The Raleigh Report
From the Office of Representative William Brisson
March 10, 2011
This was a historic week in the General Assembly.
Governor Perdue has used her veto power judiciously so far this session, vetoing only a bill that would have hurt the state’s economic development efforts and another one that may have forced the state to give up federal money for health care programs.
Overrides of both of these bills came to the House on Wednesday and for the first time in state history, the General Assembly considered two veto overrides on the same day. In the House, Democrats united to sustain the governor’s veto of House Bill 2, turning back an effort that may have forced the state to give up some of the federal money it receives for Medicaid and children’s healthcare programs. Democrats were also together in the Senate, but fell two votes short of sustaining the governor’s veto of a bill (S13) that would have siphoned money out of economic development, rural development and health programs. Both chambers of the General Assembly have to agree to override a governor’s veto, however, and right now my colleagues and I have no intention of hurting this state’s efforts to recruit jobs. We will let the veto stand.
The losing side in the health care veto fight has announced its intentions to use a parliamentary procedure next week to bring the bill back up for consideration, using up more of the time we should be spending on creating jobs and opportunity for people in North Carolina.
I will update you on the movement of this bill as it progresses.
I also want to provide you some information about other important legislation that passed through our chamber this week. I hope you find it useful.
Thank you as always for your interest in state government. In the meantime, please contact me if I can be of help.
Workers
_ The House Finance Committee began considering a bill (H93) this week that would raise taxes by $52 million on about 430,000 working families in North Carolina. The Earned Income Tax Credit lowers the tax burden on working families, mostly those with children, who earn below a certain threshold. Only workers who file income tax returns qualify for the credit. I am strongly opposed to raising taxes on these workers and their families and am supporting efforts to keep this bill from becoming part of our budget. Some of my colleagues held a press conference this week to bring attention to this damaging proposal and we are hopeful we can stop supporters from pushing through the bill.
_ Community college students will no longer have guaranteed access to some low-cost federal student loans under legislation approved this week. Some administrators complained about the oversight requirements of the loans, but the programs provided an additional alternative for the growing number of adult students returning to college to train for new professions, but in the end bill was approved and now moves on to the Senate.
Miscellaneous
_ I voted in the House this week to toughen the state’s laws for drunken driving. The bill allows for drunk drivers to go to jail longer and pay higher fines if there are aggravating factors in their cases, such as prior convictions. The bill (H49) is named “Laura’s Law” after Laura Fortenberry, a Gaston County teenager killed last year by a drunken driver with multiple DWI convictions.
_ A bill passed this week gives military veterans the option of having their service noted on their driver’s licenses. The law (H159) allows the Division of Motor Vehicles to put a military veteran’s designation on the license of those people who can prove they have been honorably discharged from service.
_ The General Assembly honored Girl Scouts this week with a resolution that recognized their contributions to the state and our nation. We also brought in several Girl Scouts to work as pages in the House this week. (H230)
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.