I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful spring weather, even with all of the pollen!
Senate Judiciary II Committee to Review Youthful Offender Expungement Legislation
About a quarter of a century ago, I conducted business with two baseball card dealers at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. One of those dealers was Danny Swann, father of the current editor of The Franklin Times, Kathy Harrelson. Mr. Swann and the other dealer were the victims of a theft, involving valuable baseball cards from their display areas. A teenager who I had met there contacted me to tell me that he had some baseball cards to sell. When I saw the 1950s cards he had included Ted Williams and other members of the Hall of Fame, I suspected these cards were those stolen from Mr. Swann and the other dealer. Eventually, the teenager admitted to the possession of the stolen items.
Mr. Swann told the young boy that instead of stealing to get the things he wanted, he should work to earn those things. Incredibly, Mr. Swann gave the boy a job in his store. That young boy grew up as a young man running the baseball card store, at times alone, for Mr. Swann. Mr. Swann’s handling of the situation had a profound impact on me as to the importance of second chances for people who make mistakes.
The Senate Judiciary II Committee will be considering the passage of legislation that Senator Dannelly, Senator Malone, and I have introduced (Senate Bill 677) that will allow a person who has demonstrated positive social behavior to have an opportunity to expunge non-violent felonies committed in their youth.
Such legislation, if enacted, will assist these young people in securing jobs. Any criminal record puts a person at a serious disadvantage in obtaining employment, even after they have turned their lives around and have demonstrated the ability to become productive citizens. The language in this bill is identical to the bill that Representative Crawford successfully pushed for passage in the House of Representatives last session, only to see the Senate fail to take up such legislation. He and other legislators have reintroduced the bill in the House again this year.
I am optimistic that the Judiciary II Committee and the full Senate will pass the measure this session. There will likely be some modifications in this legislation. It will be another good step in helping people rehabilitate themselves into responsible citizens.
The Joint Senate and House Health and Human Services Subcommittees on Appropriation to Develop Initial Recommendations for Budget Expansion and Reductions
The figures below represent the Governor’s budget proposal and the initial budget targets of the General Assembly:
FY 2007 — 2008
FY 2008 — 2009
Joint Legislative Target
$4,566,261,073
$4,847,453,507
Governor’s Continuation Budget
$4,532,083,971
$4,820,403,092
Difference between Joint Legislative Target and Governor’s Continuation Budget
$34,177,102
$27,050,415
Governor’s Expansion Budget
$59,983,435
$55,631,025
Initially, the General Assembly will make recommendations as to what proposals the Governor has advanced in his expansion budget proposals should be enacted. Governor Easley has recommended an increase of $59,983,435 for Health and Human Services issues. Based upon the General Assembly targets, we will need to hold the expansion budget to an increase of $34,177,102. This means that the General Assembly will clearly have to cut portions of the Governor’s recommendations.
One clear issue with the Governor’s expansion proposal is that it only requests some $3.5 million additional for existing mental health programs. North Carolina has fundamental problems with mental health care delivery, and additional funds will be required.
There are at least two key expansion items proposed by the Governor that I will continue to support at this time. First, I believe our Health Choice program that provides health insurance for children of families who earn income at 100 percent of the poverty level must be increased by $7,507,982 in order for children in families at or below the poverty level to continue to have health insurance coverage. Second, we need to expand childcare subsidies so more people, particularly single mothers, can continue to work and afford to keep their children in quality daycare facilities. The Governor proposes expanding these subsidies by $8,400,000 which will allow an additional 2,000 children to be removed from the waiting list, bringing the total number of children served each month to about 100,600.
The Governor has offered no proposals to make any spending cuts in the continuation budget for Health and Human Services. There are pieces of legislation aimed at enhancing our ability to detect fraud in certain programs. If you are aware of any outdated programs we currently fund or any strategy that has not been employed to date to reduce waste and abuse in any program in Health and human Services, please share this information with me.
I do welcome your input on these issues and any concerns you may have. I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve as your senator from District 7.
Sincerely,
Doug Berger