Finishing the Job

This week, I filed for re-election to seek a second term in office. After years of Democratic mismanagement, my colleagues and I have made significant strides in improving our state government.

We reigned in the budget and found a solution to fully fund the state retirement plan. Several bills favoring individuals over government have been passed including new annexation laws that give property owners a right to petition when their land is being annexed and legislation giving tax breaks to businesses.

We've got to continue getting our fiscal house in order. The state owes close to $2.7 billion to the federal government after borrowing the money to pay for unemployment benefits. Our regulatory system needs to be amended to encourage economic development by enticing businesses to relocate to the state and create jobs. We still have a lot of necessary improvement to make and I want to help finish the job I started last term.

Stimulating Economic Growth

On February 2, I attended an Economic Development and Global Engagement Oversight committee meeting where my colleagues and I were briefed on the status of North Carolina’s commerce. Janet Cowell, North Carolina state treasurer, as well as directors of the International Trade Division of the N.C. Department of Commerce, spoke with us about the importance of stimulating international business with our state. Over the last ten years, international investment and job creation in North Carolina brought more than $9 billion in investments and 40,000 jobs to our state. 

While we could certainly stand to gain more international business, we could also stimulate our state economy by overriding Governor Perdue’s veto of Bill 709, the Energy Jobs Act. The bill would allow North Carolina to drill its natural gas deposits, creating thousands of jobs and generating millions in revenue. The bill also sets aside the first $500 million in revenue to an emergency response fund to pay for any damages that could be caused by drilling. In the upcoming short session, we must make it our priority to continue to improve our economy, create jobs, and stimulate growth. 

Education, Taxes, and Vetoes

More Taxes?

On Tuesday, January 17, Governor Perdue announced her proposed budget for next year will include an increase in sales tax for education. Out of all the states in the Southeast, North Carolina encumbers its citizens with the highest combined tax rate. The problem isn’t that N.C. is not taking in enough revenue or that it’s not taking enough of taxpayers money. The problem is the size of the government. I am against any increase in taxes.
  

Education can always be improved and the legislature made significant strides last year in spite of severe budget challenges. We assisted teachers by ensuring that their medical bills are paid and their pensions are funded. Some of the most frequent complaints that I have heard from teachers concern unnecessary testing, specifically tests that only the state of North Carolina required students to take. In response, we abolished those tests allowing teachers time to teach students more relevant and useful material. The limit on charter schools has also been eliminated. Now parents will have more options to provide their children with a strong education.


Fewer Vetoes?
On Thursday, January 26, Governor Perdue announced that she would not be seeking a second term, demonstrating the disarray within the Democratic Party in North Carolina. As Democratic legislators assume party positions that are much farther left from the views of the voters, they isolate themselves from their constituents and the general public. The Governor consistently voted against common sense and the will of the people in vetoing legislation that was supported by the vast majority of North Carolinians. We won't miss her veto stamp. 


As a member of the Republican party, I have strived to align myself with my constituents’ views while maintaining my personal beliefs and my party’s established ideology.