Merchants pay credit card companies like VISA and MasterCard a processing fee each time a customer uses a credit card. Historically, credit card companies and large banks that issue cards prohibited merchants from passing that cost directly on to customers in the form of an extra fee. But retailers took the card companies to court and under a settlement agreement, credit card companies can no longer prevent retailers from hitting customers with a surcharge for using a credit card. The …
Category: NC Elected Officials
Butterfield’s Statement on the Release of John McNeil and the NAACP
WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) issued the following statement regarding the release of Wilson, N.C. native John McNeil from a Georgia prison today: “As a former judge and Wilson native, I have closely followed the John McNeil case. While many are disappointed McNeil’s conviction was not overturned based on self-defense, today he can at least return home, rejoin his family, and attempt to pick up the pieces of his broken life. Although bittersweet, McNeil’s release from prison …
Butterfield Re-Introduces Bill to Equalize Veterans’ Education Benefits
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today announced the introduction of H.R. 595, the Veterans’ Education Equity Act of 2013, to reward equal educational benefits to veterans whether they choose to attend a private or public institution of higher learning. The bill would change an inequity in existing law which allots more education funds to veterans enrolled in private colleges than those in public institutions. Currently, the Post 9-11 Veterans’ Educational Improvements Assistance Act capped the education benefit …
Butterfield Congratulates New NCCU Chancellor Dr. Debra Saunders-White
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today released the following statement regarding the selection of Dr. Debra Saunders-White as the new chancellor of North Carolina Central University (NCCU): “I congratulate Dr. Debra Saunders-White on being selected as the new chancellor of North Carolina Central University. Her experience leading programs that recruit, prepare and support disadvantaged and first-generation students make her an excellent choice to lead my beloved alma mater. Saunders-White’s has demonstrated a strong commitment to higher education …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: We Nee A PLAN
Over the past four years we have added 5.8 trillion dollars to our national debt. This week in the House, we passed the Require-A-PLAN Act with bipartisan support that requires President Obama to present a plan to balance the budget and reduce our national debt. Below, you will find an infographic which includes a chart showing just how dramatically our debt has risen and some key statistics regarding how this has played out in the executive and legislative branches. Everyday …
Senator Richard Burr Updates
This week, I introduced the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), a bill to improve America’s preparedness and response capabilities for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats. Whether these threats occur naturally, like pandemic flu, or are the result of an intentional attack, we must be prepared to quickly and effectively respond to all threats, including having necessary, life-saving medical countermeasures. The threats facing our nation are serious and very real, and we must address them accordingly. The …
Reps. Butterfield, Price and Watt to General Assembly: Rejecting Medicaid Expansion Would Hurt N.C. Economy, Devastate Working Families
Washington, D.C. – North Carolina Representatives David Price (NC-04), G.K. Butterfield (NC-01), and Mel Watt (NC-12) urged the North Carolina House of Representatives to reject Senate Bill 4, which would keep as many as 500,000 North Carolinians from gaining access to affordable, quality health care through the federally-funded expansion of Medicaid included in the Affordable Care Act. Blocking Medicaid expansion would increase costs for the State, increase premiums for those with insurance, and block the creation of thousands of new …
Butterfield Co-Sponsors the Voter Empowerment Act
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) has joined 164 of his congressional colleagues, collectively representing about 114 million constituents, as an original co-sponsor of H.R. 12, the Voter Empowerment Act. Introduced by Congressman John Lewis (GA-05), the Voter Empowerment Act would ensure the protection of voting rights for every eligible American through modernizing the voter registration system, reducing long wait times to vote, and prohibiting deceptive practices that may discourage people from voting – issues that arose during …
Butterfield Observes Black History Month and Cosponsors Resolution
WASHINGTON, DC – In observance of Black History Month, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today became an original cosponsor of H.Res. 49, a resolution highlighting the invaluable contributions of African Americans to our nation’s history and identity. “Throughout our history, African Americans have persevered through much hardship and discrimination to enrich our nation in innumerable ways,” said Butterfield. “From political pioneers like George Henry White and Shirley Chisholm, to new leaders such as President Barack Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder …
Butterfield Opposes General Assembly’s Plan to Cripple Health Reform in North Carolina
WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today released the following statement regarding plans by state Republican lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly to block implementing critical provisions of the Affordable Care Act: “It is deeply disappointing that Republican state lawmakers have taken steps to block the expansion of Medicaid coverage to 650,000 uninsured low-income residents. These are poor children, older adults, and the disabled that they seek to deny. The provisions of the Affordable Care Act …
Senator Richard Burr Message
Since the beginning of the 113th Congress, several topics have dominated the conversation both nationally and in Washington. After passage of the fiscal cliff deal on January 1, we now must focus on a longer-term fix to our nation’s economic issues. It has been more than three years since the Majority Leader even put a budget on the Senate floor, let alone allowed the Senate to act on and pass one. This is inexcusable. Last week, I signed on …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: This Week in the Second District
It was great to be home in the 2nd District this week. I was able to connect with constituents across the district including those I met at a meeting of WakeMed’s Health Career Pathfinders and an Agribusiness breakfast in Raleigh, a meeting with town officials in Robbins, and during a tour of the LORD Corporation in Cary. Below you will find an update on the Keystone XL Pipeline, including a bipartisan letter I signed onto with 145 fellow Members of …
Butterfield to Visit Three Community Organizations, Friday
WASHINGTON, DC – Tomorrow, Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) will spend the day visiting three important community organizations, all fulfilling a great need in Durham. In the morning, Butterfield will meet with Dr. Sharon Elliott Bynum, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Case Management of AIDS and Addiction through Resources and Education (CAARE), to tour the construction of its new 15-bed dormitory. The 5,000 square foot dorm will provide transitional housing for homeless veterans, and will include private bedrooms and bathrooms, …
Senate Leaders Release Statement Rejecting Key Health Care Reforms
Raleigh, N.C. – North Carolina Senate leaders introduced legislation Wednesday to opt out of participation in several costly provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Senators Tom Apodaca (R-Henderson), Harry Brown (R-Onslow) and Bob Rucho (R-Mecklenburg) filed Senate Bill 4 to exempt North Carolina from establishing a state-based health insurance exchange or a state-federal partnership exchange. The bill also directs the N.C. Department of Insurance to return unspent taxpayer funds awarded by the federal Department of …
Butterfield to Spend the Afternoon Visiting Duke University Hospital
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today will attend a series of meetings concerning healthcare at Duke University Hospital. Among the topics to be discussed are the challenges for hospital administration in the current fiscal climate, and federal funding for medical research. (Editors Note, I assume the afternoon referenced is 1/28/2013 as we received it on that day, at about 2pm.) Butterfield will meet with Duke University Health System President and CEO Dr. Victor Dzau; Executive Vice President …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: No Budget, No Pay
We started this week with the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream of a nation where people were not “judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character” and a Presidential Inauguration. The week is ending with the annual March for Life which marks the 40th anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. This has been a busy week for legislation. The House passed “The No Budget, No Pay Act” to …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: An Assault on the Second Amendment
The Second Amendment has ensured our right to bear arms and self-protection for more than two centuries. This week, the Second Amendment came under attack when the president issued 23 executive orders which seek to infringe on the very rights the amendment protects. In this newsletter you will find the statement I released this week regarding the president’s assault on the Second Amendment, along with related news clips. Also in this newsletter, you will find information about a report released …
Butterfield Picks Up Key Seat on House Heath Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today was appointed to serve on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health during the 113th Congress, making him the eighth most influential Democrat on the subcommittee. The Health Subcommittee has jurisdiction over a wide range of issues that are important to North Carolina and the nation. Among those include Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurance, public health, hospital construction, health information technology, privacy, cyber security, medical malpractice, and drug …
Butterfield Mourns the Loss of NCCU’s Brooklyn T. McMillon
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today expressed condolences to the family of Brooklyn T. McMillon, a dedicated and long-serving employee of North Carolina Central University (NCCU). A two-time alumnus of NCCU, McMillon served the university for more than 60 years as an instructor, director, registrar, historian, and as chair of health education. Butterfield released the following statement regarding McMillon’s death: “I am saddened to learn of the passing of Mr. Brooklyn McMillon. I fondly remember him as …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: We Have a Spending Problem
Washington doesn’t have a revenue problem — it has a spending problem. To illustrate just how serious the problem is, below you will find a chart prepared by House Republicans that shows how dramatically our national debt has increased over the past 4 years. Also in this newsletter, you will find links to a couple of articles that have appeared this week regarding the Medical Device Tax and costs of Obamacare. Please share this newsletter with your friends and family …