| LOCAL ISSUES |
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I have been a proud citizen of Fayetteville for over 29 years. I took my first job here in 1981, and my wife and I raised our children here. I’ve taught as a volunteer instructor at Westover High School, an adjunct instructor at FTCC and now as a visiting professor at Fayetteville State and Campbell Law School. I also led Sunday school classes here for many years. This is my home, and I am dedicated to smart, sustainable economic development, excellence in education and the preservation of the extraordinary natural resources of our community. The future is bright for Cumberland County, and I pledge to continue fighting to make this the best possible place for all of us to live, work and raise a family.
House Bill 1761/Senate Bill 1041, Job Maintenance and Capital Development Fund – Provided $60 million to encourage several businesses, including the Goodyear plant in Fayetteville, to maintain high–paying jobs in North Carolina and requires these businesses invest at least $200 million in capital upgrades to their facilities, maintain a work force of at least 2000 full–time employees and provide them with quality health care benefits, while abiding by stringent environmental standards.
House Bill 1191, Incorporation of Eastover – At the request of the citizens of Eastover, this bill made possible the incorporation of the Town of Eastover, allowed for self–governance and the creation of a town council and mayoral position. Eastover serves as both a wonderful gateway community for North Carolina into Fayetteville and an attractive residential choice for Cumberland County residents.
House Bill 2520, North Carolina Veterans Park – As part of the 2008 budget, provides $15 million to the City of Fayetteville to create a Veteran’s Park which will provide a place for meaningful reflection and inspiration in a community setting that is beautiful, bold, and unique to honor the lives, service, and pride of North Carolina veterans.
House Bill 1008/Senate Bill 586, Additions to State Parks System – Created Carvers Creek State Park in Cumberland County, which represents an excellent example of the natural features of the Sandhills Region of North Carolina, with rolling hills, ravines, and narrow stream bottoms, includes endangered red–cockaded woodpeckers, rare plants, high quality longleaf pine forests, wetlands, and other natural communities characteristic of the Sandhills, and has been found to possess biological, scenic, and recreational resources of statewide significance.
House Bill 2731/Senate Bill 2038 – Defense and Security Technology Accelerator – Appropriated $1.5 million dollars for the creation of the Defense and Security Technology Accelerator (DSTA), a thought leader in business acceleration, located in downtown Fayetteville. The program is designed to create collaborations with the military, entrepreneurs and innovators while fostering the rapid development of defense and security technology solutions to meet military needs and private industry demands (click here to visit the DSTA Website).
Hope Mills Lake – In 2006, I requested and secured $2.17 million from the Governor’s Emergency Response Account for the restoration and preservation of the Hope Mills Lake, helping to initiate the recently completed efforts to return this spectacular natural treasure to the town of Hope Mills, and for the enjoyment of all who visit this beautiful lake and enjoy its many resources. (Click here to visit the Friends of the Hope Mills Lake website).
| EDUCATION |
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As an educator, former school board member and Chairman, and as the husband of a teacher, education is the issue closest to my heart. My children attended Cumberland public schools and state Universities. As the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee on Education, it is my privilege and my challenge to oversee House spending priorities for education throughout the state. I am proud of the many achievements of our public schools and the progress we have made toward the goal of an excellent global education for every child, one that prepares them for college and a dynamic and innovative workforce. There is still much work to be done to fully realize this goal, and I am dedicated to continuing to fight to make North Carolina’s education system the best in the country.
House Bill 150, Every Child Ready to Learn – Modifies school admission requirements to ensure all children are ready to enter kindergarten, helping to promote lifelong learning and preventing dropouts in later grades. House Bill 218, Parent and Student Educational Involvement Act – Requires that parents receive a written notice from a school if their child is suspended for ten days or is expelled. This notice must include a description of the alleged offense, the specific reason why suspension or expulsion is suggested and the process by which a parent or guardian is permitted to contest the action taken by the school.
Joint Legislative Study Committee on Public School Funding Formulas – I sponsored the legislation that created this committee and serve as a co–chair. This committee is tasked with undertaking a full and comprehensive review of the best available formulas for the funding of every aspect of public education in North Carolina, in an effort to maximize benefits, enhance student achievement and increase both the graduation rates and the quality of education for each student in our schools.
Senate Bill 1019 – Established NC Financial Literacy Council, which monitors and assists the Department of Public Instruction in he coordination of statewide delivery of financial education within the public school system,shall identify programs designed to increase the financial literacy of North Carolinians outside he public school system, and shall work to expand access to financial education resources andprograms in communities across North Carolina.
House Bill 749, Implement Efficiencies in the University System – Implemented the recommendations of UNC President Bowles’ Advisory Committee on Efficiency and Effectiveness (PACE) to make the best use of taxpayer’s money within the state University System. These efficiencies include specific procedures that must be followed regarding the use of public funds in new building projects, particularly if excessive public funds are sought.
House Bill 12, Students with Disabilities and Special Ed Changes; House Bill 13, Alternative Programs for Students with Disabilities; House Bill 14, Homebound Instruction for Disabled Students, House Bill 18, Defining Residence for Students with Special Needs; House Bill 20, Homebound Instruction Standards – A series of bills that implemented recommendations of the House Select Committee on Children with Disabilities, which I chaired, ensuring students with disabilities and students receiving homebound instruction are given access to quality educational choices and the most appropriate and effective educational delivery is available to all students.
House Bill 548/Senate Bill 526, School Violence Protection Act – Requires all school districts to adopt policies that provide clear guidelines for teachers, administrators and parents on how to use best practices in preventing and protecting all students, including those whom research has shown to be among most vulnerable, from bullying and harassment on school grounds, buses and school-sponsored trips. Maintains local control of specific policies and procedures and prohibits using the bill to create any protected class or special rights that do not currently exist in law.
House Bill 1908, Rewrite Special Education Laws – A total overhaul of the Special Education laws in North Carolina, “ensures that all children with disabilities ages three through 21 have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepares them for further education, employment, and independent living, ensures that the rights of these children and their parents are protected and enables the State Board of Education and local educational agencies to provide for the education of all children with disabilities”.
House Bill 88, Healthy Youth Act – Ensures medically accurate reproductive health and safety education is available to all students in 7th, 8th and 9th grades, and provided each student's parents the choice of a comprehensive or abstinence-only curriculum for their children. House Bill 911, Streamline School Testing Program – Recognizing that a student is more than a test score, eliminated the High School exit exam in North Carolina’s public schools. Required that the Sate Board of Education “develop a comprehensive plan to revise content standards in reading, writing, mathematics, science, history, geography, and civics” and that “a full review of available and relevant academic content standards that are rigorous, specific, sequenced, clear, focused, and measurable, whenever possible, be a part of the process of the development of content standards”.
House Bill 2273, Funds for Academically Gifted Children – Appropriated $3.5 million for FY 2008–09 to provide for the needs of academically or intellectually gifted children, helping to ensure these children receive the enhanced educational resources and opportunities necessary for them to earn the highest educational achievements possible.
House Bill 58 & House Bill 2641, Funds for Science Competitions; House Bill 231, Foreign Language In Schools Funding; House Bill 2169, Exceptional Children’s Funding; House Bill 225, Disadvantaged Student Funding – Appropriated $300,000 for science competitions for Middle and High school students, $500,000 for the development of High school courses in critical foreign language training, helping to ensure a globally competitive and dynamic student population and $6 million each for Exceptional Children and Disadvantaged Student services and programs
House Bill 2130, Increase Community College Faculty Salaries; House Bill 2146, Community College Allied Health Funds – These bills, respectively, increased Community College faculty salaries, moving North Carolina toward the goal of national average for faculty pay, and increased substantially the state’s commitment to crucial allied health training and degree programs, such as nursing, radiology and biomedicine. House Bill 1038/Senate Bill 1069, Joining Our Businesses and Schools Commission (JOBS) – Established the JOBS Commission, a twenty member commission that seeks to strengthen the link between high school curricula and local economies to increase the career readiness of graduates to compete in a globalized world. Members represent education, state government and business institutions. A current list of members can be found here.
| MILITARY FAMILIES |
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The men and women of our armed services and their families have pledged themselves and their lives to protecting our country, and we owe them nothing less than our solemn promise to do all in our power to honor, aid and support them. Cumberland County benefits tremendously from having two of our nation’s most important military bases as part of our community, and I am committed to the passage of legislation that provides support for our military members, our veterans and their families. In addition to the introduction and passage of the legislation below, I worked to protect our servicemen and women by helping to defeat the legalization of predatory lending practices that take advantage of military members and their families.
House Bill 1515/Senate Bill 1058, UNC and Comm. College Tuition/Military Students – Provides in–state tuition for members of the active–duty military, the North Carolina National Guard and their dependent relatives at State Universities and Community Colleges, and clarified laws prohibiting discrimination against persons who serve in the North Carolina National Guard.
House Bill 942/Senate Bill 1117, the 2005 Military Support Act – Extends in–state tuition at state universities and colleges for retired service personnel and their families, makes children of active–duty service personnel eligible for admission to the NC School of Science and Mathematics, allows for early termination of rental agreements for deployed service members, provides $2 million for conservation easement purchases around military installations, and supports quality–of–life and morale programs for the military and their families.
House Bill 773, Protect Military Personnel/Life Insurance – Protects members of the U.S. Military from predatory and or dishonest life insurance and annuity sales practices by explicitly identifying certain practices as “false, misleading, deceptive or unfair” regarding the sale of life insurance or annuities to military personnel.
House Bill 2768 – A combined bill that I helped to champion, introduced by Rep. Faison of Orange County, that allows disabled military veterans to take advantage of the North Carolina Disabled Sportsman program.
House Bill 2683/Senate Bill 1981, Interstate Compact on the Education of Military Children – Streamlines the process of transferring children of military families who have been relocated from or to North Carolina’s public schools. Requires that students are not disadvantaged in their grade, class or school designation and those parents may carry official school records or be given unofficial records to expedite the transfer process.
| ETHICS |
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The ethical practice of legislating is an issue I take very seriously – honoring the trust our constituents have placed in us with their votes is our highest calling, and I have fought for tougher limits on outside influence in elections and at the General Assembly. As the Chairman of the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, I am tasked with upholding the ethical standards on the Legislature and am proud of the work we have done to restore public faith in government.
House Bill 961, Government Ethics and Campaign Reform Act of 2010 - creates stronger standards for elected officials and government workers. Among other things, the act: increases the penalty for illegal campaign donations; improves the state’s campaign finance database; Makes complete salary histories of government workers and disciplinary records of terminated employees public and increases economic disclosure requirements for judicial officers, legislators, and public servants mandates far more disclosure of contributions made by appointees to their appointing officials. House
Bill 748, Citizens United Response (2010, co-sponsor) – Conforms
state law to the recent Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case
and expands current disclosure laws by requiring the disclosure of
independent expenditure spending on political activity by companies and
organizations. House Bill 817, Ethics Technical Changes and Other Changes (2009)– Strengthens ethics rules regarding how complaints can be filed against legislators and how those complaints should be investigated. This bill also puts into effect new rules regarding lobbyists and initiates new education programs on legislative ethics for elected officials.
House
Bill 2542, Clarify Ethics and Lobbying Laws (2008) – Provides
clarification and increased restrictions to further reduce undue
influence of lobbyists and special interest groups and to hold all
participants in the legislative process to a clear, comprehensive and
transparent standard of conduct. House
Bill 6/Senate Bill 612, Amend Lobbying Laws (2005) – A
comprehensive reform of lobbying laws, helps to reduce the influence of
lobbyists and special interests in legislative business and hold
legislators and lobbyists accountable.
House Bill 1517, Voter Owned Elections Pilot (2007) – Created a pilot program for Council of State positions to provide alternative source of campaign financing for candidates who obtain a sufficient number of qualifying contributions from registered voters and who voluntarily accept strict fund–raising and spending limits. House
Bill 91, Registration and Voting at One-Stop Sites (2007, co-sponsor) –
Allows qualified voters to register in person and vote at one-stop
absentee voting sites within their county of residence.
| RELIEF FOR WORKING FAMILIES |
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In our challenging economic climate, providing relief for working families who are struggling is essential. Ensuring those most vulnerable to the uncertainties we all face have access to health care, and reward those small businesses that provide health care helps keep workers, businesses and our economy healthy. We have also succeeded creating protections for families from unfair foreclosure practices as they struggle to keep their homes, and creating a North Carolina Earned Income Tax Credit for working families.
House Bill 265, Establish North Carolina High–Rick Insurance Pool – Provides affordable health insurance coverage for North Carolinians who face high insurance premiums because of prior issues with their health or who have lost their coverage due to unaffordable premiums because of debilitating illness or chronic disease.
House Bill 1374, Protect Homeowners/Reduce Foreclosure and House Bill 947, NC Foreclosure/Landlord Tenant Laws – Protects homeowners at risk of foreclosure by requiring that the homeowner’s rights and obligations are clearly delineated and enforce and protecting tenants of buildings sold in foreclosure by requiring notice of the sale and allowing for early termination of rental agreements. House Bill 1060/Senate Bill 1015 – I cosponsored the House version of this legislation and worked for the successful passage of the Senate companion bill, which prohibits home foreclosure rescue scams, contract for deed scams, and option to purchase contracts with executed lease agreement scams. House Bill 262, Emergency Foreclosure Reduction Plan (2008) – I cosponsored this bill designed to reduce the number of foreclosures in the state of North Carolina by establishing a $14,000,000 fund through the state Banking Commission in order to reduce and prevent foreclosures by providing services to residents at risk of foreclosure. This bill also requires advanced notice given forty-five days prior to the beginning of a foreclosure hearing, allows the Banking Commission to extend the proceedings by 30 days and requires mortgage servicers of subprime loans to inform the borrower of the availability of resources to avoid foreclosure. The Plan was extended and expanded in 2010 by Senate Bill 1216, which I worked to pass in the House.
Earned Income Tax Credit – I was an early champion of establishing a state Earned Income Tax Credit for working families and fought to ensure the inclusion of this important provision in the last two state budgets, ensuring even in a challenging economic climate our state’s workers and their families are protected from undue financial burden.
House Bill 2174, Raise Minimum Wage – I cosponsored the historic legislation raising North Carolina’s state minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 per hour in 2006 (since raised to $6.55).
| CIVIL AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE |
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As an attorney, former public defender and legislator, I consider criminal justice one of the most important issues we face as a state and a community. To live in safety and peace, to be protected by a well funded and supported police force, to be served by the most responsive, equitable and effective criminal justice system possible – I consider these the inherent rights of citizenship, and am proud of the work we have done to respond to the complex and ever changing challenges we face. I am committed to continue working with local and state police and justice officials to make this the safest possible place to live, work and grow for every one of our citizens.
House Bill 813, Uniform Apportionment of Tort Responsibility (pending) – Uniform Apportionment of Tort Responsibility (UATRA) is designed to replace contributory negligence with comparative fault. Currently, North Carolina civil justice operates under a system of contributory negligence which states that in a civil case, if the plaintiff is in any way at fault for the event that resulted in his or her injury, they are not entitled to recover any damages. Under UATRA, judges and juries are permitted to apportion fault between plaintiffs and defendants. A jury may find that the plaintiff was partly liable for their injury, yet still award the plaintiff damages proportional to the defendant’s liability. House Bill 773, Increase Access to Justice – Increases the access of North Carolinians to attorneys in civil cases by providing subsidies and establishing programs with the state bar. This bill is designed to provide competent legal counsel to citizens engaged in civil cases who cannot afford it.
House Bill 192, Child Witness Testimony/Procedures – Allows children who testify in judicial proceedings to use do so using remote video technology rather than being required to be present in the courtroom.
House Bill 2747, Firearms/Mental Incompetence – Prevents those who have been involuntarily committed for mental health issues from buying or possessing a firearm, based on safety recommendations made in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy.
House Bill 1896, Protect North Carolina's Children/Sex Offender Law Changes – created one of the most comprehensive sex–offender prevention and protection statutes in the nation, including longer prison sentences and expanded GPS monitoring for offenders and enforcement for expanded residency restrictions.
House Bill 27, Duty to Report Child Pornography – Protects North Carolina’s children from abuse, and helps police track down and prosecute those who posses or distribute child pornography.
House Bill 1323, Establish North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission – Created the nation’s first Actual Innocence Commission, an independent Commission to investigate credible claims of actual innocence. Based on eight recent cases of exoneration in North Carolina, in which innocent men were freed after years of incarceration for crimes they did not commit. The commission recognizes justice is not served for anyone when the innocent are jailed and the real criminals are left free to commit further crimes. in 2010 the commission's work led to the exoneration and release of Greg Taylor, who spent 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit. You can read more about Taylor's case here. House Bill 1190, Preservation of DNA and Biological Evidence, House Bill 1500, DNA Evidence/Preserve and Access by Defendant – The bills strengthened the laws requiring the preservation of DNA and biological evidence in criminal cases. House Bill 1342, Free Medical Exam - Victims of Rape/Sex Offenses – Provides for free forensic medical exams for victims of rape or sex offenses.
House Bill 248, Methamphetamine Lab Prevention Act of 2005 – Restricts access to the most common ingredients used to produce methamphetamines, and was credited by the State Bureau of Investigation with a 35% reduction in meth labs in the first year of its enforcement (read more), and created one of the most comprehensive and effective anti–meth statutes in force in the nation today. House Bill 1135, Qui Tam/Liability for False Claims – Requires that anyone found guilty of making false or fraudulent claims for payment by the state repay three times that amount obtained from the state in damages.
House Bill 1625, Eyewitness ID Reform Act, and House Bill 1626, Enhance Reliability of Interrogations – Based on recommendations from the Actual Innocence Commission, enhances reliability of eyewitness testimony, protects investigators from false claims of abuse during interrogations, and protects the innocent from false accusation and imprisonment.
House Bill 214, Children’s Advocacy Center Funds – Provides $335,000 for the 22 Child Advocacy Centers on North Carolina to assist in the prosecution of child sexual assault cases and to provide treatment and support for the victims of these horrific crimes. House Bill 2189, Domestic Violence Victim Assistance – Provides victims of domestic violence with information and assistance in the immediate aftermath of a violent incident. This information includes the availability of medical services and prosecutorial contact information. This bill also requires that an informational sheet be provided to the victim if there was a relationship between the victim and the accused.
| PUBLIC HEALTH |
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Threats to the public health of our citizens have many sources; infectious diseases, food source contaminations, natural disasters and secondhand smoke just a few among them. I have worked hard to introduce legislation that provides immediate, reasonable and comprehensive responses to these threats, and have been successful in getting effective legislation passed that increases protections for all North Carolinians. House Bill 2, Prohibit Smoking in Certain Public Places – Bans smoking in all North Carolina restaurants and bars. Private clubs and cigar bars are exempt from this prohibition, and private residences and vehicles are unaffected. Also expands local control by empowering county governments to expand smoking restrictions as they see fit. House Bill 1738, Advisory Committee/Hospital Infection Rates – Requires public disclosure of hospital infection rates and creates an Advisory Committee to assist State agencies, hospitals and the public in preparing for the law to take effect. Hospital–acquired infections kill 90,000 people nationwide and cost $5 million a year, most of which is passed on to taxpayers and insurance customers. This law will protect the public’s health, help reduce preventable infections and save North Carolinians money.
House Bill 1113, Designate General Assembly Buildings Nonsmoking – Banned smoking in the General Assembly Buildings, protecting the members, staff, pages and the 44,000 North Carolina students who visit the General Assembly each year.
House Bill 24, Smoking in State Govt. Buildings/Prohibition – Banned smoking in all State owned or leased buildings, and restored local control so that municipalities could regulate smoking in buildings and vehicles owned or leased by local government.
Senate Bill 1086, Smoke Free Schools (An important bill introduced in the Senate that I helped to pass in the House) – Protects North Carolina students from the dangers of second–hand smoke by banning smoking on all public school campuses, school buses and school–sponsored trips. House Bill 2252/Senate Bill 1681, Smoke–Free Motor Fleet ; House Bill 2254, Community Colleges Smoke Free – Additional protections that designate any vehicle owned or leased by the State smoke–free, and allow Community Colleges to declare their campuses smoke–free as they see fit. House Bill 748/Senate Bill 712, Insurers Cover Prescriptions in an Emergency – Requires Insurance companies to provide victims of natural disasters a cost–free re–supply of prescription medications during disaster recovery, as recommended by the Hurricane Katrina task force. House Bill 1034, Allow Recorded Phone Messages/Public Safety – Prohibits unsolicited automated 'robo-calls' relating to sales by vendors, and ensures that these calls can be used for matters of public health and safety. This law permits use of this technology to notify consumers of product or food and drug recalls as well as notification of prescription refills by pharmacists. House Bill 2200, Enhance Embargo Authority to Protect Food Supply – In response to recent cases of food contamination, enhances the embargo authority of the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources and local health directors, and directs the development of a State plan to protect North Carolina’s food supply from international contamination.
Senate Bill 582, Public Health Preparedness and Response – The Senate version of a bill I introduced in the House in 2004, expands the quarantine and isolation authority of the state Public Health Director, provides the necessary authority to respond to nuclear, biological and chemical threats to public safety. House Bill 124, DENR Embargo Authority for Food or Drink – Clarifies the embargo authority the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources and local health directors have over the regulation of food and drink in relation to the authority of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. | 
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