Congress votes for state fiscal aid measure


The House of Representatives voted yesterday on a state fiscal aid measure that would help avoid teacher layoffs and ensure North Carolina will have the funding to cover those on Medicaid roles.

The “Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act” includes relief funding for states and money to save the jobs of approximately 160,000 teachers across the country, more than 400 of which are in North Carolina’s Second Congressional District.

The House began its summer district work period at the end of July and was not expected to return until mid-September. But the House convened in a special emergency session today after the Senate unexpectedly passed the state assistance bill last week.

“This legislation is about jobs for the future. It’s about making sure that our children have the opportunities to get the kind of education they need to compete in the 21st Century. Yes it’s about teachers in the classroom, yes it’s about police officers, it’s about firemen, it’s about nurses. But it really is about the future of North Carolina, and the future of America’s competitive advantage. It is about jobs for the future,” North Carolina Rep. Bob Etheridge said of the legislation.

Etheridge is the only member of Congress to have served as a state superintendent of public education.