Pictures can be viewed at http://buncombedems.org/about/press/ under “Press Clippings.”

The public may obtain free tickets on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 4:30 pm on Sunday, October 16, at Gate Six of the WNC Agricultural Center on Fanning Bridge Road. A ticket is required for entry to the event.

The president will arrive at Asheville Regional Airport on Air Force One. Doors to the venue open at 8:00 am, and the program begins at 10:50 am. All attendees will go through airport-like security, and no bags, signs, banners, umbrellas, liquids or sharp objects will be allowed through security. Cameras and cell phones are permitted.

Saturday, October 22nd, 2011
5:30 P.M. Reception
7:00 P.M. Dinner

The Grove Park Inn
290 Macon Ave
Asheville, NC

Sponsorship Levels:
Co-Chair $5,000* Leadership Circle $2,500*
2012 Victory Team $1,000

As a Sponsor you will receive many benefits:
*Identification in invitation, program, sponsorship board and recognition from the podium*
*Preferred up front seating*
*Tickets to reception with elected officials and honored guests*
*Seating for eight*

Individual Levels:
Dinner and Reception $250*Dinner Ticket Only $100

PLEASE RSVP TO:

Individual Reception and Dinner Tickets: Sallie Leslie (919) 821-2777 x205 or sleslie@ncdp.org
Sponsorships: Ellen Stankiewicz (919) 821-2777 x206 or estankiewicz@ncdp.org

Please RSVP your Sponsorship by October 1st to be listed on the printed invitation.

 The General Assembly returned to Raleigh this week for a three-day session to consider constitutional amendments and other matters. I attended out of duty, but I believe the state’s time and resources could have been better spent.  North Carolina has already spent $350,000 on special sessions this year and yet another has been scheduled for November 7.  None of the matters considered were time-sensitive and none related to improving the economy or the job market.  I believe that is where our focus needs to be, now and for the foreseeable future.  Instead, we have seen the state’s unemployment rate climb for the past two months as more than 20,000 workers were fired as a result of a budget that took effect in July, over my objections.  Many of them, as you have seen, are teachers and teacher assistants, or those working in public safety or public health.

My colleagues in the House of Representatives will make a 20-stop tour across the state next week to discuss jobs and education. The intention of this tour is to let the people of North Carolina know what we stand for and what we are trying to do.  We also want to gather ideas that we can bring back to Raleigh in future sessions.

Thursday, September 22, I will join the tour in Jackson County from 8:30-9:30 at the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching.  And I will be in Haywood County at Waynesville Middle School from 10-11 a.m. and then in Asheville at the Enka Campus of AB Tech from 12:30 until 2 p.m.  I hope you will participate if you are able.  Please contact me if you have questions.

Same-Sex Marriage Ban

We were brought to Raleigh under the pretext of considering three separate constitutional amendments. Only one, and the worst one in my view, was passed, the amendment asking voters to consider a ban on same-sex marriage into the state’s constitution. Many legislators consider this measure unnecessary since North Carolina currently has two laws on the books that address same-sex marriage.  One defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman.  Another says that same-sex marriages performed in other states are not recognized in North Carolina. The amendment will be considered by voters in the May primary. The law in North Carolina will remain the same regardless of the outcome of the referendum.  The legislature passed only three other bills during this special session, two of which made mostly technical or clarifying changes to previous legislation. (H335 and S354). The other bill makes changes in the court system. (S580).

Thank you as always for your interest in state government.  In the meantime, please contact me if I can be of help to you.

Keep in touch,

Susan

At the noon session we had the prayer, did the pledge, introduced the pages, had a few announcements and then recessed until 2:30. When we reconvened, the debate on HB777, the Defense of Marriage Act, began. Three hours later, after over half of the Democrats had spoken valiantly against putting this question on the ballot and a handful of Republicans had spoken in favor of it, the vote came. I should have known it was going to pass simply because the Speaker put it on the agenda. Nevertheless, I was shocked by the number 75-43. Only 72 votes were needed.  Ten Democrats voted to put the question to the voters while one Republican refused to vote for it. The Speaker, who usually doesn’t vote unless there is a tie, even voted for the bill. The Senate was then the only thing that stood in the way of putting the issue on the ballot.

Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. the Commissioner of Agriculture spoke to the Ag Committee. We heard about the damage from Hurricane Irene, most of which was agricultural. We saw a slide presentation of the grain silos with their roofs blown off, fields of tobacco shredded by wind and fields of corn destroyed by Irene. There was discussion about what is being done to help these farmers and what needs to be done. Many members of the Ag Committee are farmers themselves and have a good handle on the issues involved. It was not a partisan discussion! That kind of sharing of information and ideas felt like what we should be doing in Raleigh!

On Tuesday our session convened at 11 a.m. although we weren’t called to order until 11:30. After the prayer and acknowledgment of our military losses, we recessed until 2:00. While the House was in recess, the Senate was in session passing the Defense of Marriage Act. Apparently there are too many people in the Legislature who see this as a moral issue rather than a human rights/civil rights issue. You are now going to vote in the May 2012 primary to decide whether we all have the right to pursue happiness – or just the heterosexuals among us.

The only business on Wednesday was to vote on a joint adjournment resolution which calls us back on November 7th to consider redistricting revisions, more attempts to override the Governor, a tribal compact, hurricane disaster bills, appointments, local bills pending in the House Rules Committee and a bill to modify LME’s. Was this the right way to spend $150,000 ($50,000/day for the Legislature to be in session) of taxpayer money? I don’t think so!

Patsy
PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST

Thanks to the ‘Republican Education Plan’, students all across North Carolina are facing larger class sizes, fewer teachers and teaching assistants, fewer pre-k options, and slashed class offerings.

Stand up for our kids today by giving $5, $10, or $15 to help us fight the Republican attacks on our schools.

Laying-off teachers, school counselors and other educators needlessly damages our economy and hurts our students. The ‘Republican Education Plan’ is wrong for North Carolina’s children and wrong for our future.

This much is clear: Pat McCrory, Thom Tillis, Phil Berger and Republicans in the General Assembly are dead-set on turning back the clock on North Carolina’s schools. Governor Perdue’s budget would have protected public education and saved these jobs.

Please help us keep up the fight against the anti-public school, anti-middle class policies of the GOP. Every $5, $10, or $15 contribution will help us take our message directly to the people of North Carolina.

Sincerely,

Jay Parmley
Executive Director, North Carolina Democratic Party

The General Assembly made a number of policy and budget decisions this past session that relate to our health and the health of our loved ones. Some of these I agree with, while I oppose others. This week I wanted to share some of the changes that may be of the most interest to you.

I extend my best wishes to those of you who have children returning to school or college now. This year will be a lean one, with cuts to education personnel across the board. I voted against the budget that put these cuts into place and will continue to stand up for our children and our educators.

Public Health

North Carolina has established a voluntary statewide health information exchange network. The exchange will allow health care providers, health plans and health care clearinghouses to share information among themselves and result in better, more consistent care for patients. Patients have the right to opt out of the exchange, so no information will be available without permission. (S375)

A new law will require the development of guidelines for reporting outbreaks of communicable diseases in adult care homes to local health departments, and requires that the Division of Health Services Regulation review an adult care home’s compliance with infection prevention requirements as part of the home’s annual inspection. The law (H474) also toughens the requirements for adult care home medication aides and supervisors.

The budget eliminates the state’s Health and Wellness Trust Fund. Millions of dollars in grants made through the trust fund have been widely credited for helping reduce smoking rates and encourage healthy lifestyles in the state. This money has been transferred to our general fund and only a portion of it now will be spent on wellness programs.

Medicaid

The proposed budget removes $2 billion from the state’s Medicaid program over the next two years. These cuts will result in the reduction and elimination of Medicaid services, as well as access to providers. There will be major reductions in critical Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Disabilities programs and services. Cuts of this magnitude in some programs may not be achievable in such a short time. The result may be deeper cuts in other program areas. Many service providers expect widespread job losses among their ranks as services and programs are diminished.

The General Assembly strengthened Medicaid’s policy of emphasizing the prescribing of generic drugs by establishing a new dispensing formula that rewards pharmacists for doing so. This action is expected to save $15 million.

Mental Health

The majority voted on a plan to reduce funding to local agencies that provide mental health services by nearly $60 million over the next two years while also ordering the agencies not to reduce their levels of service. They told them to take the money out of their fund balances. This damages their long-term financial health and their abilities to plan for the future. Gov. Perdue had recommended a $75 million increase in mental health funding with cuts in other areas to offset the increased spending. The state now finds its practices under review by the federal government, a situation that could have been avoided if the governor’s recommendation had been accepted.

Courts

The courts have already stepped in twice to block health-related decisions made by the majority in their budget. In one case, a state judge has ordered North Carolina to open its preschool program for at-risk children to all eligible children. The budget cut 6,400 children out of the program and attempted to charge a fee to the parents of those who remained. Preschool is a proven strategy to help make sure children get to school healthy and ready to learn and saves the state money over the student’s lifetime. The majority is now actively fighting against allowing these children to attend preschool by filing an appeal in the case.

In an unrelated case, a federal judge has issued a temporary injunction that allows Planned Parenthood to continue receiving state and federal grants for its preventative health care services. The budget barred Planned Parenthood specifically from receiving any government money, even federal money that passed through state accounts. The organization has become a target because it also offers abortion services. The organization is barred, however, from using any government money to pay for or subsidize abortions. The organization uses grant money to help pay for health care screenings, contraceptives and teen pregnancy programs. The injunction is expected to stay in place until Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit against the state is resolved.

Thank you for your interest in state government. I hope you will contact me if I can be of help.

Keep in touch,

Susan

Gov. Perdue Issues Order to Ensure Access for All At-Risk Four Year Olds

On Wednesday, Gov. Perdue issued Executive Order 100 which instructed the Department of Health and Human Services to preserve the high standards, quality and accessibility of NC Pre-K (formerly known as More at Four).  The order also requires DHHS to work closely with North Carolina’s education agencies during the transfer process in order to ensure and preserve NC Pre-K’s quality and academic integrity.

“It is absolutely essential that this program remain an academic Pre-K program,” said Gov. Perdue. “Data has proven that at-risk children who complete a year of academic preschool education show accelerated learning in language, math, social awareness and other skills – skills that persist through third grade. These children are far more likely to succeed in a career or college down the road.”

The General Assembly’s budget made significant changes to this crucial academic program for at-risk children. Changes include a 20 percent cut in funding that reduces the availability of the program to at-risk children, and the transfer of the program from the Department of Public Instruction to the Department of Health and Human Services.

On Tuesday, Gov. Bev Perdue was named to the National Governors Association (NGA) Economic Development and Commerce Committee by NGA Chair Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and NGA vice Chair Delaware Gov. Jack Markell.

The Economic Development and Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over a broad range of issues in the areas of transportation infrastructure, telecommunications, international trade promotion, financial services regulation, science and technology development and affordable housing. Members of the committee ensure that the governors’ views are represented in the shaping of federal policy.

Gov. Perdue will also serve on the NGA Center for Best Practices Board with chair Gov. Jack Markell, Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

Founded in 1908, the National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation’s governors and one of Washington, D.C.’s, most respected public policy organizations. Its members are the governors of the 50 states, three territories and two commonwealths. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing and implementing innovative solutions to public policy challenges through the NGA Center for Best Practices. For more information, go to www.nga.org.

As part of her belt-tightening efforts to streamline state government, Gov. Bev Perdue announced this week that Secretary Reuben Young will serve as secretary of the new, restructured Department of Public Safety. The new agency will fold in the responsibilities of the current Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, which Secretary Young currently heads, and the Departments of Correction and Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The new agency is the result of Gov. Perdue’s consolidation plan, announced in December 2010, to streamline state government, to make it leaner and more responsive to citizens. The Department of Public Safety is expected to save several million dollars, in part by eliminating duplicative functions such as human resources, purchasing, training and administration.

“Reuben Young led North Carolina’s state law enforcement and emergency management communities over the past two-and-a-half years through many challenges,” Gov. Perdue said. “He knows North Carolina and is respected up and down the ranks of law enforcement. He is the right person to guide this new agency.”

Gov. Perdue spoke at the presentation of Gov. Jim Hunt’s papers at the North Carolina History Museum in Raleigh, on Tuesday August 9th.  Former Governor James B. Hunt Jr. received the first copy of “Addresses and Public Papers of James Baxter Hunt Jr., Governor of North Carolina, 1997–2001,” which documents the fourth term of the state’s longest-serving chief executive.

Governor Perdue hailed Former Governor Hunt “as a leader that served with integrity, vision, and courage.”

The Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School’s 18 Karat Vocal Ensemble provided music for the program which was attended by approximately 300 participants. Many attendees took advantage of the opportunity to meet Former Governor Hunt as he signed and personalized books.

The Hunt papers were edited and published by The Historical Publications Section, a part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. (www.ncpublications.com)

August 11, 2011

With two of our three scheduled sessions complete for the year, I want to share with you a review of the legislative session thus far.  There is another session scheduled to start Sept. 12 for the discussion of proposed constitutional amendments and now there are hints that there may be a fourth session to again discuss redistricting. I am troubled that very little legislative time and attention has been focused on jobs or the economy.  My colleagues and I fought to redirect attention to the economy and jobs, but for the most part we were ignored in favor of an extreme social agenda.

During this short time between sessions, I want you to know that I am working in my district on your behalf.  My focus remains on finding ways to bring jobs to our area and to ensure that we provide a good education to our children.

Education Budget

I voted against the proposed state budget for a number of reasons, but primarily because I felt it did substantial damage to public education.  Let me list a few things that have already happened since this budget has gone into place.

North Carolina now ranks 49th in the nation in per-pupil education spending.

We have lost 7,600 state government jobs, with more expected to be announced this month.  Many of these newly-unemployed people are teachers and teacher assistants, and our local school system will certainly suffer long-term harm as a result.

The budget cut college financial aid in North Carolina at a time when we should be trying to make college more attainable for more students.  As a result, 6,000 college students who were eligible for financial aid from the state will now be cut off.

The budget eliminates all funding for Governor’s School, which was a nearly 50-year old summer enrichment program for the best and brightest high-school students in this state.

They have also shut down the Teaching Fellows program, which for more than 20 years has awarded college scholarships in exchange for a commitment to teaching in North Carolina. The program ensured that many of the most promising students became teachers in North Carolina schools. One study found that 60 percent of the students from the first graduating class of Teaching Fellows remain in our public schools.

This is not the time to go backwards on education in our state.  Decades of making public education our priority has resulted in tremendous gains.  We learned recently that North Carolina’s high-school graduation rate showed the second-most improvement in the nation from 1998-2008 and continues to climb.  We are now above the national average for the first time and we have the nation’s third-highest graduation rate for African-Americans. Our SAT scores showed the most improvement among those states that primarily use the test and our ACT scores rank in the top quarter in the nation.

Protecting and improving public education must continue to be our goal in North Carolina. Education is the key to long-term improvement in our economy and will give our children and grandchildren the tools needed to compete in the global economy.  For decades, North Carolina has been a model of excellence in public education that other states have envied and copied.  I am committed to continuing to fight to ensure public education is a priority in our state.

Education Policy

In addition to the deep damage done by the budget, a number of troubling education policies were pushed through by the majority.

Local disputes in Wake and Burke counties resulted in legislation that prevents the state’s universities and community colleges from considering whether high schools are properly accredited.  The possible loss of accreditation for our schools could make it more difficult for students to gain admission to some out-of-state universities or receive scholarships and financial aid.

At the same time, the majority passed a bill preventing some community colleges from offering more low-interest student loans.  This comes at a time when community colleges are playing a key role in training and retraining our work force, providing citizens with an opportunity to adjust to a changing economy.  These workers and students should have wider access to low-interest loans.  Our community colleges have been successful because they have been affordable.  Restricting access to low-interest loans while so many families are struggling to make ends meet simply makes no sense.  The governor wisely vetoed this bill, but the majority evaded her veto by running local bills to exempt some community colleges.  State law does not allow her to veto local bills.

The majority also attempted to divert money from public education by taking money from public schools and giving it to new charter schools.  The bill would have allowed these charter schools to take money from public schools to pay for transportation and nutrition programs, even if those very same schools provided neither transportation nor school lunches to their students. It was clearly an overreach.  The threat of a veto by the governor and the hard line that I, and many others took to protect our schools, resulted in a compromise to simply lift the 100-school cap on charter schools.  The compromise bill allows for positive charter school growth in North Carolina, while ensuring that charters receive appropriate oversight from the State Board of Education and that funding for traditional public schools is not sacrificed.

Voting

The legislature considered several bills to suppress voting rights in North Carolina this session.  We have seen bills to shorten the time for early voting, require partisan judicial races once again and to stop straight-ticket voting.  They want to end voter registration drives, stop people from driving others to the polls and end same-day voter registration.  Most offensively, they have tried to require voters to present photo identification at the polls.  There are at least a half-million registered voters in this state without photo identification.  They are mostly older, minority and Democratic. Voter fraud is currently a felony in North Carolina and there is no evidence it is a real problem.  This bill was simply an attempt to suppress voting in North Carolina.  The governor vetoed the bill and her veto was sustained.

A bright spot in our new elections laws is legislation that would create a nonpartisan redistricting commission following the 2020 census.  I co-sponsored this bill and hope such a change will keep redistricting from being such a time-consuming, political process.

Guns

We also seem to have spent an inordinate amount of time this session talking about guns.  Like most people in this state, I respect and support the Second Amendment. People have a right to bear arms.  People also have a right to feel safe in their communities and some of the bills passed this past session are too extreme for North Carolina families.  In particular, one bill passed by the House would allow people holding permits to carry concealed weapons, to bring those guns on school grounds. The bill also reduces the penalty for those who illegally carry guns onto school property from a felony to a misdemeanor.  A separate bill would allow concealed weapons into bars and restaurants where alcohol is served. It’s simply wrong to mix guns and children.  It’s wrong to mix guns and alcohol.  I support responsible gun ownership but these bills do not align with the values of most people in the state of North Carolina.

Abortion

The majority passed a bill requiring doctors to read a state-approved script to patients who come to them to discuss abortions.  I remain concerned about state government inserting itself into a decision that should be between a woman and her doctor.  The bill also requires the patient to wait at least 24 hours for the procedure.  Most alarmingly, there is no exception for victims of rape or incest or for women whose health may be endangered by carrying the child.  This bill treats women as if they are incapable of making decisions about their own health and their own families.  These decisions are difficult and should be left to a woman, her family and her doctor. This extreme social policy comes on the heels of the state cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood and other pregnancy prevention, counseling and health care screening programs. North Carolina should ensure that women have the tools to make safe and responsible health care decisions.

Environment

This is easily one of the worst sessions we have had for the environment in North Carolina’s modern history.  We all believe that North Carolina should audit and study regulations that are on the books and cut those that burden small businesses or slow job growth.  However, we must also be sure that we maintain vital oversight on issues and processes that impact our quality of life.  Time and again we are reminded that businesses often locate here due to our exceptional quality of life and clean environment.  They enjoy access to a clean coast and mostly undeveloped mountain ridges.  They appreciate our efforts to keep our air and water clean.  Some legislators are working to roll back nearly all of our state regulations to the minimum levels set by the federal government.  The cleanup of Jordan Lake, a drinking water supply for some cities in the Piedmont, will be delayed, at best.  State regulation of toxic chemicals such as ammonia and sulfuric acid that are released into the air by industry will be weakened.  The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will lose a third of its funding in the next two years.  That means there will be fewer experts looking out for our water and air quality and it means there will be fewer people to help correct problems that will inevitably surface.  This is unacceptable and we can and we must do better!

Thank you, as always, for your interest in state government.  In the meantime, please contact me if I can be of help.

Susan