The Raleigh Report
From the Office of Representative William Brisson
May 12, 2011
The Senate leadership introduced its first draft of the budget this week and despite ongoing pressure to find more money for education, the plan actually cuts $40 million in education spending on top of the more than $1 billion in reductions proposed by the House of Representatives. The proposal includes $106 million less for K-12 education and $21 million less for community colleges while increasing spending on universities by $87 million.
Many educators have already received pink slips for the coming school year based on the House plan. Mecklenburg County laid off more than 700 teachers this week, while Duplin County released more than 200 educators. Wake County Schools will have to fire more than 1,000 people based on anticipated cuts.
Jennifer Tuft, a kindergarten teacher from Randolph County who has lost her job at Archdale Elementary School, came to the General Assembly this week to share her story and ask for budget writers to find a way to keep teachers in the classroom. Her husband is also a teacher and they have three children. She said she is worried about their future because of the poor choices being made now. For a full unedited video of the news conference, visit http://bit.ly/jzM4Qu.
I will continue to pressure the majority party to write a better budget that protects jobs and education with the hopes that we will find a way to rehire teachers like Jennifer.
I also want to tell you this week about some of the legislation that we have considered in the House of Representatives. If you have any questions, or if I can be of any service, please contact me.
State Health Plan
_ I voted against proposed changes in the state health plan that will cost teachers and state employees an average of $1,800 a year more in medical expenses. Gov. Perdue vetoed an earlier version of the bill, which forced the House to rewrite the plan to include a premium-free option for state workers and retirees. That plan received bipartisan support, but the Senate rejected it in favor of a plan that will cost state employees more money. (S323)
Voting
_ The time for early voting will be decreased by a week under legislation approved in the House. Early voting has been popular since it was first introduced in North Carolina, with more than half of all voters using early voting in 2008 and about a third using it in 2010. I was among the critics of the bill and am concerned that shortening the early voting period will take us backwards in voter participation. The bill is part of a series of legislation designed to suppress voting, including a proposal to require photo identification at the polls. (H658)
Unemployment Benefits
_ The majority party rejected an attempt this week to extend unemployment benefits to 37,000 people who lost the payments three weeks ago. An amendment offered to a bill in committee would have cleared the way for the benefits to be paid, but was ruled out of order by the committee chairman. In addition, all 52 Democrats in the House have signed a petition to force a bill from committee and onto the House floor for action. No Republicans have joined us. They have said they will only allow the benefits in exchange for an agreement from Gov. Perdue to give up her ability to negotiate over the state budget.
Courts and Crime
_ Legislation passed this week will increase the penalties for those who drive with revoked licenses. The law (H451) increases the fine for the first penalty to $250. A second penalty would result in a minimum $1,000 fine and the fine for a third penalty would be at least $2,500. A third conviction would also result in the forfeiture of the driver’s vehicle.
_ The House of Representatives passed two bipartisan bills this week intended to improve investigative and court procedures. One bill (H379) would add uniformity to the procedures the courts use to issue subpoenas and discovery requests for out-of-state residents. The other (H380) would clarify rules regarding discovery of electronically stored information.
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.