Budget
This week in the Senate, we received the budget passed by the House
of Representatives last week. As is the custom, the Senate voted
unanimously not to concur with their changes. I was appointed to
the Conference Committee to negotiate a final budget agreement
with the House. There are many similarities in our respective budgets
and we share the goals of creating jobs, helping small businesses,
and protecting education. I am confident that we will come together
and settle our differences and pass a budget that reflects these
goals. I am hopeful that will occur in the coming weeks, before
the start of the new fiscal year. I will keep you updated on the
progress.
Foreclosure Protection
North Carolina’s foreclosure rate is up and we are continuing
our efforts to help homeowners keep their homes. This week, I supported
legislation (Senate Bill 1216) that would strengthen a program aimed
at reducing foreclosures. The proposal would allow the state Commissioner
of Banks to work with lenders and homeowners to find solutions that
would keep people in their homes and delay foreclosure for up to 30
days. This would help as many 80,000 homeowners expected face foreclosure
this year and help save neighborhoods and protect the property values
of neighboring homes.
The Senate budget funds the Home Protection program which helps laid-off
workers keep from losing their homes and maintained $10 million in
funds for the Housing Trust Fund, which provides housing and housing
assistance for those most in need, such as homeless persons, individuals
with physical and/or developmental disabilities, survivors of domestic
violence, and the elderly.
Jobs
This week, we also passed a measure (Senate Bill 1154) to allow
for construction on university campuses that using funds generated
from
dormitory rent, private donations and other fees—no state
General Fund money. These projects will create an estimated 8,000
jobs and
will be done almost entirely by North Carolina companies.
Hearing Aids for Children
A bill I supported (House Bill 589) was signed into law this week
by the Governor. It requires health plans to cover hearing aids
for young
people through the age 21. This small, but significant step will
help improve the quality of life for hearing-impaired young people
and allow
them to attend classes with their peers.
NC STEP
This week, representatives from the towns of Canton and Robbinsville
were in Raleigh yesterday to attend a ceremony at the North
Carolina Rural Center where it was announced that the two towns
joined the
North Carolina Small Town Economic Prosperity Demonstration
Program (NC STEP).
45 small towns from across North Carolina, including Franklin
and Andrews are already part of the program. Canton and Robbinsville,
along with
8 other small towns joined the program this year. Representative
West and I were proud to join the Robbinsville’s representatives
in receiving this designation.
The program has three main goals:
- Support economic recovery and revitalization in
small towns adversely affected by structural changes in the economy
or recent natural disasters
- Test a comprehensive model of technical assistance
and grant making to aid in revitalization efforts
- Provide information vital to the development of
public policies that support long-term investment in the economic
vitality of North Carolina’s small towns.
Appalachian Regional Commission Strategic Planning Webinar
On June 16, the Appalachian Regional Commission will be conducting
a webinar for residents of North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Virginia and West Virginia to provide input for the Commission’s
six-year plan for economic and community development for the region.
Created in 1965, the ARC’s mission is to help promote and
create economic development throughout Appalachia.
Information about the webinar and how you can participate can be
found here: http://www.arc.gov/appalachian_region/ARCStrategicPlanningWebinars.asp |
