The House of Representatives has wrapped up its second full week of the 2009-2010 legislative biennium, and we made a great deal of progress in preparing for the work ahead.
House Speaker Joe Hackney announced our committee assignments on Wednesday, and we are now ready to get to work on the more than 160 bills that have been filed.
Much of the work of our chamber is done in committees. Every bill that comes up for a vote on the House floor has been reviewed and debated by at least two committees, and often the most important changes we see happen during committee meetings.
Every House member serves on several committees, and I am pleased to report that I will be serving on the following committees for the 2009-2010 legislative session:
We unanimously voted to change our committee structure to add a committee for Marine Resources and Aquaculture and a committee for Water Resources and Infrastructure. We also combined the State Government and State Personnel committees into a single body, and changed the Ways and Means Committee to Ways and Means/Broadband Connectivity.
I would now like to share some of the legislation that has been proposed in the past few days. I hope it will be of interest to you.
As always, please contact me if I can be of service to you.
Domestic Violence
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have filed legislation (HB 115) that would make a series of changes to the state’s domestic violence laws based on the recommendations of the Joint Legislative Committee on Domestic Violence. Among other things, the bill would direct the legislature to study state oversight and coordination of services for victims of sexual violence, and would support a statewide domestic violence protective order notification system.
A bill has been filed that would award money to the Domestic Violence Center Fund. The bill (HB 151) would also appropriate funds for the purchase and maintenance of online, web-based software for grant application and distribution for domestic violence, sexual assault, and displaced homemaker grant funds.
Children
Lawmakers have proposed the Healthy Youth Act, which would provide for abstinence until marriage and comprehensive sexuality education programs in grades seven through nine. Under existing law, sexual education programs are limited to teaching abstinence until marriage. If enacted, this new legislation (HB 88) would allow for parents to choose whether to enroll their child in a program that teaches only abstinence until marriage or to enroll their child in a program that teaches comprehensive sexuality.
Health
A bill has been filed that would require health care facilities to give a patient or client the option of choosing to have a personal care services provider be of the same gender as the client. The bill (HB 95) would also require the facility to inform the resident or client if the facility does not employ personnel of both genders.
Transportation
Lawmakers have filed a bill that would establish a Congestion Relief and Intermodal Transportation 21st Century Fund, which would provide for the allocation of funds to local governments and transportation authorities for public transportation purposes. The fund would also be used to expand intercity passenger rail service, among other things. The bill would also allow municipalities to levy up to a half-cent sales tax exclusively for mass transit, but only if it is first approved by voters. The bill (HB 148) is based on legislation Mecklenburg County used to finance its downtown light rail system and to supplement the operation of its buses.
Miscellaneous
I joined with my fellow House members on Thursday to officially honor the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP is the nation’s oldest, largest and most widely recognized civil rights groups with more than a half-million members. In North Carolina, the NAACP remains an active advocate for all the people of our state.
Introduced Bills
I introduced the following House bill this week:
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 listen to each day’s session, committee meetings and press conferences on the General Assembly’s website. Once on the site, select “audio,” and then make your selection — House Chamber, Senate Chamber, Appropriations Committee Room or Press Conference Room.