The economy of our state and nation continues to be of vital concern and this past week has been a tumultuous one for both.
As federal lawmakers debated a financial rescue plan in Washington, our own Wachovia bank was bought in a deal that many people had thought was improbable. The impact of the sale on Charlotte, Winston-Salem and other communities in our state is not entirely clear, but please know that I will be working to help protect jobs in North Carolina.
Recently, I shared an update with you about what the General Assembly has done over the past two years to try to protect our state’s strong economy. We have created tax credits for families and small businesses, strengthened mortgage foreclosure laws and provided incentives for businesses to create jobs in this state. I welcome any additional ideas you may have for the coming session.
This week, I want to update you on a new effort in the state House of Representatives to broadcast our floor sessions. This has been discussed for several years in North Carolina as a way to open up our deliberations to anyone who is interested and to improve confidence in how we handle our business.
The House Select Committee on Television Sessions held its first meeting this week. Below is a summary of the meeting and the effort to date.
Please contact me if I can be of assistance or can provide any additional information. Thank you for your interest and support.
House Select Committee on Televised Sessions
House Speaker Joe Hackney appointed Rep. Cullie Tarleton to chair the committee. Rep. Tarleton is a former senior vice president and general manager for WBTV, WBT Radio and WCCB-TV and a former member of the board of directors for the National Association of Broadcasters.
Other members of the committee are Rep. Linda Coleman; Rep. Margaret Dickson; Rep. Rick Killian; Rep. Grier Martin; Rep. Mitch Setzer and Rep. Thom Tillis. Denise Weeks, the principal clerk in the House, will serve as an advisory member of the committee.
As part of its study, the committee has been asked to review and assess current television access to state government and how it compares to other states and the federal government. The committee is expected to submit its final report by December 31.
The General Assembly already provides live audio broadcasts of floor sessions in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as press conferences and meetings of the Finance and Appropriations committees of both bodies.
Other states
The research staff opened the meeting with a presentation about what other states are doing.
The committee then looked at examples of broadcasts from several states. Some states have archived video clips on their Web sites that users can search. In some cases, links to the chamber’s agenda, bills and other information are listed alongside the video, allowing users to read the bills as they are being debated. Other states simply display the video.
In many cases, legislative staffers handle the video feed, but in some instances other state agencies were brought in to handle the job.
Costs
Technical advisers from the General Assembly have been examining the possibility of producing broadcasts for several years. One of them told committee members that startup costs for televising House sessions would be about $1.3 million. About half that money would be spent for equipment and the other half would be spent on recurring costs, such as personnel.
The costs of preparing the General Assembly’s 17 committee rooms for broadcasts would be an additional $750,000.
The recurring costs include the costs of archiving video, though no decision has been made yet about whether such a record is required. Some states do not archive their video broadcasts.
The video system would be separate from the existing network at the General Assembly to prevent interference with telephone and Internet service.
What’s next?
Representatives of the cable television industry and public television attended the meeting. Both are interested in working with the House of Representatives, but the logistics of getting the broadcasts on a television station will take time to discuss.
Some members of the committee also want to talk about how to provide access to the video for personal and commercial use.
The next meeting date has not been set, but the committee intends to meet frequently so that it can submit its recommendations before the Dec. 31 deadline.
If you have any thoughts or ideas about the work of this committee, please share it with me.
Meetings/Events
I plan to attend the following meetings/events:
Please invite me to attend your county, city, community or civic, etc. meetings or events.
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.
Please remember that you can visit the General Assembly’s website to look up bills, view lawmaker biographies and access other information.