Archive for the ‘NCGA’ Category

NC State Seal

Much has happened this week in the North Carolina State Legislature and Col. Brenda Formo has covered it all. Katy’s Conservative Corner cannot thank her enough for her dedication and oversight to conservative causes.

This report helps many plan their legislative activities and know when to contact their elected officials. Formo had a distinguished career in the United States Army and we thank her for her service to our nation.

Writing on behalf of the North Carolina Federation of Republican Women, Mrs. Formo is the State Vice-President of the Central Region.  To find out how to join a Republican Women’s Club near you, please contact Valerie White.

BREAKING NEWS: Clearly NC House Speaker Thom Tillis feels that he has the votes to override Governor Beverly Perdue‘s veto of the Photo Voter ID bill.  This is excellent news.  While your blogger doesn’t know who the Democrats are that will be siding with the Republican majority, we will report them just as soon as we find out.

Meanwhile, the NC Senate has a veto proof majority.  Does your vote at the polls matter?  You bet it does!

The press release from Tillis’ office is below:

House Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg) announced today that the North Carolina House will attempt to override Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto of the voter ID bill when the body reconvenes in July.

“Governor Perdue has chosen to veto a bill that over 75% of North Carolinians support and more than a dozen other states utilize,” Tillis said.

“Governor Perdue continues to play politics and she has once again turned her back on the voters of our state.  Republicans in the state House will not let this stand.   We will take the lead and we will work for an override vote on the voter ID bill when the House reconvenes in July.”

Tillis said the House will notice the veto override once the House reconvenes in July for a brief session on redistricting.   The override vote will occur during the July session.

“This legislation is a no-brainer,” Tillis said.

“Requiring a photo ID to vote is a measure that provides confidence in voting and protects the integrity of our electoral process.  Why this bill was vetoed is beyond me, but we will not stand idly by while the Governor and her liberal allies put politics before principle.  We simply want North Carolina to join the majority of states that have an ID requirement when someone shows up to vote.”

The voter ID bill, known as the “Restore Confidence in Government Act,” has consistently received substantial support of the voters across party lines.  If citizens do not possess photo identification, the bill stipulates that free photo identification can be provided at DMV locations or local Boards of Elections.

“This is not a partisan issue, nor is it defined by political controversy in other states,” said Tillis.

“The Governor is out of touch with the people in her state, and we intend to make that very clear to the citizens of North Carolina in the days and months ahead.”

For more, please see NC Governor Vetoes Photo Voter ID

Gov. Beverly Perdue (D) has shown that she cares more about her job than those of others by going against the wishes of the people of North Carolina. AP photo

North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue vetoed Photo Voter ID on Thursday, going against the majority of her constituents who elected a Republican General Assembly in 2010. (Read her official press release, here.)

One of the top items on the NC Republican agenda this session was passing a requirement that registered voters show a North Carolina-issued photo identification.  The bill, Restore Confidence in Government , was stamped with her eighth veto  of the session, according to the News and Observer of Raleigh.

In a first, the NC Democratic Party claimed that issuing an ID, paid for by the state  for indigents, would be too expensive.

In a press release, Senate Democrat leader Martin Nesbit stated “Voter ID is nothing more than a costly solution in search of a problem that forces thousands of seniors, minorities and students to nagivate an obstacle course of bureaucracy before being allowed to vote.”

Ironically, the same Democrats that spent the Republicans into power, suddenly cared about what a program actually cost.

These same Democrats ran a slick, expensive campaign all spring and summer trying to stop the Republican budget and other bills voters wanted, only to fail.  Last fall, voters became sick of the overspending by President Barack Obama and Governor Perdue and their party, and voted the Republicans into leadership in both houses of the NC General Assembly for the first time since Reconstruction.

The NC Senate and NC House Republicans followed the wishes of those who elected them and passed this needed bill.

Even liberals, nationally, have felt that voter fraud is a problem, despite the denials of the NC Democrats.  According to a post in the last issue of their Policy Statement, Duke Chesson, writing for the NC Young Republicans stated:

So is voter fraud really a problem? Liberal former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens certainly thought so. As he put it in a 2008 opinion for the 6-3 majority in a case concerning voter ID laws in Indiana,

“That flagrant examples of [voter] fraud…have been documented throughout this Nation’s history by respected historians and journalists…demonstrate[s] that not only is the risk of voter fraud real but that it could affect the outcome of a close election.”

The NC General Assembly passed a similar version to what was upheld in Indiana, according to sources.

North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes, had the best quote of the day.  In a prepared statement, he said

“When given a chance to boost voter confidence, Governor Perdue again chose to appease her liberal base to boost her floundering re-election campaign while ignoring an overwhelming majority of North Carolinians who supported this common-sense bill.

Governor Perdue’s veto is not surprising and as unemployment in North Carolina remains at 9.7% for the third straight month, it is clear ‘The Jobs Governor’ is only concerned with one job, her own.”

The Republicans have not yet announced when they will attempt to over ride the veto.

RALEIGH, NC – Today, North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes released the following statement regarding today’s announcement that North Carolina’s unemployment rate remains at 9.7% for the third straight month and above 9.2% for twenty-nine straight months.

“Today’s announcement from the Employment Security Commission provides a clear picture that North Carolina’s private sector is stuck in the mud thanks to out of control spending and failed policies pursued by Governor Perdue and the tax and spend Democrats in Raleigh.
“This week, Republicans in the General Assembly were able to override Governor (Beverly) Perdue’s budget veto to pass a fact-based bi-partisan budget that right-sizes state government without raising taxes so the private sector can be free to flourish and create jobs. 

Our state’s fiscal problems were not caused by Republicans but the Republicans in General Assembly have started laying the groundwork to put our state’s fiscal house in order and get North Carolinians back to work.”

Col. Brenda T. Forma (USA-R) has been keeping watch over the North Carolina General Assembly this session, and shares another update from Thursday, during a crazy week as legislators are struggling to adjourn.  KCC appreciates her contribution.

Robin Hayes spoke about the Budget Veto Override on Wednesday

Today, North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes shared his thoughts regarding Beverly Perdue’s budget veto by the North Carolina General Assembly.  He added facts that the liberals have chosen to overlook. When the television commercials are running, don’t forget the bullet points .  The liberals running the television ads certainly have!

Thank you, Chairman Hayes, for reminding us of the truth.  Let’s not forget to thank the “Party of Five” that stood with the Republicans, either.

Chairman Hayes’ Remarks:

North Carolina faces high unemployment and historic budget deficits because of decades of out-of-control spending and failed policies from the tax and spend Democrats in Raleigh.  Governor Perdue had a chance to work with Republicans but chose to politicize her veto stamp to protect the status quo and to energize her liberal base for her re-election campaign.

“Fortunately for North Carolinians, the General Assembly reached a bi-partisan agreement to reject Governor Perdue’s $1 billion tax hike and right-size state government to provide a better future for North Carolina’s families, students and job creators.  Our state’s fiscal problems were not caused by Republicans but this budget is a responsible first step by Republicans towards putting our state’s fiscal house in order.”

Budget fulfills promises made during the 2010 campaign:

• Balances the budget, closing a $2.5 billion shortfall
• Allows the temporary sales and income tax increases to expire, putting $1.3 billion back into the hands of North Carolina taxpayers
• Provides tax relief for small businesses allowing them to expand and put people back to work
• Protects education – fully funding all classroom teachers and teacher’s assistants
• Brings state spending in line with revenues and places North Carolina back on the path to fiscal responsibility

Right-sizes State Government:

• Cuts state spending by approximately 4%.  Spending has more than doubled in the past 10 years.
• More than doubles the amount of money in the Rainy Day Fund – $185 million
• Allocates $125 million for renovation and repair of university and state buildings
• Fully funds the state’s retirement system

Creates Private Sector Jobs:

• Cuts taxes for EVERY North Carolinian by allowing temporary taxes to expire, reducing the state’s sales tax from 7.75% to 6.75%
• Implements small business tax relief – exempting the first $50,000 of small business income from income tax
• Creates nearly 14,000 private sector jobs in the first year (30,000 over the next two years) by returning nearly $1.5 billion to the hands of taxpayers of North Carolina
• Extends unemployment benefits for 40,000 North Carolinians whose benefits have expired

Protects Students and Teachers:

• Republicans believe that every child should be reading by the time they leave 3rd Grade.  Currently 23% fail to do so, yet only 3% are held back.
• Reduces class sizes in grades 1-3 from 18:1 to 17:1 – adding more than 1,100 additional teachers
• Protects every teacher and teacher assistant position currently employed
• Provides liability insurance for teachers and school employees to help ensure their safety in the classroom
• Does not pass down fiscal responsibility for school buses, tort claims and worker’s compensation claims to the counties like the Governor’s budget proposed – saving counties $75 million
• Allocates $100 million to the Public School Building Capital Fund to assist counties in building, renovating and upgrading schools with new technology.  Governor’s budget proposed only $55 million
• Creates a performance pay model for teachers and state employees to retain and reward our state’s best and brightest employees

Protects Health and Human Services:

• Over half of all the budget reductions in the Department of Health and Human Services have been achieved through savings with no loss of services.  We have also maximized the swapping of federal block grant funds for state funds.
• All DHHS treatment facilities, schools, mental health hospitals and contract beds have been preserved.
• All 23 optional medical services in the Medicaid program have been preserved.
• We have paved the way for major Mental Health Reform in North Carolina.
• We have achieved pharmacy and medication savings through new initiatives to increase utilization of generic drugs.
• We have restored the Governor’s proposed cuts to local health departments and senior services, and taken steps to lessen the financial burden on counties.

URL:  www.ncgop.org/VetoOverride

The NC Legislature Overrode the Governor's Budget Veto on Wednesday

Early this morning, a super majority of the North Carolina House kept a promise to taxpayers that a billion dollars in temporary taxes would expire at the end of this month. With all the cynicism in politics, it is refreshing to see politicians that signed AFP pledges against raising taxes keep that promise.

Voters should have renewed confidence in trusting some elected officials to keep their word. This afternoon the State Senate gave final approval to the North Carolina State Budget by overriding Governor (Beverly) Perdue‘s Budget Veto. We applaud this historic first-ever veto override vote. It has kept a promise to taxpayers, a promise that all too often has been broken.

Join me in celebrating the defeat of Governor Perdue and other liberals who attempted to raise another billion dollars in taxes.

As a member of Americans for Prosperity, you should be proud of the hard work to finally have a budget that funds core services, but that does not, for the first time in a decade, raise taxes.

We applaud the legislative leadership on passing this historic budget in record time despite the obstruction coming from the Governor’s mansion.

Dallas Woodhouse
North Carolina State Director
Americans for Prosperity

Like what we’re doing? Please consider making a donation to AFP-NC.  Your investment of $5, $10, or $15 will help AFP NC continue to fight against big government and out-of-control spending.

Your blogger’s dear friend, retired Army Colonel Brenda Formo has contributed another legislative report. We thank her for her research, on behalf of the North Carolina Federation of Republican Women. KCC is a fellow member and has exclusive rights to post. We appreciate Brenda’s service to our great nation and look forward to more posts, soon.

It’s been a busy week at the North Carolina General Assembly.  For more, check out the latest at the Civitas Institute,  the North Carolina Americans for Prosperity, or at the John Locke Foundation.  They are all excellent organizations and all focus on North Carolina issues.

Governor Beverly Perdue (D-NC) is using her office to shill for campaign donations, again.   Is this the right thing to do?  Is this an abuse of her job? Is this fair to the taxpayers of North Carolina? The Governor sent out the following email before the ink was even dry on her veto.  Read it and decide for yourself:

Dear Friend -

Yesterday, after a great deal of careful consideration, I vetoed the proposed state budget sent to me by the Republican-led General Assembly.  I would like to take a moment to tell you why.

For generations, North Carolina has distinguished itself from other southern states as a place of opportunity, and a place that understands the value of investing in its people.  Education has been our hallmark – it has set us apart from our neighbors and propelled our economic success.

The Republican legislature has turned its back on our schools, our children, our longstanding investments in education and our future economic prospects. Their budget:

•   Shuns our most at-risk pre-school children by slashing Smart Start and More at Four, leaving these kids behind before they’ve even started Kindergarten;

•   Underfunds classrooms in K-12, forcing local school districts to lay off thousands of teachers and teaching assistants who will then be added to the unemployment rolls; and

•   Devastates our community colleges and universities in a way that will shut down programs, cause tuition to spike, and move career training and college degrees further out of reach.

Please stand with me once again and let’s keep North Carolina moving forward. (Donation link removed by KCC.)

Their budget will result in generational damage. It will tear at the very fibers that make North Carolina strong – not only our schools, but also our communities, our environment, our public safety system and our ability to care for those who need us most.

•   Our most vulnerable and sick will see medical and mental health services cut or eliminated;

•   Families will have limited resources as they care for their elderly, their disabled or their mentally ill relatives;

•   The natural environmental treasures that we cherish and that draw so many visitors to North Carolina will be at risk of permanent damage or destruction;

•   Historical sites that attract tourists and stimulate economic activity by commemorating our rich cultural heritage will be closed;

•   Just as hurricane season arrives, our ability to respond effectively to natural disasters will be hampered not just by cuts to crucial emergency management programs but also because this fiscally irresponsible budget leaves no money on the bottom line – that is, no reserve to help us deal with unexpected emergencies and disasters that can devastate the lives of our citizens; and

•   Fewer law enforcement officers will patrol our streets and supervise convicted felons, while victims will be forced to wait longer for justice.

Please stand with me once again and let’s keep North Carolina moving forward. (Donation link removed by blogger.)

The Republican legislature may be satisfied with a state in reverse, but I am not.

I will not put my name on a plan that so blatantly ignores the values of North Carolina’s people. I cannot support a budget that moves North Carolina backwards, especially since we have always been a state that leads the nation.

Please call your legislator and urge him or her to sustain my veto.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Bev Perdue

North Carolina AFP Needs YOUR Help!

The following is from a letter distributed to supporters of the North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity from president Dallas Woodhouse.

The General Assembly is trying to finish the legislative session by the end of this week. There are many bills making their way to the floor of the House or Senate for a vote but we want to draw your attention to just a few. Your urgent help is needed to pass these bills!

• Over the weekend, Governor (Beverly)  Perdue put her very partisan veto stamp on a responsible,
  bi-partisan, no-tax-increase budget. This budget was passed with the help of Republicans, Democrats and an Unaffiliated member of the legislature. Now, your help is needed—please contact your State Senator and State House Representative and ask them to vote to OVERRIDE the Governor’s veto of the budget. Click here to ask your Legislators to vote FOR an Override.

• Ask your Senator to support House Bill 845, a bill that would finally give property owners a true voice as to whether they want to be annexed by a city. Revenue-seeking cities would be penalized for not providing promised services to those annexed against their will. It also provides a mechanism for citizens to object to and stop a forced annexation in its tracks for a period of time. Click here to ask your Senator to vote YES on H845.

• Ask your Senator to support House Bill 542, Tort Reform for Citizens and Businesses. A state’s legal climate can be a major inducement or a major deterrent to business investment, growth, and job creation. It is one factor among several key ones that businesses consider when making decisions about where to expand existing operations or to locate new facilities. House Bill 542 makes important, balanced changes to NC’s civil liability system to provide fairness, predictability, and encourage job creation. Click here to ask your Senator to vote YES on H542.

If you would like to experience the legislature during a very exciting time, you may want to come to Raleigh this week.

On Tuesday, June 14th at 1 PM, Annexation Reform will be discussed in the Senate Finance Committee, Room 544 of the Legislative Office Building. We hope to see a crowd!

Give us a call at 919.839.1011 if there is anything we can do for you while in Raleigh. Legislature Directions and Parking