In one week the legislature will convene for the “short” session which meets during even years. The primary purpose of the upcoming short session is to make needed budget adjustments to the two year budget which we passed in 2011. The adjournment resolution from the 2011 long session stipulated that only budget amendments, noncontroversial local bills or bills that had passed either the House or the Senate can be considered. Typically the short session does not last very long as politicians want to go home to run their campaigns for reelection.
I thought it might be helpful to outline the accomplishments of the “long” session which ended July 1, 2011. As you may be aware, the new leadership of the Legislature found many challenges when we took office in January 2011. We had an approximately $3 billion budget hole left for us by the previous leadership. Excessive government spending, termination of federal stimulus dollars and loss of revenue due to the recession were the causes of this huge shortfall. We were able to fulfill our promises. To summarize last year’s session:
Actions Promised - Actions Accomplished:
- HB-200 passed Bipartisan Balanced Budget – Reduced spending by over $1 billion and avoided a tax increase (we already had the highest taxes in the southeast). As Co-chair of Senate Appropriations, I can attest to many long days and nights to get the budget balanced. Governor vetoed…Legislature over-rode.
- SB-689, SB-283, H-777 passed fair and legal Redistricting Maps for Congressional, State Senate and State House districts. Received US Department of Justice pre-clearance approval. Legislative attorneys are currently in court defending against lawsuits brought by the Democrat Party and the NAACP.
- SB-33 passed Medical Malpractice Liability legislation. Helped to make health care affordable and available while reducing the cost of health care by eliminating the need for the practice of defensive medicine. Governor vetoed…Legislature over-rode.
- HB-709 passed Workers’ Compensation Reform Legislation.
- SB-781 passed Regulation reform legislation to make North Carolina businesses more competitive and to insure that our state’s regulations do not overburden those businesses.
- HB-2 passed legislation to exempt North Carolina citizens and businesses from the high cost of National Health Care proposed by President Obama (Obamacare). Governor vetoed…Legislative over-ride pending.
- SB-709 passed Energy Jobs Act legislation to study the possibility of “fracking” and off shore oil drilling. Job creation and energy independence are the goal if this energy production can be done with no environmental damage. Governor vetoed…Legislative over-ride pending.
- HB-351 passed Voter (photo) ID legislation to promote and ensure honest and fair elections. Governor vetoed…Legislative over-ride pending.
- SB-532 passed Employment Security reform legislation to reorganize, improve operation efficiency, and set on a pathway to solvency. Governor vetoed…Legislature over-rode.
- Education Reform – Passed Education Reform to re-direct education funding into the classroom, added 1,100 new teachers, eliminated Charter School Cap, and required all third grade students to be reading proficiently before advancing to fourth grade.
As you can see, we had a busy agenda, but with hard work and strong leadership, we delivered on our promises to the people of this great State.
These actions are just the beginning of our effort to create a business-friendly environment and energize the private sector economy to help create jobs in North Carolina
In 2013 our plan is to present a comprehensive North Carolina tax modernization proposal which will allow our state to be competitive in a 21st Century global economy. Our goal is to produce a tax system that is transparent, simple, and promotes economic growth and prosperity for all.
Your comments and thoughts are welcome.
Neal
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