The Raleigh Report
From the Office of Cullie Tarleton
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.
Education
Intellectually gifted students under the age of 16 would again be allowed to attend North Carolina community colleges under a bill (HB 65) sponsored by both Republican and Democratic members of the House. I have signed on as a co-sponsor of this bill.
House Bill 56 would increase funding for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching by $1 million a year for the next two years. The center serves as a resource to teachers throughout the state.
I introduced a bill in the House to restore the teacher’s ABC Bonus money for 2008.
Parents would choose whether their children are taught only abstinence or an abstinence-based comprehensive sex education curriculum under a bill (HB 88) introduced this week. Existing North Carolina law requires the teaching of only abstinence until marriage and school boards must hold public hearings before they are allowed to teach more comprehensive curricula.
Defense
Lawmakers have filed a bill (HB 55) that would appropriate $1 million to support the Defense and Security Technology Accelerator. The center is a business incubator focusing on economic development opportunities in the industries relating to homeland security and national defense.
Labor
Members of the House have filed a bill (HB 22) that would enhance youth employment protections by requiring the Commissioner of Labor to report on enforcement activities. A separate bill (HB 23) would increase the penalties for violations of child labor laws.
Insurance
A bill (HB 26) has been filed that would impose a temporary stay on insurance rate increases statewide on homes valued at $150,000 or less. The bill would also impose a stay on deductible and surcharge increases for permanent residents in coastal communities.
Animals
Lawmakers have filed a bill, commonly known as “Davie’s Law”, which would require humane euthanasia of animals in animal shelters (HB 6).
Another bill (HB 27) would regulate the euthanasia of animals and prohibit specified methods of euthanasia of animals. I am the primary sponsor of this bill. My bill will not permit the gassing of our cats and dogs but will allow the counties time to phase in.
Environment
A bill has been filed (HB 28) that would establish a Legislative Research Commission to study whether farms should be granted greenhouse gas credits as part of any government program that would limit the emission of such gases.
Lawmakers have filed a bill (HB 54) that would appropriate $50,000 to help pay for the monitoring and cleanup of groundwater contamination and other damage at the Texifi plant site in Fayetteville.
Cell Phones
Lawmakers have filed legislation (HB 9) that would make it illegal to text message while driving. This is another bill I have co-sponsored.
Legislation has also been filed that would make cell phones illegal in North Carolina prisons (HB 8).
Lawmakers have filed a bill (HB 68) that would make using a mobile phone or accessing additional technology against the law while operating a motor vehicle on a public street, highway or public vehicular area.
Term lengths
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have sponsored legislation (HB 71 and HB 72) that would increase legislative terms to four years instead of two. The change would require a constitutional amendment, which would have to be approved by voters before becoming law. I did not sign on to this bill. I actually agree with the bill but would prefer to see it come from an outside policy group rather than from within the legislature.
Notes
Our good friend and long time N C Insurance Commissioner, Jim Long, passed away last week. When I talked with some folks at the Commissioner’s office two weeks ago, the news was encouraging. Unfortunately Jim suffered another stroke while in the hospital from which he was not able to recover. Sylvia and I went to the funeral home last Wednesday night while the family was receiving to pay our respects and express our condolences to Peg and the family. Jim loved North Carolina and its people. He was the consumer’s friend and advocate and we shall miss him. Our prayers are with Peg and the family.
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