NCCBI News
Legislative
Conference Attracts Top Officials
A
parade of top legislative and executive branch leaders gave NCCBI
members briefings on key political issues during the association’s
annual Legislative Conference on May 30. Moderated by NCCBI Chair Jim
Hyler, the event, which marks the opening of each year’s General
Assembly session, was attended by approximately
300 members. Dozens of legislators and other public officials
also stopped by the Legislative Reception, which was held the night
before.
House Speaker Jim Black told NCCBI members that voters could be
weighing two votes this fall — a lottery and legislative session
limits. Black advised members to “fasten your seat belts” for
turbulent debates in the General Assembly this summer on those issues,
leading up to what would be historic referendums in the fall.
Prospects for passage of session limits legislation — NCCBI’s top
legislative priority this year — brightened considerably in the days
before the General Assembly convened its short session. Black, leader
of the House Democrats, tipped his hand by saying in newspaper
interviews that he supports session limits and will allow the issue to
come up for a vote in the House for the first time. The other shoe
dropped when House Republican leader Leo Daughtry told NCCBI that he
will support the bill.
Even with those positive developments, NCCBI President Phil Kirk
cautioned members that it
still will be very difficult to get the bill through the House.
“It’s hard enough to get 61 votes for a simple majority to pass a
bill. But it’s very difficult to get the 72 votes you need for the
three-fifths majority to pass a constitutional amendment.”
Black said he believes the session limits bill that makes it to the
House floor will include four-year terms for legislators — an idea
the Senate has included in previous session limits bills it has passed
and sent to the House. NCCBI supports four-year terms for legislators
for several reasons, not the least of which is that it would cut in
half the demands for campaign contributions. However, NCCBI is pushing
strongly for separate floor votes on the two issues.
”I believe if we can get the bill to the floor of the House it will
pass,” Sen. David Hoyle (D-Gaston), the legislature’s main
proponent for session limits, said. But opposition remains, said Rep.
Gene Arnold (R-Nash), who supports the House effort. “There are
many, many members of the General Assembly terrified of any
constitutional amendment,” he said.
The House Speaker said that, after years of talk, it’s time for an
up or down vote on the lottery. “I’m not a fan of the lottery
(because) I think we ought to pay for things the old fashioned way.
But I think it’s time to find out for sure how people really think
about a lottery.”
Daughtry also spoke against a lottery, and Senate President Pro Tem
Marc Basnight was likewise skeptical. Basnight said the Senate won’t
include lottery proceeds in the budget it adopts for the fiscal year
beginning July 1 — as Gov. Mike Easley did in his budget proposal.
Every speaker said finding ways to close a projected $2 billion hole
in the state budget for the year that began July 1 will be painful.
All said deep cuts in programs are inevitable. But only Basnight said
raising taxes is an alternative, and even he said it would be a last,
desperate resort.
Giving the Republican perspective on legislative issues, House
Minority Leader Daughtry and Senate Minority Leader Patrick Ballantine
said cutting state government spending to balance the budget will be
easier than the Democrats say it is. “State spending grew 113
percent during the 1990s, which is way out of proportion with our
increase in population or any other measure you use,” Ballantine
said. “For the last three years Democrats in the General Assembly
passed unbalanced budgets (by overestimating anticipated revenues),”
Daughtry said. “We cannot continue to spend money that is not
there.”
Ballantine ticked off several things he would do to slash state
spending: Stop funding 5,500 vacant state government jobs, reduce the
education bureaucracy, reduce the amount of taxpayer dollars given to
non-governmental organizations, use Golden Leaf funds, and consolidate
worker training programs.
In their keynote addresses delivered after lunch, congressmen Richard
Burr and Bob Etheridge said the war on terrorism remains omnipresent.
“It is very real,” Burr said. “The threat has not gone away, and
it’s something that we will be tested on for years, at best. Burr
(R-Winston-Salem) praised President Bush for pushing on with education
and energy plans after the Sept. 11 bombings and said of this year’s
Congress: “We will not leave until we have an energy plan in
place.”
Etheridge (D-Lillington) said that issues in the nation’s capital
are much the same as in North Carolina. “There’s just not enough
money, pure and simple, and part of that is due to the economic
repercussions of 9-11. We must put the war on terrorism at the
forefront — we are at battle with people who hate the way we live,
who hate our freedoms.”
French Joins NCCBI Staff
NCCBI welcomes Carol French as its new director of finance and human
resources. French comes to NCCBI from J. Shannon Rouse, CPA, a North
Raleigh accounting firm. Prior to moving to North Carolina in May
2000, she lived in Michigan where she worked with Plante & Moran,
a large accounting firm in the Midwest.
French’s specialty is taxes, having previously done work as a tax
coordinator. Her credentials also include status as an enrolled agent
with the IRS. She takes the place of Krystell Maynard, who left NCCBI
to devote more time to her family. French and her husband Dick live in
Morrisville. Two of their three children live nearby, as do all four
grandchildren.
Membership News: New
members from April 1 through May 31 include:
A & H Investments, Jake Alexander, Salisbury; American Premium Beverage, Tim Booras, Colfax; Blue Rhino, Mark Castanda, Winston-Salem; Capital Ford, Emily Parks, Raleigh; Edward Jones Co., Andy Elliott, Elizabeth City; Ford
Motor Credit Co., Gary Petty, Charlotte; French
Painting & Decorating Inc., Richard French, Morrisville; Fulenwider Enterprises, Charles Fulenwider, Morganton; Johnston
County Economic Development, Michael DeSherbinin, Smithfield; N.C.
Academy of Family Physicians Inc., Sue Makey, Raleigh; N.C. Agribusiness Council, Erica Peterson, Raleigh; N.C.
Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Charlene Barbour, Garner; Office
of James A. Graham, Jim Graham, Raleigh; Radiator
Specialty Co., John Huber, Charlotte; Rowan
Regional Medical Center, Charles W. Elliott, Jr., Salisbury; Roxboro
Area Chamber of Commerce, Adrienne McLean, Roxboro; Ruhmann
Associates, Richard Ruhmann, Raleigh; Springs
Industries, Ted Matthews, Fort Mill, S.C.; Sun Gro Horticulture, Roger Zimmerman, Elizabeth City; and Yadkin
County Chamber of Commerce, Bobby Todd, Yadkinville.
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