Representative Michael H. Wray’s Raleigh Report
May 23, 2013
As Crossover came to a close, the speed at the General Assembly intensified as the Senate gave final approval to their budget proposal. The budget now heads to the House where changes will be made before presenting a final plan to Governor Pat McCrory for his signature. In a heated debate, Senate Democrats condemned the measure citing harmful impacts to working families. The Senate budget is another step in the wrong direction for North Carolina. The Republican budget fails to take meaningful action to create jobs while continuing devastating cuts to public education. Their plan places new and unnecessary limits on Medicaid eligibility in an effort to solve the problem North Carolina Republicans created when they turned down the Medicaid expansion.
Some of these harmful cuts include:
· Elimination of the Rural Center, Golden LEAF, regional economic development boards and the Bio-Fuels Center costing roughly $100 million in cuts.
· Creating a misleading new rural economic development within the Department of Commerce with a budget of only $17 million over the biennium – that’s nearly an $83 million cut.
· Over $400 million slashed from education: removes the cap on class sizes; eliminates teacher tenure; makes deep cuts to Pre-k classrooms reducing 2,500 seats in 2013-2014 and 5,000 seats in 2015; and ends the NC Education Lottery funding for school construction.
· Approximately $100 million in job creation funds has been removed.
· Weakened healthcare by cutting Medicaid reimbursement in rural hospitals, reducing benefits, lowering reimbursement rates for providers and increasing co-pays.
· Cutting guaranteed funding for road and bridge construction, and other maintenance projects in rural areas.
Both House and Senate Republicans are planning to pay for their budgets with tax plans that cut taxes for the wealthiest individuals and corporations while increasing the tax burden on the families of four who make less than $40,000 per year. North Carolina deserves better. Rather than pushing budgets and tax plans that harm many families, we should focus on developing a budget and tax system that gives our citizens a fair shot at success.
On Tuesday, the NC House Education Committee hosted a passionate debate regarding a proposal allowing low-income students to use public funds to attend private or religious schools. The Opportunity Scholarship Act would provide annual vouchers totaling $4,200 to students, with $90 million transferred from the state’s education budget to the program over the next two years. The effectiveness of this bill warrants a great deal of concern for families who may have difficulty affording the remaining costs of private schools once vouchers have been distributed. It does not require private schools to follow accountability measures of reporting student test results and performances in the same manner as public schools.
The bill is expected to return to the committee for another debate and vote before heading to the Appropriations Committee and the House floor next week.
On Wednesday, The Racial Justice Act Repeal – which passed the Senate last month – received a hearing before a House Judiciary Committee. Members heard firsthand from attorneys, a physician and family members of murder victims on opposite sides of the issue. Opponents made an appeal to legislators to preserve the measure and prevent pending attempts to resume capital punishment. There were no votes taken, however the bill is scheduled for a vote next week. A press conference followed where supporters of the Racial Justice Act discussed the severe implications of repealing the bill. The act has worked to eliminate racial bias among prosecutors in jury selections in capital cases. Repealing this measure will send North Carolina backwards by inviting discrimination back into our justice system and courtrooms. We must do all we can to uphold this bill that ensures fairness and integrity in the name of justice.
North Carolina celebrated the 20th anniversary of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign by renewing efforts to motivate resident drivers and passengers to fasten their seat belts. North Carolina was the first state in the nation to adopt the seatbelt safety campaign in 1993, and since its establishment, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program has reported that the number of crashes, fatalities and injuries involving unbelted passengers has decreased significantly.
Lastly, House Democrats would like to offer our sincere thoughts and prayers to the tornado victims in Oklahoma. We stand with those adversely affected by the devastating storms, and fully support them as they begin the road to recovery and rebuilding their lives and communities again.
HB 267: N.C. House blocks attempt to amend I-95 toll bill
A House proposal that won unanimous approval last week to allow limited toll collection on Interstate 95 faced an unexpected challenge from toll foes when it returned for a final House floor vote Tuesday. The House eventually gave its final approval — not unanimous, this time — and sent to the Senate a bill that would let the state Department of Transportation charge tolls only on new lanes added to interstate highways, while guaranteeing that drivers still can use the original lanes without paying tolls.
HB 786: NC immigration bill advances to House floor
A bill granting driving privileges to North Carolina residents who are living in the country illegally is headed to the state House floor. The bill that cleared the House Finance Committee Tuesday extends driving privileges and authorizes police to detain those reasonably suspected of living in the country illegally. The bill also includes new E-Verify rules for government contractors and some tougher criminal justice provisions.
http://www.wcnc.com/news/politics/NC-immigration-bill-advances-to-House-floor-208340941.html
SB 402: Senate finishes work on its budget plan
The state Senate finished debate on its $20.6 billion budget Thursday, voting 33-17 to send the measure to the state House. Although the debate was much shorter than Wednesday, Democrats still decried a $770 million set-aside to pay for a tax reform package. Although there are only a handful of fee changes in the budget bill itself, senators have outlined a tax proposal they say they want to pursue this year.
http://www.wral.com/senate-finishes-work-on-its-budget-plan/12477526/
SB 306: Racial Justice Act repeal heard by NC House panel
Opponents of a measure to repeal North Carolina’s law that created another method to challenge racial bias in death row cases pleaded with House members Wednesday to preserve the Racial Justice Act and prevent the acceleration of capital punishment. The measure, which passed the Senate last month, got a hearing before a House judiciary committee, where members heard from attorneys, a physician and family members of murder victims on opposite sides of the issue. No vote was taken but the bill would return at a later date, the committee co-chairman said.
http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/05/22/2910573/racial-justice-act-repeal-heard.html#storylink=cpy
HB 944: Packed house for school voucher bill hearing
Members of the House Education Committee heard public comments only for HB 944, Opportunity Scholarship Act, also known as the school voucher bill. The time allotted for the hearing today was cut down to one hour from two, prompting Chairman Langdon to declare that a vote on the bill would come sometime in the future, likely next week. Rep. Rob Bryan laid out the specifics of the updated legislation. The bill would offer $4,200 maximum scholarships to students wishing to attend private schools instead of their local public schools.
http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2013/05/21/packed-house-for-school-voucher-bill-hearing/
Mooresville lawmaker quits co-chairman post over upset with House Speaker Thom Tillis
A private spat turned very public Wednesday when a Mooresville lawmaker aired a list of grievances against N.C. House Speaker – and fellow Republican – Thom Tillis, even handing over his gavel as co-chair of a powerful committee. Tillis, 52, is in his second and last term as speaker. He’s widely expected to run for U.S. Senate next year. Even by legislative standards, their dispute became unusually personal. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/22/4056891/brawley-resigns-as-chairman-of.html#storylink=cpy
SB 334: McCrory, McFarlane want time to renegotiate Dix lease
Gov. Pat McCrory and Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane on Thursday asked the General Assembly to give the city and state about 10 months to rework an agreement for the Dorothea Dix property, but a leading lawmaker balked at that idea. The statement by McCrory and McFarlane comes less than 24 hours after a House committee voted to rewrite Senate-passed legislation and allow Raleigh one year to renegotiate with the state its lease of the 325-acre Dix campus for a “destination park.”
http://www.wral.com/governor-raleigh-mayor-to-talk-dix-deal-thursday/12476546/
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Senator Angela Bryant, NC Senate District 4, invites you to contact her office at Bryantla@ncleg.net if you wish to receive updates from her office.