Wednesday, July 24, 2013

NC Senate Update from Senator Jerry Tillman

Senator Jerry Tillman
Senate Majority Whip

Senate update

July 24th, 2013
                                                                                        
                                                                 
State Budget
Raleigh, N.C. – The North Carolina Senate tentatively passed a $20.6 billion state budget Tuesday.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard Democrats fight to deny tax relief for working families, impede our efforts to attract new jobs, reject meaningful improvements to public education and resume the same wasteful spending that led to a multi-billion deficit when they last controlled state government. In spite of their efforts, I’m proud the Senate was able to pass a budget that funds core priorities, strengthens our schools and makes smart investments in our future.
Don’t Buy The Rhetoric
If your only source of information is what you see and read in the news of the day, you’re missing a lot – a whole lot….. The agreed upon budget does many worthwhile and positive things:
· Fully funds growth in K-12, community colleges and universities.
· Spends more money in education, nearly $500 million, than the previous budget.
· Eliminates negative reserves in K-12 budget.
· Funds excellent public schools at $236 million (will strengthen literacy, improve graduation rates and increase accountability).
· Eliminates tenure (provides $500 bonus to high performing teachers), $10.2 million.
· Establishes pay for performance rather than pay for time served.
· Gives increased flexibility to K-12, community colleges and universities.
· Increases Medicaid funding and attempts to reform an out of control system.
· Reforms transportation and project priorities to enhance highway infrastructure and promote safe and effective travel.
· Eliminates needless and duplicative regulations.
· Eliminates Rural Center and provides Commerce with tools to provide quick and efficient service to rural area projects.
· Reforms outdated tax code.
· Cuts a billion dollars in taxes for all taxpayers.
· Funds budget with recurring dollars – not one time money as our predecessors continually did.
The Truth About the Education Budget
Yogi Berra – famous New York Yankees catcher and purveyor of famous one liner “Yogi-isms” – once said, “It’s déjà vu all over again.”  That is an accurate description of the sounds coming from the left regarding the education budget.  The North Carolina General Assembly has a history rich in dialogue and debate.  But, when it comes to the left’s dialogue about the education budget, I can think of no better characterization than President Ronald Reagan’s “here we go again.”
In 2011, we arrived in Raleigh with a $2.5 BILLION dollar budget shortfall to deal with right out of the gate.  I don’t know if you can wrap your mind around a figure this big, but trust me, it ain’t pocket change.  Did we have the luxury of piles of surplus money lying around?  No.  We had to find a way – without raising taxes – to balance the budget and provide adequate funding for the necessities of government.  And we did just that. 
The cries of doom and gloom from the left surrounded the budget process from start to finish.  I think “draconian” won the award for most over-used word by the left – a word that they tossed in every chance they had in hopes of scaring the people.  They had no facts, but that didn’t matter.  If you bought into their fear-mongering, you were convinced that public education in North Carolina was flat out going to shut down.  School doors would be padlocked and children would roam the streets with no hope of ever receiving an education.
I stood up in the Senate chamber and called them out for such outrageous grandstanding.  I said, “Schools will open in the fall, teachers will teach, and public education will continue to grow in North Carolina.”  Schools did open, teachers are teaching, and public education is on the road to great improvement thanks to the “Excellent Public Schools Act” and other much-needed reform legislation that was passed last session and in the current session.
So here we are again.  This time around the buzz word is “de-funding.”  Scare tactics and untruth once more are flying fast and furious.  But let the facts speak for themselves: 
The budget that we have proposed fully funds enrollment growth across the board.  And, the proposed K-12 budgeted amount for Fiscal Year 13-14 is $7,867,960,649.  This budgeted amount is 2.1% above what was spent in Fiscal Year 12-13, which was $7,705,071,707.  Now you tell me, is spending nearly $8 BILLION dollars on K-12 de-funding education?  Is spending more on K-12 this session de-funding education?  I don’t know about the left, but the folks I represent can answer these questions…
The bottom line is that we are funding education in North Carolina.  We are investing millions to help children learn to read by the 3rd grade.  (When community colleges and universities say that the biggest problem they have is freshmen not being able to read, something ain’t right.)  We are giving local school districts the flexibility to spend their State funds in the way that is best for their particular schools.  And we are keeping the budget balanced.  I’d say we are doing what we were elected to do…You will see…
Election Reform
· We have an outdated, archaic state election code that is no longer relevant to today’s political landscape. Our election code hasn’t seen comprehensive change in 3 decades.
· Our reforms restore transparency to the election process, create clear guidelines that everyone can understand and follow and reduce the opportunity for political gamesmanship.
· Our bill also fulfills one of our most important campaign promises – ensuring the integrity of elections by requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.
Photo ID
· Our bill guarantees any North Carolina citizen who wants to vote will have that opportunity. It establishes a list of valid government-issued photo IDs – including driver’s licenses, non-operator ID cards, tribal and military IDs and passports – that voters can present at their polling places. And it allows anyone without a photo ID to obtain one at no cost through the Department of Motor Vehicles.
· It also outlines a gradual implementation timeline, beginning with the 2014 elections, for informing voters and enacting the photo ID requirement, until the law is fully enforced in 2016.
· For years, polls have consistently shown that an overwhelming majority of North Carolinians support this common sense policy.
· And our action makes North Carolina one of more than 30 states and one of the last states in the Southeast to adopt a voter ID law.
· Our bill brings clarity and transparency to the voting process. It curtails questions of voter fraud by folks on both sides of the aisle and helps ensure every candidate wins or loses on his or her own merits.
· Liberals claim we shouldn’t be worried about protecting our elections because voter fraud isn’t happening. But it’s reckless to claim the problem doesn’t exist when we haven’t been looking for it.
Early Voting
· Our bill streamlines the early voting process to10 days while providing counties the flexibility to increase the overall number of early voting hours – ensuring ample time for voters to make their voices heard.
· Currently, each county sets their own early voting days and hours on a location-by-location basis. This lack of consistency creates confusion among voters and increases opportunities for gamesmanship, since local election boards could set longer hours for particular sites to increase partisan participation.
· For this reason, our bill specifies that all of a county’s one-stop sites must operate the same days and hours. Counties will continue to have the option to open polls on Sundays.
· The bill allows time to verify voter information by repealing same-day registration, ensuring accuracy.  And it strengthens the requirements for absentee ballots.
Quotes

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” –Ernest Hemingway

In the 14th Century, St. Francis was a respected theologian, scholar and writer.  When asked this question, “What would you do if today was your last day on earth?” He replied, “I would do what I do every day – start my day with prayer and supplication, see loved ones, tend my garden and go to bed.” Sounds like a man at peace with himself and with his maker…..

“Faded shirt, your weathered brow
Your calloused hands upon the plow
I loved you then and I love you now, Reuben James” – Alex Harvey

Take These to the Bank

·         You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
·         What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
·         The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
·         You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!
·         When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of a nation.
I’ll let you decide where America stands in regard to the items above.  I know…..

Standing Room Only

With 200 wins, he was NASCAR’s best.  He set the bar mighty high.  There’ll be standing room only when the King says goodbye.

With his hat and his boots, dark glasses and all, he set the bar mighty high.  There’ll be standing room only when the King says goodbye.

He was born in Level Cross and that’s where he’ll die.  His name is Richard Petty and he set the bar mighty high.  There’ll be standing room only when the King says goodbye.

This Really Happened

Recently, Davie Co. Senator Andrew Brock was trying to explain his bill in the Senate Finance Committee.  Senator Dan Blue looked back at me and asked, “What did Senator Brock just say?”  I replied – “I don’t know, Andrew has started speaking Brock again.” I can’t remember whether his bill passed out of committee or not.  I’m not sure Andrew does either…..

Scared To Death

Martin Nesbitt said on the Senator floor (7-17) that the GOP tax plan was scaring people to death. (Since we’re eliminating the death tax) Senator Meredith replied, “At least they won’t have to pay a tax on it.”…..

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” - Romans 12:2

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Senator Jerry Tillman
Senate Majority Whip
627 Legislative Office Building
Raleigh, NC 27601-2808
Phone: 919.733.5870

                                                                                        


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