Category: Opinion

I want to talk to you about why I plan to vote against Amendment One. This proposed amendment could harm women, children, families and businesses across North Carolina. I have posted a video outlining some of the ways Amendment One is wrong for all of North Carolina. On May 8, I’ll be casting my vote against Amendment One. I hope you will join me. Beverly Perdue

In this newsletter you will find news from the district, along with my blog post on the most recent unemployment report, focusing on the record number of people who have dropped out of the labor force. You will also find information on the “Give Back, Pay it Forward” event taking place to collect donations for the Red Cross following last year’s tornado disasters. Please share this newsletter with your friends and family via email using the “Tell a Friend” form …

The start of this year’s legislative session is about a month away and I am continuing to prepare to take your ideas and your needs to the General Assembly.  My focus will continue to be on job creation, education, respecting people’s rights and providing help to those who are vulnerable. A number of bills introduced by members of the Democratic caucus last session tried to address these issues. One of these bills would have given tax credits to small businesses …

What would happen if we accepted what one candidate says about the other? The campaign process being what it is, obviously one campaign has studied the other more intently than the general public.  How would you vote if what one candidate says about the other is accepted as accurate?  There was an election for Mayor of Houston one year in which one candidate said that the other candidate was a crook, had ties to the criminal underworld, and a cheat. …

I’ve enjoyed a lovely week back home in North Carolina.  It was an honor to talk with many veterans at the Vietnam Veterans’ Homecoming Celebration at Charlotte Motor Speedway over the weekend and I was happy to meet with many constituents and businesses back in the district. Throughout the week, I talked to members of our community and heard about the issues facing our state. My travels took me to many parts of the Second District, including a class of …

Meeting started with the members of the 2012 Henderson-Vance Leadership class standing and introducing themselves.  After pleasantries were bestowed on the class the Commissioners got down to business.  A side note, the Commissioners did not introduce themselves to the class.  Maybe one side thinks everyone knows who’s who.  Hazard Mitigation Plan Brian Short and Jordan McMillien introduced the changes to the mitigation plan requested by the Commissioners in January.  Commissioner Brummitt took the lead on the review of this plan …

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day Yesterday, I introduced a bill encouraging the President to designate March 29 as “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” in honor of  our armed service members who served in Vietnam.  I am proud that President Obama proclaimed yesterday, March 29, 2012, Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.  You can read more about the bill in this press release. American troops served bravely and faithfully during the Vietnam War, and these veterans deserve our recognition and gratitude they …

Today there is supposed to be a great debate in the Supreme Court of the U.S. over the Affordable Health Care Act. As the debate keeps being reported in the news the major issue is whether or not it is legal for the government to require all citizens to have some form of health care. The energy behind this debate is the opposition to government telling people what they have to do. Most of us do not like to be …

It has been great seeing so many constituents and enjoying this beautiful weather in the Second District. This week in the district, I launched the first meeting of my Housing Advisory Council in Clayton, toured and spoke to students and faculty at Central Carolina Community College in Sanford, visited the Caterpillar facility in Lee County and spoke to the Raleigh Kiwanis Club. In this week’s newsletter you’ll find updates on my work in the district, the latest on my opposition …

NAT GAS Act With traditional fuel prices on the rise and approaching $4 per gallon nationwide, the President blocking construction of projects like the Keystone XL pipeline (which I discussed with Bill LuMaye on WPTF on Monday), and dangerous unrest in the Middle East, it makes sense to do what we can to transition our commercial trucks and fleet vehicles to a cheaper, more stable, American-made energy source. That is why I introduced the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans …

There are a few times when basketball games have given me examples of real ethical and moral choices. There was a situation in Texas one year when a high school coach was faced with the need to coach his team to lose in order to qualify for the state tournament. I do not remember all the details but the team needed to lose in order to win. The big debate centered on whether or not it was appropriate in sporting …

I attended the Economic Development Commissions Board of Directors meeting held on March 14, 2012. This was a public meeting and the only public in attendance was the local paper and I. The meeting opened with a presentation by Charles Hayes and Debbie Lilly of Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP). Here is the link to the Triangle Regional Partnership’s web-site, www.researchtriangle.org. Three members of the RTRP’s fifty-nine member board are from Vance County. I came away from the meeting with …

I attended the Vance County Board of Education meeting of March 12, 2012. This was the first board of education meeting I have attended and what an education they offered. My notes are in reverse order of the agenda because the ending concern is so far from the opening issues. Board of Education Standing Committees It appears that each board member is assigned a specific standing committee and prepares a report of their committee’s latest meetings. Mr. Cash appeared to …

Dear Readers, It would seem appropriate for each of us to know what our founding fathers believed about God and how active and important a role God had in the establishment and continuance of the State of North Carolina.  By our consensual attitudes, our generation (including and perhaps especially the church) we appear to have forgotten how interdependent the success of one is upon the other. NORTH CAROLINA STATE CONSTITUTION ON GOD (6-031312) PREAMBLE  We, the people of the State …

Kay Joins Michelle Obama to Highlight Let’s Move! On Friday, March 2, Hagan joined First Lady Michelle Obama for a Let’s Move! event in between Womens Semifinal games at the CIAA basketball tournament in Charlotte. Let’s Move! is the First Lady’s initiative to combat the obesity epidemic. Hagan thanked the First Lady for her focus on families, healthy eating and exercising and for bringing Let’s Move! to Charlotte. Hagan and Obama then got moving and led area elementary school students …

The interim session continues to be busy, with gatherings both in Raleigh at the General Assembly and here in our community. There have been several meetings in Raleigh recently to discuss education, health and transportation. Questionable proposals have surfaced during some of these meetings, but thus far my colleagues and I have been able to moderate these plans. We have also received some news lately on the ongoing redistricting case and the attempt to ban video sweepstakes games. I will …

After announcing my opposition to tolls on I-95 last week, I have now taken the next step by drafting legislation to prevent the proposal from taking place. I hope this bill will generate the support of the entire North Carolina Congressional Delegation in order to protect our economy from the crippling harm these tolls would impose on our citizens and businesses. More information on these bills can be found in this newsletter Also this week, I voted for the JOBS …

As the Senate continues to amend and debate the transportation bill, I wanted to update you on other things that have been going on in Washington this week. Protecting Americans from Public Health Emergencies and Bioterror Attacks On Thursday, the Senate passed my bill, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act Reauthorization of 2011 (PAHPA), which will help to prepare our nation to respond to medical and public health emergencies, whether naturally occurring or the result of a chemical, biological, radiological, …

Veterans’ Affairs On Wednesday, I attended a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.  We had the chance to review the President’s FY 2013 budget request for the Department of Veterans Affairs with the Honorable Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and his leadership team.  During the hearing, I asked Secretary Shinseki direct questions about this budget request, which includes a 4.5% increase in discretionary spending.  It is important that we continue to provide adequate funding so …

Day after day. Week after week. Month after month. Year after Year, we have all waited for the last 12 years for Congress and the Presidents to do something about the big issues. How many times have we watched gas prices go up and up and then when people complain the prices come down a little bit. But Congress and the President have not found a way to adopt a comprehensive energy policy that will address the long term needs …