RALEIGH — N.C. House Speaker Jim Black (D-Mecklenburg), Majority Leader Joe Hackney (D-Orange) and other members of the House Democratic Caucus today announced their plan to improve education, health care and our state’s economy during the upcoming short session of the Legislature, which begins at noon.
The legislators called on Republican members of the House to work in a bipartisan way in order to continue moving North Carolina forward and accomplish the important priorities of the people.
The legislators announced their five-part Plan for a Secure Future, which calls on the Legislature to:
1. Provide the opportunity of a lifetime — a quality education;
2. Create jobs that create strong, healthy and more prosperous families;
3. Insure our future by insuring the health and safety of our citizens;
4. Take action when the President and Congress won’t; and
5. Give people confidence in a government that works for them.
In announcing the plan, Speaker Black said, “The House Democratic Caucus is united, we are ready to hit the ground running today at noon to accomplish the people’s business, and we hope the Republicans will join with us to make progress on these important issues. We all want a secure and prosperous future for North Carolina. We want our children to receive a great education in a safe environment. We want to work hard in good jobs for a fair wage. We want access to quality and affordable medical care and health insurance for all North Carolinians, young and old. And, we want our tax dollars to be spent wisely by a government that works for her citizens. Our Plan for a Secure Future addresses the major challenges facing our state and it makes sure that no one is left behind as North Carolina moves forward.”
Majority Leader Hackney and other legislators detailed several specific proposals, which are expected to be introduced in the early days of the session.
“We believe that investing in education is the most important thing we can do for our people and our economy,” said Rep. Hackney. “We must work harder to prepare our students to compete in the global economy. We will increase teacher pay and make sure that lottery proceeds are only spent on education. We believe that our workers must make good wages and have health care benefits, and we will increase the state’s minimum wage and give state employees a long deserved pay raise. We have the opportunity this year to do more for education and health care than ever before, and the House Democratic Caucus plans to take action and keep North Carolina on the right track.”
Members of the House Democratic Caucus plan to introduce legislation that will:
* Raise the salaries of teachers and state employees
* Dedicate all lottery proceeds to education and establish a new oversight board
* Ensure every child in North Carolina receives a quality education in a safe and secure environment
* Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health insurance to their employees
* Increase the state’s minimum wage
* Promote job growth
* Make health care a part of the job
* Implement mental health reform
* Protect the health of children
* Protect our communities from sexual predators
* Be prepared for health-related emergencies and natural disasters
* Cap the state’s gas tax
* Crack down on illegal immigrants
* Pass campaign finance and lobbying reforms and hold public officials to a higher standard
Speaker Black also expressed hope that legislators would act quickly on the recommendations of the many interim study committees that he has created since last fall, in addition to their work on the state budget.
“The people of North Carolina expect us to come to Raleigh each week to work on the issues that matter most to their families, and they expect us to work together in a bipartisan way,” Speaker Black said. “We’ve done it before and I hope that we’re able to do it again, so we can get the people’s business done and adjourn for the year. We all want to make additional progress on improving education, health care and our state’s economy and now’s the time to prove it.”
House members announced that they would hold additional press conferences in the coming days as they introduce legislation on the priority issues in their Plan for a Secure Future. The first press conference was scheduled for Tuesday morning to kick-off efforts to increase the state’s minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 per hour. Rep. Alma Adams (D-Guilford) and other House Democrats plan to introduce the minimum wage legislation when session begins today.
“I strongly support the House Democrats’ plan to improve education, health care and the economy during the 2006 Short Session and will work with the House and Senate to pass our Plan for a Secure Future,” said Rep. Michael H. Wray.
The plan may be read in its entirety here.