Gov. Beverly Perdue earlier this week vetoed three bills that impinge upon the rights of individuals in this state. I support those vetoes. A schedule of the redistricting process for Congressional and N.C. legislative maps is listed at the end of the newsletter. Medical Malpractice Bill Senate Bill 33, also known as “Med Mal” (short for “medical malpractice”), in its current form is unbalanced because it doesn’t protect those who might be catastrophically injured by negligence from health care providers. The …
Category: Politics
Senator Richard Burr Message
This Week in Washington This week, the President announced a plan to drawdown our current troop levels in Afghanistan and bring home the 33,000 American troops who were part of the “surge” that began in 2009. I am hopeful that this plan achieves the appropriate balance between building on the progress that American forces have made in Afghanistan, ensuring stability in the region – particularly in Pakistan – and handing over security to the Afghan people. On Wednesay, the Congressional …
Gov. Perdue restores jobless benefits for 47,000
Gov. Bev Perdue restored unemployment benefits for thousands of North Carolina families who have been used as pawns by Republican leaders in the legislature. For weeks, Gov. Perdue has called on legislative Republicans to pass a clean bill that restores the unemployment benefits–which are paid entirely with federal money. Instead, Republicans have used these families as leverage in an attempt to force Gov. Perdue to accept budget cuts that would inflict severe and unnecessary cuts to our schools and other …
Senator Richard Burr Message
This September marks the ten-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed 2,977 unsuspecting citizens in Manhattan, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon. This attack on our homeland sharpened our collective world view and thrust our society into a new phase, a Post-9/11 America. After that day, thousands of young men and women from all walks of life were inspired to join the Armed Forces and dedicate themselves to protecting our way of life and preserving the exceptional freedoms we enjoy as …
Governor Perdue Message
Governor, Cabinet secretaries hit the road on ‘Education Works’ tour Gov. Perdue and her cabinet secretaries marked week two of her “Education Works” tour — visiting schools, community colleges and classrooms across North Carolina in an effort to keep the focus on North Carolina’s top priority: education. Gov. Perdue kicked off the week with a jobs announcement in Lincolnton, where Aptar Corporation pledged to create 150 new jobs. The company told the governor that a primary reason they chose North …
Senator Doug Berger Message
Education Cuts Concern Citizens Rep. Michael Wray and I held a town hall meeting last Thursday in Henderson. Approximately 55 people showed up to voice their concerns about cuts in the education budget. As I told the crowd, cuts will have to be made somewhere in the state budget, so it’s a question of where they will be. Most citizens stated that they were willing to continue paying a 1-cent sales tax scheduled to expire July 1 in order …
Michael H. Wray’s Raleigh Report
The state Senate is continuing to craft a proposed budget and has indicated its draft of the plan may be presented next week. I am hopeful that the Senate will improve its initial version and restore some of the millions of dollars cut out of education in the House plan. Our chamber has considered a number of issues this week, both on the chamber floor and elsewhere and I have included updates about them below. If you have any questions, …
Butterfield, CBC Discuss Jobs with Obama
Washington, D.C. – Congressman G. K. Butterfield met with President Barack Obama at the White House this week along with members of the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss job creation and economic growth. “While the economy has added 2.1 million private sector jobs over the past 14 months, including more than 800,000 jobs since the beginning of the year, too many Americans families are still hurting and the unemployment rate is unacceptably high—especially among African Americans,” Butterfield said. Butterfield said …
Senator Richard Burr Message
I am honored to announce that I will be joining the Senate Finance Committee, and I thank Senator McConnell and the Republican Conference for allowing me the opportunity to serve on this important committee. There is no aspect of our daily lives that is not touched by the laws and regulations that fall under the committee’s jurisdiction, from the tax code and our nation’s trade laws to health care and retirement security. Regrettably, many of these laws and regulations have …
Governor, cabinet launch ‘Education Works’ tour
Gov. Perdue and her cabinet secretaries will spend the next seven days showing how “Education Works” – visiting classrooms in public schools and community colleges around the state and talking to teachers, students and local leaders about the importance of education in our economic recovery. The new focus follows the governor’s Jobs Tour of April, during which she announced 4,700 new and retained jobs and a quarter billion dollars in new investment from businesses. It also comes on the heels …
Butterfield: GOP Medicare Cuts Would Cost Retirees $182,000
Washington, D.C. – Congressman G. K. Butterfield warns that under the House Republican’s plan to cut and privatize Medicare future retirees will need to save an additional $182,000 to cover their increased health care costs. According to a detailed analysis by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), it’s estimated that under the House Republican Medicare plan, individuals born in 1957 would need an additional $182,000 by the time they retire at 65 to pay the additional costs if …
Senator Douglas Berger Message
Attack on Rural North Carolina The budget recently passed by the House includes deep cuts to many departments and services, but the bill also completely abolishes both the Health & Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF) and the Tobacco Trust Fund, and intercepts Golden LEAF’s funding for at least the next two years and possibly longer. The plundering of these much-needed programs represents an assault on rural community development and public health in our state. These three funds were created by the …
Senator Richard Burr Message
After a Congressional recess, I was back in Washington this week where, like they were all across the country, everyone was talking about the outstanding work of our Special Forces and the death of Osama bin Laden. This is a major development in our fight against terrorism and proves our resolve to hold accountable those who harm American citizens. However, we must remain vigilant and not lose focus on the overall mission and our goal of eradicating terrorist threats. There …
Gov. Perdue fights for education
Gov. Bev Perdue fought for public education this [past] week while the North Carolina House adopted a budget proposal that would have a devastating effect on North Carolina’s future. Gov. Perdue rallied with educators, visited schools and urged the General Assembly to consider the generational damage the House budget would cause to the state’s children and future workforce. Gov. Perdue noted the budget came during National Teacher Appreciation week. “We celebrate our teachers because they are the men and women …
Senator Doug Berger message
Unemployment Benefits Update Many of you have contacted my office asking about the status of the bill that would extend benefits for long-term unemployed residents of the state. Approximately 37,000 North Carolinians who have been unemployed longer than 79 weeks lost their benefits on April 16. Senate Bill 584, a bipartisan measure that would allow federal funding to provide 20 more weeks of benefits, has languished in the Finance Committee since April 14. This bill deserves immediate action because people …
Senator Berger Message
How Will the Budget Affect Our Communities? Rep. Michael Wray and I will hold a public forum on the proposed House budget and its impact on four key areas of our district. The forum is slated for 7-9 p.m. Thursday, May 12, at the old courthouse in Henderson, 122 Young St. Speakers will be: · Carolyn Paylor, executive director of Franklin-Granville-Vance Partnership for Children, will speak on the Smart Start program. For more information on Smart Start, click here. The …
From Senator Doug Berger
Voice Your Opinion Gov. Beverly Perdue has vetoed House Bill 383 which ties the extension of unemployment benefits to 37,000 North Carolinians to negotiations over the 2011-12 budget. The bill would have limited her ability to bargain effectively over the budget plan with the new majority. Other bills have been introduced to separate the two issues so that extended unemployment benefits might be provided, free of any budget talks and at an accelerated pace so that families won’t have to …
Senator Berger Newsletter
Extended Unemployment Benefits Held Hostage The House and Senate passed legislation on Thursday extending unemployment insurance benefits for 37,000 North Carolinians, but passage came with a catch. The provision extending benefits also mandated that Gov. Perdue’s proposed budget would be reduced by 13 percent and serve as a continuation budget for one year if a biannual budget is not finalized by June 30. The Governor vetoed the bill on Saturday. Democrats opposed the bill for several reasons. Budget negotiations should …
Kearney appointed to Ward 1 ward seat
Former Vance County Board of Elections Chair James C. Kearney, Jr. was appointed to the Henderson City Council with a six vote majority during Monday’s regular monthly meeting of the Henderson City Council.