transit, but only if it’s first approved by voters. The bill (HB 148 another bill I co-sponsored) is based on legislation Mecklenburg County used to finance its downtown light rail system and to supplement the operation of its buses.
Miscellaneous
I joined with my fellow House members on Thursday to officially honor the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP is the nation's oldest, largest and most widely recognized civil rights groups with more than a half-million members. In North Carolina, the NAACP remains an active advocate for all the people of our state.
Congratulations to Ashe County High School Social Studies Department Chair, Terry Williams, who has been recognized as Social studies Teacher of the Year by the N C Council for Social Studies. Terry we’re proud of you and thank you for what you do for our children.
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