The Raleigh Report
From the Office of Cullie Tarleton
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.
Education
An act to make science safer in public schools has been unanimously approved in the House. One of the measures in the bill (HB 42, I co-sponsored) would direct each local board of education to certify to the State Board of Education that its high school and middle school science laboratories are equipped with appropriate personal protective equipment for students and teachers. The bill now goes to the Senate.
Gifted students under the age of 16 could continue to attend community colleges under a bill (HB 65, I co-sponsored) that would re-enact a law that expired last September. The bill has moved through the House and is now in the Senate. The bill would also allow for students under the age of 14 to enroll in a Learn & Earn online course through a community college for college credit if that student has received appropriate approval. The intent of the bill is to serve the bright young people of North Carolina who want to get a head start on their college education.
Members of the House elected eight members to the board that directs policy for the 16 campuses of the University of North Carolina system. Three of the eight members elected on Wednesday are new to the Board. The new members are Bill Daughtridge, a Rocky Mount businessman and former House member; Walter Davenport, a Raleigh accountant and trustee chairman at Elizabeth City State University; and James Deal Jr., a Boone attorney and trustee at Appalachian State University. The five re-elected members are Fred Mills Sr., a Raleigh construction executive; Dudley Flood, a public speaker and educational consultant from Raleigh; Charles Mercer Jr., a Raleigh attorney; Dr. Al Roseman, an endodontist from Wilmington; and David Young, an Asheville business owner.
Health
Legislation that would require more disclosure of medical malpractice judgments or settlements has received approval in the House and now heads to the Senate. The bill (HB 703) would require all physicians and physician assistants who are licensed or applying for licensure to report medical malpractice judgments or settlements to the North Carolina Medical Board. The board is now authorized to publish the information within the confines of medical and legal ethics.
Smoking would be banned in restaurants and workplaces that employ or serve people under 18 years of age under a proposed law that has come through the House (HB 2). If the bill is approved in the Senate, North Carolina would join 35 other states with some sort of smoking ban. During several hours of debate on the bill, proponents argued that the smoking ban would improve the overall health of North Carolinians and limit unwanted exposure to dangerous secondhand smoke. Opponents of the bill claim that it infringes upon personal property rights of both individuals and business owners.
Economic Recovery
North Carolina’s House and Senate Committees on Economic Recovery met this week to discuss tax provisions and transportation expenditures in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). As I mentioned last week, Speaker Hackney appointed me to the House Committee and I participated in the meeting. ARRA is the federal stimulus package set in motion by President Obama to address the national economic downturn. North Carolina will receive about $6.1 billion to help with our own economic recovery efforts. For more information on how the act will affect North Carolina, please visit the website at: www.ncrecovery.gov.
Environment
Governor Perdue signed a bill this week that establishes Grandfather Mountain State Park (SB 89). North Carolina’s newest state park is made up of about 2,500 acres of undeveloped land spanning Watauga, Avery and Caldwell counties. This spring, the state will formally purchase the land from the family of Hugh Morton. I sponsored the bill in the House and was privileged to attend the bill signing and received one of the pens Governor Perdue used to sign the bill. Our thanks to the Morton family for their generosity in making this happen. Representing the Morton family at the signing was Mrs. Hugh (Julia) Morton, their son, Jim Morton, and grandson and current President of Grandfather Mountain, Crae Morton.
Notes
Congratulations to Phyllis Yates, Finance Officer for Ashe County schools for receiving another Certificate of Excellence from the State Board of Education last week.
Governor Purdue has proclaimed April 18-May 2, littler sweep time in North Carolina. Littler continues to be a problem in our state and here in the high country. Let’s all pitch in and do our part to keep our roadways free of ugly litter. Remember, first impressions are lasting and we want to look good for all our visitors.
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