Recently, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released its first draft for a set of standards that would expand Social Studies requirements in middle school while at the same time curtailing the course of study in our high schools. Such a proposal has attracted national media attention and generated constituent comments and concerns throughout the state. Although the “rationale” behind these changes is that students, under this new proposal, would have already had multiple opportunities to study the pre-Reconstruction time period in grades 4, 5, and 7, and focusing on the years following 1877 would allow teachers to delve deeper into “modern American history.” I am extremely disappointed in these proposed changes.

Any change in the Essential Standards for United States History curriculum should be an enhancement. It is already embarrassing to admit that the NC Department of Public Instruction standard course of study for US History begins at 1789 and excludes colonial settlement and development, the American Revolution, and the writing of the Constitution. Without an understanding of this basis of American History, it is foolish to believe that our high schoolers could comprehend subsequent events and issues. Likewise, it is unreasonable to expect these students to have a sufficient background to assist them in addressing the tragic and complex periods of our history such as slavery and the Civil War.

Even though the expansion of the history curriculum in middle school is a needed change, middle-schoolers will not be able to adequately understand, appreciate fully, or retain this information until their upper years of high school. The pre-teen brain simply cannot digest or make mature judgment of the complexities of this part of our history. Consequently, such a policy of starting a high school US History course in 1877 would be equivalent to picking up a novel and beginning at the halfway point. It is impossible to understand what is going on in chapter 18 if you have skipped the previous 17 chapters. These standards reveal an astonishing and deeply troubling lack of appreciation for the study of history, and I remain positive that we can avoid such a disastrous change in our high school curriculum.

In speaking with my colleagues in the NC Senate, we feel strongly that this issue will be addressed during the session in May if the Department chooses not to correct prior to the convening of the General Assembly. In most cases, I do not support micro-management of education curriculum but this is unique and we feel that the history of sacrifice in the formation of our government is a history we should not deny our children.

Senator Debbie Clary Cleveland & Rutherford

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   John L. Rustin
               Executive Director
Phone:     919-896-8347
Email:      jrustin@ncfef.org
Web:        www.ncfef.org

NC FreeEnterprise Foundation Releases Business Ratings of 2009 N.C. General Assembly

In light of current economic and employment conditions, 2009 Business Ratings provide valuable insight into the performance of state lawmakers on key business issues during the 2009 Legislative Session.

RALEIGH (November 10, 2009) – The North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation released today its Business Ratings of the 2009 North Carolina General Assembly.

The 2009 Business Ratings provide an analysis of the actions and attitudes of state lawmakers toward business-related issues during the 2009 Legislative Session. The Ratings are derived from the voting records of state lawmakers on key business issues and a survey of North Carolina business leaders and government affairs professionals representing a wide range of industries, interests and geographic areas across the state. (Download the complete 2009 Business Ratings Report.)

 
“The 2009 Business Ratings come at a time when jobs and the economy are top issues on the minds of North Carolinians,” said John Rustin, Executive Director of the North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation. “We are pleased to provide this valuable insight into the performance of state lawmakers on issues critical to business and industry in our state, which is the engine that drives our economy and provides jobs for our working families.”
 
Sen. David Hoyle (D-Gaston) topped the list of state senators with a rating of 90.8, and Sen. Neal Hunt (R-Wake) earned the second-highest rating in the Senate with an 89.5, making him the highest-scoring Senate Republican.

Rep. Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg) earned the highest score in the state House with an 89.6 and Rep. Marilyn Avila (R-Wake) earned an 88.3, the second-highest rating. Rep. Jim Crawford (D-Granville) was the highest-rated House Democrat with a score of 82.9, putting him at tenth overall in the House.
 
“We congratulate all members of the North Carolina General Assembly who supported free enterprise principals during the session, especially those who rated in our ‘Base’ category and consistently upheld pro-business ideals,” said Jay Rouse, Director of Government Affairs for the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation. “These lawmakers demonstrated a level of understanding and commitment to our state’s business community that is vital to maintaining a positive economic climate in North Carolina.”
 
This year, 21 of the 50 state senators received a Business Rating of 70 or higher, placing them in the “Base” category and identifying them as consistent supporters of the free enterprise position. Fifty-seven out of the 120 members of the state House scored above 70 and earned the “Base” designation.
 
NCFEF’s 2009 Business Ratings of the North Carolina General Assembly is available in its entirety here.

About the NC FreeEnterprise Foundation:

The North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation, Inc., is a statewide, nonpartisan research and education organization that serves business and industry by providing innovative educational programs, nonpartisan political research, and objective analysis to foster informed civic involvement, promoting the ideals of the free enterprise system.

Civitas Poll: Voters Oppose Tax Reform Plan

Civitas Staff  |  November 2, 2009

2:1 Against Taxing Service While Lowering Rates

Raleigh, N.C. – With the N.C. House and Senate Finance Committees set to convene in Raleigh tomorrow to debate reforming the state’s tax code, a new poll released today by the Civitas Institute shows that a majority of voters are opposed to the central plank of the plan – reducing state sales and income taxes while extending the sales tax to services.

According to the poll of 600 likely voters, 58.5 percent said they would oppose a plan by the N.C. General Assembly that would reform the state’s tax code by lowering the state’s sales and income taxes but would begin charging sales tax on services like auto repair, home repair and warranties. Only 27.8 percent of voters indicated support for the plan and 13.7 percent said they were unsure.

“Legislators face an uphill battle in attempting to convince North Carolina voters of their plan to reform the state’s tax code,” said Civitas Institute Senior Legislative Analyst Chris Hayes. “By a 2-to-1 margin, voters are opposed to a reform plan that would supposedly lower the rates but expand the base.”

Opposition to the tax reform proposal has been consistent throughout the year according to Civitas poling results. In May, 51 percent said they opposed the proposal in a Civitas poll.

Similar polling this summer found that the little support the plan has drops considerably if rates are not lowered or if overall taxes are increased similar to a proposal floated by the N.C. Senate earlier this year.

“Voters are skeptical of any move by the legislators to ‘reform’ the tax code. Having been lied to repeatedly about the expiration of supposed temporary taxes, voters have little faith in the General Assembly when it comes to taxes,” added Hayes.

The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina. Full results of the poll will be revealed on the Civitas Institute’s Web site at www.nccivitas.org in the coming weeks.

Full text of question:

Do you support or oppose a plan by the General Assembly that would reform the state’s tax code by lowering the state’s sales and income taxes but would begin charging sales tax on services like auto repair, home repair and warranties?

SUPPORT – 27.8%
Strongly Support – 12.0%
Somewhat Support – 15.8%
OPPOSE – 58.5%
Somewhat Oppose – 14.0%
Strongly Oppose – 44.5%
DON’T KNOW – 13.7%

Click here for full results and crosstabs.

This poll of 600 likely general election voters in North Carolina was conducted October 20-21, 2009 by McLaughlin and Associates of Alexandria, Virginia. All interviews were conducted via telephone by professional interviewers.

Interview selection was random within predetermined geographic units. These units were structured to correlate with actual voter distributions in a statewide general election.

The poll of 600 likely general election voters has an accuracy of +/- 4.0% at a 95% confidence interval.

Senator Clary Opposes Federally Mandated Renewable Energy Standards

Shelby, NC -   Senator Debbie Clary opposes any federally mandated increase to the Renewable Energy Standards passed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2007.  In a letter to Senator Kay Hagan, dated October 5^th, she asks Hagan to “please consider the standards that were passed in 2007, Senate Bill 3.”  The bill sets a standard of generating 3 percent of the state’s electrical needs from sources such as wind, hydro power, solar power, hydrogen and biomass by 2012.  The percentage would increase every three years until it reached 12.5 percent in 2012. 

North Carolina was the first state in the Southeast to set Renewable Energy Standards.  Environmental groups, energy producers, agricultural interests and business owners worked together to support the passage of the law.

Clary states in her letter that her “fellow North Carolinians are concerned. They are concerned mostly about their futures, and more importantly, job growth.”  She goes on to say, “There are communities with unemployment rates as high as 16 percent and no sign of new jobs on the horizon.”

“The loss of high paying manufacturing jobs, an unemployment rate approaching 16% in my district and pleas for help coming from countless displaced middle class citizens offers proof  that it is the wrong time to add this burden of higher energy costs to our people” she adds.

“I support the development of alternative fuel sources, and the 12.5 percent standard is an aggressive threshold and one that works well in North Carolina,” she said.  “The one size fits all mentality that exists in Washington is a harmful approach for North Carolina.”

Governor Signs State Budget

Excerpts from Governor Perdue’s Prepared Remarks Regarding the State Budget:

With North Carolina facing the toughest economic crisis since the Depression, there are no easy solutions to the budget crisis.  I’ve made my priorities clear to the people and the General Assembly: 1) raise the revenue necessary to shield North Carolina’s public school system and core services from massive cuts and 2) avoid raising across-the-board income taxes on working families in North Carolina.

The budget passed this week is far from perfect.  In fact, it falls short in several areas that are critical to the future of our state:

-  Although it no longer mandates class size increases, it regrettably still includes cuts to Local Education Agencies. 
- Local agencies that provide mental health services face cuts, jeopardizing crucial services mental health services for patients across North Carolina.
- Our public safety system is not funded at an adequate level.
- And this budget does not include additional help for working families, such as an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit.

But there are also some areas where we’ve made improvements to the budget.

- Children in grades K-3 won’t see their class sizes increased, and K-3 teachers and teachers’ assistants are protected.
- There are protections for at-risk students, especially those in low-performing schools.
- 87% of all North Carolina families are protected from an income tax surcharge.
- The budget adds contract acute care beds for mental health services in communities across North Carolina.
- There are investments for JobsNOW job training, more kids have access to health insurance, and there’s some help for small businesses.

It’s now several weeks beyond the budget deadline, and teachers go back to school in two weeks. And so, after this long difficult budget process, North Carolina must move forward.  I signed this budget with reservation.

This year’s budget battle is over, but the fight to protect and improve our schools does not end with a budget document.  I will continue to do everything in my power to work with education leaders, the business community, and most importantly moms and dads to protect and strengthen our schools and give our children a brighter future.

           Bev Perdue

More on Education Funding

As a result of the additional revenue and education funds that were included in the final version of the budget, many school districts have announced that they will be able to avoid widespread teacher layoffs.  Additionally, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools announced they will be rehiring a substantial number of teachers who were laid off at the end of the last school year. Superintendent Peter Gorman said, “If we didn’t have a billion dollar, approximately, revenue package, no one would be coming back and we’d be doing more layoffs.” 

Gov. Perdue Announces Investments in Green Economy and Strengthens Energy Policy Leadership

Gov. Bev Perdue today signed House Bill 1481 to strengthen state energy policy leadership and announced 14 Green Business Fund grants, significant steps forward in her JobsNOW Green Economy Plan.

The actions are part of a three-pronged strategy to make North Carolina a leader in green economy jobs by strengthening state leadership in energy policy, making smart investments to create jobs and foster innovation, and providing green-collar workforce training.

“Strong leadership and smart investments are essential to laying a foundation for North Carolina to create green jobs, support green innovation and promote a sustainable future for our state’s economy and environment,” Gov. Perdue said. “Turning green into gold is a central part of my JobsNOW initiative and of my vision to grow North Carolina’s long-term economy.”

Strong Leadership:

As part of the governor’s plan to strengthen and focus leadership in state energy policymaking, HB 1481:

• moves the State Energy Office from the Department of Administration to the Department of Commerce, more closely linking the office’s activities with economic development,
• transfers the Residential Energy Conservation Assistance Program from the Department of Health and Human Services to the relocated State Energy Office,
• strengthens the effectiveness of the Energy Policy Council by improving representation from environmental groups, alternative energy producers and energy services specialists. The council will be refocused on creating green jobs and protecting the environment.

Gov. Perdue is appointing Tim Toben chairman of the Energy Policy Council.

Toben serves on the N.C. Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change and is chairman of the Board of Visitors at the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute for the Environment. He also is a principal in green energy and green building ventures in North Carolina, and he and his wife Megan own and manage an educational farm in Orange County that operates on a hybrid solar and wind renewable energy system.

Green Business Fund Investments:

Gov. Perdue announced 14 awardees from across the state, who will receive up to $99,000 each from the N.C. Green Business Fund to support green innovation, job creation and economic development.

This is the second annual round of grants from the fund, which helps small businesses, nonprofits and other agencies develop and commercialize environmentally friendly and energy-related products and services. See the attachment for a list of grantees.

As lieutenant governor, Perdue proposed the legislation creating the Green Business Fund, which the General Assembly approved in 2007. The funding available each year so far has been $1 million.

Additionally, as part of the governor’s plan, the recently passed state budget includes $5 million in federal recovery money for the Green Business Fund.

Other elements of the governor’s JobsNOW Green Economy Plan include:

• Jump-starting North Carolina’s green economy using more than $265 million in federal recovery funds for renewable energy, energy efficiency and weatherization. Those funds include seed money for innovative green energy projects through a new Energy Revolving Loan Fund, in addition to the expanded Green Business Fund.

• Investing in green-collar job training and education in North Carolina’s community colleges and universities, including $7 million in federal recovery funds for green workforce development.

Gov. Perdue Announces Nearly $4 Million in AmeriCorps Grants for 2009-2010

Gov. Bev Perdue on Monday announced the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service has awarded more than $3.8 million in grants to 12 AmeriCorps programs across the state for the 2009-2010 program year.

“The AmeriCorps programs and members mentor children, protect our environment and fight homelessness,” Perdue said.  “With these grants, North Carolina can keep giving back to its citizens and communities.  I applaud the members and programs for their continued efforts and success.”

AmeriCorps members serving with these organizations will assist in community outreach and education efforts, provide conservation services, participate in mentoring programs and work in other service activities.

For a complete list of grantees, click here.

AmeriCorps, a national service initiative funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, is designed to increase volunteering and civic engagement in America. Since 1994, more than 5,000 individuals have participated in AmeriCorps programs in North Carolina.

The N.C. Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, a federally and state-funded agency housed in the Governor’s Office, administered funding to 12 N.C. AmeriCorps programs for the 2009-2010 program year. For more information on the N.C. AmeriCorps programs, visit the Commission’s Web site at www.volunteernc.org or call 1-800-820-4483 or 1-877-877-1765 (TTY).

Gov. Perdue Encourages North Carolinians to Nominate Volunteers for Governor’s Service Awards

Governor Bev Perdue on Monday encouraged North Carolinians to nominate volunteers to receive the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award by August 28.

“Countless North Carolinians dedicate their time to serving their communities, and too often their contributions go unrecognized,” Perdue said. “If you know someone who has made a difference in the lives of others, I encourage you to nominate them for the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award.  Let them know how much you value their dedication to service.”

Since 1979, the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award program has honored individuals, groups, teams and businesses that make significant contributions to their communities through volunteer service.  The awards program is administered by the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service.

Volunteer awards nomination forms are due to the Commission by August 28.  Please contact your county coordinator for local deadlines.  A list of county coordinators can be found here: http://volunteernc.org/programs/awardMap.aspx.  If you cannot find your local county coordinator, or are interested in becoming an awards coordinator in your county, please contact Tim Kelly at (919) 715-2279 or Tim.Kelly@nc.gov.

Please click here for the complete fact sheet: http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/everify_fact_sheet8Jan09.pdf

July 8, 2009

Contact: Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC)
www.alipac.us, (919) 787-6009, WilliamG@alipac.us

The NC Senate Commerce Committee passed SB 32 “Employers Must Use Federal E-Verify Program” on Tuesday by a wide margin sending the bill to the Appropriations Committee for its next hurdle.

“The chances are looking stronger that this bill is going to a full Senate vote!” said William Gheen. “We expect the bill to pass if we can stop opponents from derailing it with procedural maneuvers in committee because lawmakers know a majority of citizens support this.” (more…)