We clearly live in challenging economic times and the outlook for our state budget this year reflects the downturn we’ve seen nationally.
State budget experts predict North Carolina will collect about $3 billion less in taxes in the coming fiscal year than originally anticipated. That means the General Assembly will have to cut services and find efficiencies if we are to balance the budget as constitutionally required.
In our effort to gather as much information as possible as we go through this difficult process, House budget writers will hold a hearing next week to gather public comments about the budget. The hearing will be from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, at the North Carolina Museum of History. Ten community colleges across the state will host interactive broadcasts of the hearing and it will also be streamed live on the Internet.
Please visit www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/colleges_map.aspx for contact information and driving directions to each campus.
Members of the public are invited to come to one of the sites to offer suggestions and comments about the budget. Each speaker will have two minutes to share information. Other rules may also be established and will be available online closer to the date of the hearing. Information about how to submit written comments and how to access the online broadcast will also be available at the site. I hope you will attend one of the sites if you are able.
We continue to consider other bills that will help our state move forward and that give municipalities more authority to make local decisions about transportation and campaign financing. We also negotiated a compromise with the Senate to address immediate financial shortcomings in the State Health Plan while we work out a long-term solution.
Thank you for your interest in our state and our work in Raleigh. Please contact me if I can be of any assistance.
Transportation
The House has approved legislation that would allow counties to raise more money for mass transit projects, including rail service and buses. The bill (HB 148) would let residents of Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange and Wake counties vote on whether to increase local sales taxes by ½ cent and car registration fees by up to $2. Other counties could increase sales taxes by a ¼ cent for such projects. The money would be dedicated to public transportation. The legislation is based on a plan Mecklenburg County used to finance its new downtown rail line. The proposal now goes to the Senate.
Campaign Finance
The largest cities in North Carolina may soon have the ability to decide whether they want to embrace public campaign financing. The House approved a bill (HB 120) this week to create a pilot program through 2016 that would allow cities with more than 50,000 people to use tax money to help pay for political campaigns. Typically, candidates who accept public money agree to accept limited contributions from other donors. Supporters say public campaign financing reduces the amount of money spent on campaigns and the influence of big donors. Critics contend that it’s unfair to ask taxpayers to subsidize candidates with whom they may not agree. Races for the state’s appellate courts, auditor, insurance commissioner and school superintendent are already eligible for public campaign financing. The bill now goes to the Senate.
Health
The General Assembly has negotiated a bill that will result in smaller rate increases than originally projected for members of the State Health Plan while also increasing the plan’s transparency. The bill (SB 287) reduces the premium rate increase for the next two years from 10 percent to 8.9 percent. It also adds coverage for treatment by chiropractors, mental health and substance abuse professionals and speech therapists and includes provisions to encourage plan members to stop smoking and to lose weight.
The bill retains language added in the House that calls for an independent audit of the plan, more detailed billing information and increased disclosure of transactional data and administrative costs. The proposal also calls for monthly financial reports and establishes a 15-member Blue Ribbon Task Force that will examine the plan’s rate structure and governance, among other things. The bill now goes to the governor for her signature.
Domestic Violence
The House has passed legislation that renames the North Carolina Council for Women/Domestic Violence Commission and clarifies its mission (HB 115). The group will now be called the North Carolina Center for Women, Families, and Domestic Violence. The commission will be asked to consider issues related to sexual assault, domestic violence, employment, education, health, pay equity, housing and child care. The proposal was recommended by the Joint Legislative Committee on Domestic Violence. For more information please visit: www.nccadv.org.
Miscellaneous
A new proposal would require the words “National Guard” to be capitalized in the state statutes as a sign of respect for our military. The bill (HB 632) passed unanimously and now goes to the Senate.
Notes
One of my dear colleagues, Sen. Vernon Malone, a longtime leader in education for Wake County and our state, died this past weekend. Sen. Malone was serving his fourth term in the General Assembly, but had spent several decades as a school administrator, a school board member and a county commissioner. Services for Sen. Malone were held in Raleigh on Thursday. He was 77.
The House of Representatives has elected Samuel Powell of Burlington, and K. Ray Bailey of Fairview, to the State Board of Community Colleges. Powell is chairman of the Alamance Community College Board of Trustees and was formerly a Burlington City Council member and Alamance County commissioner. Bailey was president of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College until 2007 and was elected a Buncombe County commissioner in November.
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.