Work in the House moved steadily this week with my colleague and me introducing bills to protect our children and our environment and to make voting more convenient.
We also continued our work to support members of the military and their families from financial fraud. We also found time to welcome a new member to our chamber, celebrate a war hero and meet a national pageant winner. Thanks as always for giving me a chance to share this update, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts as the important work of this session continues.
Please remember that you can listen to each day’s session, committee meetings and press conferences on the General Assembly’s website at www.ncleg.net. Once on the site, select “audio,” and then make your selection — House Chamber, Senate Chamber, Appropriations Committee Room or Press Conference Room.
Military matters
Several of my colleagues are proposing new laws to help protect members of the military from financial fraud. During a news conference Wednesday, they described a variety of scams – including life insurance policies that don’t cover death in combat and companies with representatives who use vague, military-style titles to make young, naïve soldiers believe their services are endorsed by the military. One proposal would ban the sale of “predatory policies” to the military. Another would establish a new consumer protection specialist job in the Department of Insurance to help military members who are the victims of fraud.
Health
A House judiciary committee has approved a broad ban on smoking in public buildings. The panel voted 9-4 in favor of a measure to cut out smoking in most restaurants, bars, offices and factories. It now goes to the full House for consideration. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Hugh Holliman, a lung cancer survivor, exempts private residences; tobacco shops; tobacco manufacturing facilities, including their offices; designated smoking rooms in hotels; private, nonprofit clubs; and research labs conducting experiments on smoking or tobacco products. Opponents of the measure say it infringes on business owners’ private rights, but some members of the committee argue many employees don’t want to be exposed to second-hand smoke at work.
Criminal Justice
Legislation introduced in both chambers proposes to increase the age at which offenders are automatically treated as adults from 16 to 18, and establishes a task force to examine how to treat older juvenile offenders. Right now, only three states automatically treat 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in court. Rep. Alice Bordsen, chair of the Juvenile Justice Committee and sponsor of the House measure, said changing the law wouldn’t take away prosecutors’ ability to try teenagers as adults in the most serious cases. State law allows someone as young as 13 to be tried as an adult on a felony charge, if a judge agrees. The proposals follow recommendations made in December by a legislative study commission that found older teens sent to adult prisons had a higher rate of repeat offenses and were more likely to commit more violent crimes.
Environment
Citing environmental and economic concerns, House Speaker Joe Hackney joined with Gov. Easley and Senate leader Marc Basnight this week to oppose the construction of a practice landing field the Navy wants to build in Washington and Beaufort counties. The field, called an outlying landing field, or OLF, would cover 30,000 acres near the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge where more than 100,000 snow geese and tundra swans spend the winter. The land is also home to two endangered species: red wolves and bald eagles. The Navy’s plan would also hurt the economy of the area by preventing farming of soybeans, corn and wheat on 25,000 acres surrounding the core of the landing field.
Rep. Pricey Harrison is proposing a ban of incandescent light bulbs, saying the inefficient bulbs can be replaced by compact fluorescent bulbs. Harrison’s legislation would stop the sale of the bulbs in North Carolina on Jan. 1, 2016. Although there have been improvements over the past century, the basic design of incandescent bulbs has remained largely unchanged since the late 1800s. They produce light by running electric current through a metal filament. Compact fluorescent bulbs cost more but last longer and use less energy. Harrison said that she has not yet heard of any opposition to her bill. This ban would coincide with the recent announcement that Phillips, the world’s largest maker of incandescent light bulbs, would phase out its manufacture of such bulbs by 2016.
Voting
A House committee has cleared a bill that would allow North Carolinians to register and immediately cast a ballot at one-stop voting sites. State law now cuts off voter registration 25 days before an election, but the bill would stop it just four days before Election Day. Prospective voters would have to bring identity and proof of residence to register. The bill will go into place before this year’s local elections if it passes the full House.
Census
Census estimates show that people continue to leave rural eastern North Carolina even as the population in the state’s urban areas grows. According to the estimates, 15 rural counties lost population between July 2005 and July 2006. Over that same time period, the rest of the state added nearly 185,000 people to increase the state’s population to nearly 8.9 million. Of the counties that lost population, 12 had fewer people than in 2000. Ten of the 12 are in eastern North Carolina. Still, N.C. State University demographer Steve Lilley said every county in North Carolina benefits from the state’s natural beauty, a good road system and proximity to major population centers.
Annual Estimates of the Population for Counties of North Carolina in House District 27 are as follows:
County…………..July 1, 2006…..July 1, 2005
Northampton….21,247……………21,401
Vance…………….43,810……………43,546
Warren……………19,605……………19,760
Source: Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau. The report is available at this link.
New member
Tricia Cotham, an assistant principal at East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, was sworn into office Thursday during an afternoon session of the state House. Cotham, a former teacher of the year in Mecklenburg County, replaces former Rep. Jim Black. At 28, she will be the youngest member of the Legislature. Cotham was joined Thursday by her friends and family and honored at a short reception following the session.
Special guests
I joined my colleagues in the House and Senate on Monday night to honor a North Carolina National Guard soldier who received the Silver Star for his courage during a 2004 combat operation in Iraq. Sgt. 1st Class Chad M. Stephens was the first North Carolina guardsman since World War II and the first African-American guardsman from North Carolina to ever win the award, one of the nation’s highest honors for bravery. Stephens was joined by his wife and son and he received long standing ovations in both chambers. Stephens, who lives in Ahoskie, received his award for actions while leading his platoon in heavy combat in Baqubah, Iraq. During the battle, he fought through two ambushes, led his platoon to a casualty collection point to help treat wounded soldiers and ran for about 50 yards while being shot at to rescue an injured soldier.
House members on Wednesday welcomed Mrs. United States Shannon Devine, a Lincoln County native who is using her pageant victory to help promote organ transplants and donations. She urged lawmakers to consider signing up as organ donors and to discuss the idea with their families and constituents. Devine is a graduate of Appalachian State University and a former Teen Miss North Carolina. Her husband, Jason, is a full-time student at Gardner-Webb University in the master of divinity program.
Other Legislative Highlights
Below are several bills that have been introduced in the House or Senate during the last week
* House Bill 898 would allow youths convicted of nonviolent offenses in the adult court system to have their records expunged.
* House Bill 901 would create a proposed amendment to the state constitution requiring the General Assembly to pass a law by 2009 that gives every resident access to appropriate health care on a regular basis by 2013.
* House Bill 933 would toughen sex offender laws, including post-release supervision requirements.
* House Bill 934 would appropriate $350.2 million over the next two fiscal years for mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease programs in the Department of Health and Human Services.
* House Bill 953 would force retailers to keep cigarette rolling papers and glass vials that may be used as drug pipes behind a counter and require identification from buyers.
* House Bill 963 would provide for the election of physician members of the North Carolina Medical Board, supply information to the public regarding malpractice awards or settlements, and require the reporting of sexual misconduct by a doctor or physician assistant.
* House Bill 981 would set aside money for a Department of Justice consumer protection specialist to focus solely on military personnel and their families.
* Senate Bill 902 would appropriate $2.1 million to be divided among the seven Regional Economic Development Commissions for their regional economic development partnerships.
* Senate Bill 936 would set aside $12 million each of the next two years to establish a state education data warehouse that would include a database with information about all students in the state from prekindergarten through college.
* Senate Bill 944 would make leaving the scene of an accident where a victim suffers serious bodily injury a more serious grade of felony.
* Senate Bill 972 would require twice as many toilets in women’s restrooms than men’s restrooms in new bars, public halls, theaters and arenas and in current buildings where large renovations take place.
* Senate Bill 1002 would extend restrictions on automatic dialing and message players used to make unsolicited telephone calls.
* Senate Bill 1003 would require that DNA samples be taken from people arrested on violent felony or certain other criminal charges.
* Senate Bill 1261 would establish a pilot program in four legislative districts to allow candidates the option of financing their campaigns from a voluntary taxpayer-designated fund.
I introduced the following bills:
HB 975-Community-Based Information & Technology Communication System for Vance, Warren and Greene Counties
I met with the following people/groups:
* Dr. Ralph Soney, Tom Schwartz, Roanoke-Chowan Community College
* Martin Lancaster, President, NC Community College System
* Dr. Ervin Griffin, Halifax Community College
* Wendell Edwards, Choanoke Public Transportation Authority, Retirement Reception
The House will return to session Monday at 7 p.m.
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.