The House had a particularly busy week, considering legislation to protect health, boost our state health insurance plan and improve our education system.
I am pleased with the progress we are making in these difficult times. There is little money to spend on new initiatives, but we continue to look for efficiencies and ways to improve the services the state offers. Some of these will come through the policies we are considering.
The bill we approved to limit smoking in public and in workplaces would limit exposure to secondhand smoke and the health problems with which it is associated. Our hope is that this change in the law would lower health care costs for many people. The bill now goes to the Senate.
We also elected new members to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and remembered the late Reps. John Brown and Ted Kinney as part of a very full week.
As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions, and I hope that you will contact me if I can be of any assistance.
Education
An act to make science safer in public schools has been unanimously approved in the House. One of the measures in the bill (HB 42) would direct each local board of education to certify to the State Board of Education that its high school and middle school science laboratories are equipped with appropriate personal protective equipment for students and teachers. The bill now goes to the Senate.
Gifted students under the age of 16 could continue to attend community colleges under a bill (HB 65) that would re-enact a law that expired last September. The bill has moved through the House and is now in the Senate. The bill would also allow for students under the age of 14 to enroll in a Learn & Earn online course through a community college for college credit if that student has received appropriate approval. The intent of the bill is to serve the bright young people of North Carolina who want to get a head start on their college education.
Members of the House elected eight members to the board that directs policy for the 16 campuses of the University of North Carolina system. Three of the eight members elected on Wednesday are new to the Board. The new members are Bill Daughtridge, a Rocky Mount businessman and former House member; Walter Davenport, a Raleigh accountant and trustee chairman at Elizabeth City State University; and James Deal Jr., a Boone attorney and trustee at Appalachian State University. The five re-elected members are Fred Mills Sr., a Raleigh construction executive; Dudley Flood, a public speaker and educational consultant from Raleigh; Charles Mercer Jr., a Raleigh attorney; Dr. Al Roseman, an endodontist from Wilmington; and David Young, an Asheville business owner and chairman of the state Democratic Party.
Health
Legislation that would require more disclosure of medical malpractice judgments or settlements has received approval in the House and now heads to the Senate. The bill (HB 703) would require all physicians and physician assistants who are licensed or applying for licensure to report medical malpractice judgments or settlements to the North Carolina Medical Board. The board is now authorized to publish the information within the confines of medical and legal ethics.
Smoking would be banned in restaurants and workplaces that employ or serve people under 18 years of age under a proposed law that has come through the House (HB 2). If the bill is approved in the Senate, North Carolina would join 35 other states with some sort of smoking ban. During several hours of debate on the bill, proponents argued that the smoking ban would improve the overall health of North Carolinians and limit unwanted exposure to dangerous secondhand smoke. Opponents of the bill claim that it infringes upon personal property rights of both individuals and business owners.
Economic Recovery
North Carolina’s House and Senate Committees on Economic Recovery met this week to discuss tax provisions and transportation expenditures in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). ARRA is the federal stimulus package set in motion by President Obama to address the national economic downturn. North Carolina will receive about $6.1 billion to help with our own economic recovery efforts. For more information on how the act will affect North Carolina, please visit the website at: www.ncrecovery.gov.
Environment
Governor Perdue signed a bill this week that establishes Grandfather Mountain State Park (SB 89). North Carolina’s newest state park is made up of about 2,500 acres of undeveloped land spanning Watauga, Avery and Caldwell counties. This spring, the state will formally purchase the land from the family of Hugh Morton, who developed the area as a tourist attraction in the 1950s. The purchase includes the nature center and a “mile-high” swinging bridge near Boone. The park will also include 12 miles of trails.
Miscellaneous
Legislation that would allow Superior Court Judges to perform marriage ceremonies passed in the House on Monday (HB 494). The bill has now gone on to the Senate where it was referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate.
Notes
On Wednesday, members of the NC House honored former House member John Walter Brown with House Joint Resolution (HJR 53). During his tenure in the General Assembly, John Walter Brown served as Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and made significant contributions as a member of several other committees, including Finance, State Government, Transportation, and Wildlife Resources. Among his other accomplishments is helping to establish the prestigious School of Veterinary Science at North Carolina State University. John Walter Brown died on November 20, 2008 at the age of 90. He represented Wilkes, Alexander and Yadkin Counties for 13 terms.
On Thursday, members of the NC House formally honored the memory of former House member Theodore James “Ted” Kinney with House Joint Resolution (HJR 224). For 21 years, Ted Kinney served his country as an active member of the United States Army. During his tenure in the General Assembly, Ted Kinney made contributions as Chair of the Committee on Military, Veterans, and Indian Affairs and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Justice and Public Safety, and as a member of several other committees, including Education and Transportation. He was also active in his community and served as executive director of the Cape Fear Community Development Corporation and chair of the Fayetteville Human Services Commission. Theodore James “Ted” Kinney died on November 2, 2008 at the age of 76 from complications relating to diabetes. He represented Cumberland County for three terms.
Vance County Community Forum-Golden LEAF Foundation
You are invited to attend a community forum hosted by the Golden LEAF Foundation and Vance County on Monday, April 20, 2009 at 6:00 PM at the Civic Center located in Building 9 on the main campus of Vance-Granville Community College in Henderson.
VGCC is located on Poplar Creek Road about midway between Henderson and Oxford at the intersection with Interstate 85 (Exit 209). After exiting the interstate, proceed west on Poplar Creek Road. If you take the second turn on the right into the campus, the Civic Center will be located on your right as you come down the hill.
The purpose of the forum is to discuss key issues affecting Vance County. The forum is part of the Golden LEAF Foundation’s Community Assistance Initiative. The Community Assistance Initiative is a grants making process targeting economically distressed counties across North Carolina and is currently being implemented in Vance County.
If you have any questions or need further information please contact Courtney Mills or Pat Cabe by e-mail or by calling Courtney or Pat at 888.684.8404.
Meetings/Events
I plan to attend the following meetings/events:
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 listen to each day’s session, committee meetings and press conferences on the General Assembly’s website. Once on the site, select “audio,” and then make your selection — House Chamber, Senate Chamber, Appropriations Committee Room or Press Conference Room.