RALEIGH – Rep. Jim Crawford of Oxford has been appointed a chairman of the state House’s most powerful committee, House Speaker Thom Tillis announced today. As chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Crawford will have a significant voice in the state’s budget development and oversight. The Appropriations Committee writes the House version of the state budget, in addition to handling other state spending bills.
“It’s never easy to draft a budget when the state doesn’t have enough money,” Rep. Crawford said. “But we closed a pretty big shortfall this year and still managed to keep the state operating in an efficient manner without shutting down services to the public, I am confident we’ll be able to continue that throughout the biennium.”
The General Assembly will return in May of 2012 to make necessary adjustments in the two –year budget plan.
In addition to chairing the full House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Crawford also serves on Health and Human Services (Subcommittee on Mental Health); Select Committee on Tort Reform (vice chair); Insurance; Judiciary (Subcommittee A); Redistricting; Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House; and Transportation.
He has also been appointed to House Select Committee on Public Private Partnerships, Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee, and Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety.
Crawford’s appointment is the preamble to “slick Jimmy” switching parties to the GOP. After the Medicaid cuts in services that will begin in October, Crawford must be joking about no cuts in services. No wait. He doesn’t have to worry about Medicaid; he’s a millionaire counting his wife’s inheritance from Cannon Mills. As a member of the Health and Human services committee, he’s a joke.