Those of us in public service realize that we must constantly work to try to improve your confidence in government.
Some public officials have breached your trust in the past, but I will not be one of them. I continue to work diligently in favor of stronger ethics laws, cleaner campaigns and better lobbying laws, and I expect that we will continue this important work in the coming session.
I hope you will contact me if you have questions or if I can be of service. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.
Ethics
A new state law requires the governing boards of cities, counties, boards of education, sanitation districts, unified governments, and consolidated city-counties are required to adopt a code of ethics to guide them in the performance of their official duties. The law (H1452 — S.L. 2009-403) also requires board members to receive at least two hours of ethics education within 12 months of appointment or election.
These three measures passed the House this past session but have not yet passed the Senate. Others may be introduced in the short session.
Voting
North Carolina’s absentee voting laws have been improved under a new state law (S.B. 253 — S.L. 2009-537). The law is specifically intended to improve the ability of military and overseas voters to cast timely ballots. This is incredibly important because it is vital that those defending democracy have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.
Notes
In the last few days, two major companies have announced plans to bring hundreds of high-paying jobs to North Carolina. Appliance manufacturer Electrolux expects to create at least 738 jobs at its new headquarters in Charlotte and add $60 million to the state’s annual payroll, not including benefits. The company employs 55,000 people worldwide. Also, international risk management consultant IEM will move its headquarters from Baton Rouge, La., to Durham County, creating 430 jobs over the next six years. The nearly 25-year-old company will pay an overall average wage of nearly $63,000. Company President and CEO Madhu Beriwal said the area’s “highly educated workforce, history of innovation, and culture of public and private collaboration” influenced her decision to relocate the company.
For the 15th year in a row, North Carolina leads the nation in the total number of teachers who have earned certification by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards with 15,695 teachers now certified. This group of teachers accounts for nearly 19 percent of the 83,000 National Board Certified teachers in the nation. North Carolina also ranked first in the nation in the number of newly certified teachers with 1,509 of the 8,874 educators nationwide who earned the recognition this year. In North Carolina, we appropriate money in our budget every year to offset the costs of the certification process and teachers receive a raise after earning the distinction. Those of us who care about education know that having highly qualified teachers means better results for our children.
Talon Systems Inc., an international manufacturer of household storage cabinets and furniture, will hire 90 workers over the next three years and invest $5.9 million to open its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Statesville. The project was made possible in part by a One North Carolina Fund grant of $46,590.
Annual 7th Senatorial District Public Forum
Job Creation and Economic Growth: Moving Past the Recession
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Senator Doug Berger, Representative Lucy Allen and I would like to invite all citizens, civic leaders and public officials in Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties to attend the annual 7th Senatorial District Public Forum on Thursday, January 28, 2010. This event will be held in the Civic Center at Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus in Henderson beginning at 10:00 A.M. We hope to end the forum by 2:00 P.M.
This year’s forum will be entitled “Job Creation and Economic Growth: Moving Past the Recession” and will focus on North Carolina’s current job creation and economic growth status. Lunch will be provided for all participants. You will have an opportunity to let Senator Berger, Representative Allen and me know your concerns for the upcoming short session of the North Carolina General Assembly convening May 12, 2010.
Presenters for this workshop will include the following:
Secretary Keith Crisco, North Carolina Department of Commerce
Dr. Scott Ralls, President, North Carolina Community College System
Mr. Billy Ray Hall, President, N.C. Rural Economic Development Center
We hope that you will respond to this invitation by calling or emailing any one of the sponsors by January 21, 2010. This event is FREE and open to the public.
Please RSVP to one of the following offices by January 21st:
Senator Berger, (919) 715-8363 or email
Representative Allen, (919) 733-5860 or email
Representative Wray, (919) 733-5662 or email
Kay, Matthew, Phillip and I wish for you and your family a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with peace, hope and happiness.
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 use the General Assembly’s website to look up bills, view lawmaker biographies and access other information. The site also contains detailed information about the state budget and legislative schedules.