Legislators got right back to work on Tuesday morning after the Memorial Day holiday and we had another busy week in Raleigh as we continue to make progress on the budget and other pieces of legislation.
House budget leaders expect to finalize our budget plan in the next two weeks and then members of the House and Senate will work together to reach a final compromise on spending levels in the budget for the coming year. My colleagues and I also passed legislation on several other issues this week including increasing the state’s minimum wage, a ban on video poker machines and improved training requirements for campaign treasurers.
Please remember that you can listen to each day’s session, committee meetings and press conferences on the General Assembly’s website at www.ncga.net. Once on the site, select “audio,” and then make your selection — i.e. House Chamber, Senate Chamber, Appropriations Committee Room or Press Conference Room.
Budget Update
The Senate gave final approval to its budget plan last Thursday, which means the House is now up to bat. Members of the House Appropriations Committee got right back to work first thing Tuesday morning and will continue their efforts through next week as they finalize our spending proposals on education, health and human services, public safety and our courts, transportation and many other items in the state budget. Budget leaders hope to have a final budget document ready for debate by the full House in two weeks.
House Approves Minimum Wage Increase
By a vote of 72-43 on Tuesday, the House gave its final approval to a $1-per-hour increase in the minimum wage to $6.15, boosting confidence for advocates that a raise will soon come to more than 100,000 North Carolina workers. Last week, the Senate passed the $1 boost as part of its budget. Gov. Mike Easley, who originally proposed an 85-cent raise in his budget, has since backed the $1 proposal. Now the House and the Senate must decide whether to approve the increase through a stand-alone bill or as part of the budget.
Rep. Alma Adams, D-Guilford, said the measure (HB 2174) is about lifting up North Carolina’s working poor. Other supporters promised to push additional legislation in the coming weeks to provide assistance to our state’s small businesses. In addition to most House Republican members, opposition to the increase primarily came from small business and retail groups, while big business did not oppose it.
Over half the states in the nation, including North Carolina, abide by the federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour. The national rate was last increased in 1997. Workers making $5.15 an hour earn about $800 a month or $10,700 a year. An extra dollar an hour would add up to an extra $2,000 a year. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have now raised the minimum wage above the federal level. Recently, Arkansas raised its minimum wage more than a dollar to $6.25 an hour.
Protecting Veterans from Identity Theft
In response to the news of a recent theft of a federal government database that included the names, social security numbers and birthdates of 26.5 million veterans across the nation, Rep. Bruce Goforth (D-Buncombe) has filed a bill to exempt veterans from the fee charged to place a freeze on a credit report. There are approximately 800,000 veterans living in North Carolina. On Thursday, the House approved House Joint Resolution 2852, which will allow the legislation to be considered. A similar measure is also being considered by the Senate and either bill could come up for debate soon.
Veterans who suspect identity theft should call (800) FED-INFO or (800) 333-4636 or go to: www.firstgov.gov/veteransinfo.shtml.
Last year, the General Assembly passed the Identity Theft Protection Act, which gave consumers the right to place a security “freeze” on their credit report. Placing a security freeze on your report would prohibit credit reporting agencies from releasing any information about you to new creditors without your approval, making it difficult for an identity thief to open an account or obtain credit in your name.
Banning Video Poker in North Carolina
The House passed legislation on Wednesday that would ban video poker in North Carolina. The legislation was the result of several weeks of negotiations among legislators, sheriffs and representatives of the employees and machine owners in the video poker industry. The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association supports the compromise bill. Wednesday’s vote on the committee substitute to SB 912 was approved 114 to 1, with Rep. John Blust (R-Guilford) as the only dissenting vote. The Senate is expected to approve the bill on Monday night.
The ban of video poker would be phased in over the next year, in order to give the more than 1,700 employees in the industry enough time to find a new job. The legislation would require current machine owners or businesses to downsize from their current maximum of three machines to two machines by October 1, 2006, and from two machines to one machine by March 1, 2007. A complete ban would take effect on July 1, 2007. Repeat offenders or those caught with five or machines would be guilty of a felony. Current machine owners must sell their machines to individuals outside of North Carolina or to the Cherokee Casino in western North Carolina.
In the past, Speaker Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg, and other House members have supported greater enforcement and regulation of the industry instead of a complete ban due to the number of jobs in the industry. Many employees in the industry have limited education and skills and lack other possible job opportunities. Shortly after the lottery passed last year, Black said it could mean the end of video poker due to the new employment or income opportunities for those currently working in the video poker industry.
1898 Wilmington Race Riots
The final report of the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot Commission was released at a press conference on Wednesday. The nearly 500-page document includes newly discovered pictures not in the December 2005 draft report. To view the entire report, go to: www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/1898-wrrc/.
Images released show where black citizens were killed in the violence that reigned in Wilmington on Nov. 10, 1898. The attack, the Commission reported, was not a riot, but a planned effort by white supremacists to overthrow government officials in New Hanover County at gunpoint – making it the only recorded government overthrow in U.S. history. Most notable among these images is a view of the mob in front of the black-owned newspaper office, which had been destroyed by fire.
The report also examined the economic impact of the riot on Wilmington’s African-American community. It reveals blacks lost positions in government, in professional arenas and as skilled artisans. Black businesses and workers suffered economic decline, though no evidence of widespread seizure of black-owned property was found.
The Commission concluded that North Carolina should provide economic and social compensation to the victims. Recommendations also include that the parties responsible for the violence atone for their own involvement and that the true story of the incident be taught in North Carolina schools.
Mental Health Reform
State mental health officials unveiled a plan on Tuesday they said would encourage more psychiatrists to treat the poor, assemble more teams available to respond in a crisis, and teach other doctors about how to provide basic care. The effort, part of the $89 million set aside in Gov. Mike Easley’s budget proposal and in much of the Senate’s spending plan last week, attempts to jump start a mental health reform effort that started in 2001.
Under the plan released by Health and Human Services Secretary Carmen Hooker Odom, the state’s mental health division would spend millions of dollars to develop mobile crisis teams available when someone has a mental breakdown or to create recovery units and observation beds in community hospitals. Between $1.5 million and $3 million would be used to increase payments for psychiatrists who see patients whose only coverage is from Medicaid or state funds. New programs also would forgive school loans for psychiatrists who agreed to work with subsidized patients. The Department of Health and Human Services also is seeking $4 million in outside grants to teach primary care providers how to provide basic mental health care.
Teenagers & Cell Phones
Teenagers would have to hang up their cell phones before they get behind the wheel in North Carolina under a bill making its way through the Senate. The measure (SB 1289), filed by Sen. Stan Bingham, R-Davidson, would levy court costs and an increased supervisory period for drivers under 18 caught talking on a cell phone, even with a hands-free device. A Senate judiciary panel held its second meeting on Thursday.
The bill has drawn the support of motorist group AAA Carolinas, the governor’s office and the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force. But some lawmakers questioned the bill’s necessity. New drivers in North Carolina already have limited privileges. Teenagers begin with a learner’s permit and may drive only in the daytime with a supervisor in the front seat. Later, they can graduate to a less-restrictive license and then on to a full provisional license.
Drivers who use mobile phones are four times more likely to be involved in a crash that would require a hospital visit than those who don’t, according to a study in a British medical journal last year. Since the graduated licensing program was adopted in 1997, statewide crashes involving 16-year-old drivers are down 34 percent, according to the fatality task force. However, motor vehicle deaths are the leading cause of death for North Carolina teens ages 15-17. Eleven states and the District of Columbia have already banned mobile phone use for some teen drivers.
2006 Hurricane Season Begins June 1st: Be Prepared!
This year’s hurricane season officially began on Thursday, June 1. Emergency management officials say the East Coast could see six major hurricanes rated Category 3 or higher this year. The 2005 season saw seven major hurricanes, 15 smaller hurricanes and a record 27 tropical storms. Officials are encouraging all North Carolinians and visitors to prepare for the possibility of hurricanes and damaging winds, tornados, floods and landslides that accompany the storms that typically strike from June through November.
This week state officials launched a new website — www.readync.org — that includes information on emergency planning for families, seniors, the disabled and pets; first aid; home safety; power outages; how to evacuate and shelter-in-place; and where people can go for local assistance and volunteer opportunities. The site also includes information on the types of severe weather that impact North Carolina, as well as tips for dealing with terrorism, radiation and contagious diseases. The pages include links to other sources of information at the federal, state and local levels. The website will be translated into Spanish and available at www.listonc.org — which is ReadyNC.org in Spanish — early this summer.
In 2004 hurricanes and tropical storms Alex, Bonnie, Charley, Frances, Gaston, Ivan and Jeanne caused more than a dozen deaths and left hundreds of millions of dollars in damages in 50 counties across the state. A hurricane is measured by the speed of its gale-force winds, but ultimately remembered for the massive amounts of water it leaves behind. Flooding causes more damage than any other aspect of a tropical storm or hurricane. People in the North Carolina mountains found that out two years ago, when Frances and Ivan dumped torrential rain within weeks of each other, and Eastern North Carolina communities were devastated following Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
Officials with the North Carolina flood plain mapping program are encouraging homeowners to find out if they live in a high-risk area, and if so, residents should have flood insurance. All residents are encouraged to visit the state’s website to determine if your house or community is at risk: www.ncfloodmaps.com.
The start of the hurricane season is a good reminder that we must all get prepared! A recent poll conducted by Elon University found that 57 percent of the residents in North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida said they and their families have done nothing to get ready for the 2006 hurricane season. Only 18 percent of those polled said they were assembling an emergency kit.
Emergency Preparedness Kit:
Begin with a waterproof box or container with a tight fitting lid. Put in non-perishable food and a gallon of water per person per day to last three to five days. The kit should also include the following essentials:
* Water purification kit or bleach
* First-aid kit and first-aid book
* Baby supplies and formula
* Non-electric can opener
* Anti-bacterial hand wipes or gel
* Blanket or sleeping bag per person
* Flashlight and extra batteries
* Portable radio, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration weather radio or television, and extra batteries
* Essential medications
* Extra pair of eyeglasses
* Extra house and car keys
* Fire extinguisher – ABC-type
* Food, water, leash and carrier for pets
* Cash and change
* Seasonal change of clothing, including sturdy shoes
Groups Visiting the Legislature This Week
Tuesday was HIV/AIDS Advocacy Day at the Legislature. The purpose of their advocacy day is for North Carolinians infected and affected by HIV/AIDS to discuss several issues with their legislative members. These issues included making the AIDS Drug Assistance Program available to more low-income North Carolinians living with HIV/AIDS; securing prevention funding that puts effective programs into the communities most impacted by the disease; and making harm-reduction programs available to prevent the spread of the disease.
Wednesday, Sheriff Wardie Vincent, Northampton County, and Sheriff Johnny Williams, Warren County, visited my office to discuss legislative priorities for the NC Sheriffs’ Association.
John Foster, Scott Williamson, Bennie Perry (John Foster Homes, Inc.), Philip Moncure (Moncure Homes) and Smith Kirkland came by the office to discuss housing issues.
The House will be back in session on Monday night at 6 pm.
As I’ve said many times before, I hope you will continue to let me know how you feel about the issues that are being debated by the North Carolina Legislature and the challenges you and your family are facing each day.
By working together, we can make Northampton, Vance and Warren counties and all regions of North Carolina a better place to live, work and raise a family.