WASHINGTON  – After months of struggle, House Democrats rolled out sweeping legislation Thursday to extend health care coverage to millions who lack it and create a new option of government-run insurance. A vote is likely next week on the plan largely tailored to President Barack Obama’s liking.

Speaking on the steps of the Capitol, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress was at a “historic moment” with lawmakers “on the cusp of delivering on the promise of making affordable, quality health insurance available to every American.”

Officials said the measure, once fully phased-in over several years, would extend coverage to 96 percent of Americans. Its principal mechanism for universal coverage is creation of a new government-regulated insurance “exchange” where private companies would sell policies in competition with the government. Federal subsidies would be available to millions of lower-income individuals and families to help them afford the policies, and to small businesses as an incentive to offer coverage to their workers.

Large firms would be required to cover workers, and most individuals would be required to carry insurance.

The ceremony marked a pivotal moment in the Democrats’ yearlong attempt to answer Obama’s call for legislation to remake the nation’s health care system by extending insurance, ending industry practices such as denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions, and slowing the growth of medical spending nationwide.

Across the Capitol, Senate Democrats, too, are hoping to pass legislation by year’s end. Legislation outlined by Majority Leader Harry Reid earlier this week would include an option for a government-run plan, although states could drop out if they wished, a provision not in the House measure.

Obama issued a statement saying House Democrats had reached a “critical milestone” on the road toward a health care overhaul, and singled out the proposed government insurance option. He also said the bill “clearly meets two of the fundamental criteria I have set out: It is fully paid for and will reduce the deficit in the long term.”

Republican reaction was swift and critical.

Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., head of the Republican Study Committee, issued a statement saying Democrats had produced a “government takeover that will limit choice, competition and innovation in health care while increasing costs and decreasing quality.” He said the measure would kill jobs, raise taxes and inflict cuts on a program of private Medicare that provides benefits to millions of seniors.

GOP leaders long ago decided to oppose the approach requested by Obama and taken by Democrats, and health care is expected to figure in next year’s congressional election campaigns. Democrats issued a statement saying their 1,990-page measure “lowers costs for every patient” and would not add to federal deficits. They put the cost of coverage at under $900 billion over 10 years, a total that excludes several items designed to improve benefits for Medicare and Medicaid recipients and providers, as well as public health programs and more.

With Republicans expected to oppose the measure unanimously, Pelosi and her lieutenants worked for weeks to resolve differences within the Democratic rank and file.

The toughest of them covered the terms under which the government insurance option would function. Liberals generally wanted the government to dictate the rates to be paid to doctors, hospitals and other health care providers, with the fee levels linked to Medicare.

Moderates, fearing the impact on their local hospitals, held out for negotiated rates between the government and private insurers – and won.

Not all liberals were ready to sign on. “My inclination is not to support it,” said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, but that represented a softening of his opposition.

Grijalva acknowledged there was an argument for progressives to vote “yes.” “The logic is to keep the ball rolling,” Grijalva said Thursday.

Democrats control 256 seats in the House, are overwhelmingly favored to win one special election next week and are competitive for another. As a result, they can afford more than 30 defections on the legislation and still prevail.

House Democrats’ campaign arm wasted no time in using the bill release as a fundraising opportunity. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee e-mailed supporters asking them to help raise $50,000 by Thursday night “so we have the resources to fight back against Republican attacks and prove that grassroots Democrats are standing strong behind health insurance reform with a strong public option.”

The legislation would be financed by a combination of cuts in planned Medicare spending and an income tax surcharge of 5.4 percent on individuals making at least $500,000 annually and couples making at least $1 million. The bill would require nearly everyone by 2013 to sign up for health coverage either through their employer, a government program or the new exchange.

In the meantime, a temporary government program would help people turned down by private insurers because of medical problems, lawmakers said. After that, insurers no longer could refuse to provide coverage to the sick, nor could they charge more because of poor health of the insured.

The plan also calls for a significant expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state health program for low-income people. And it would impose a requirement on employers to offer insurance to their workers or face penalties.

Pelosi, D-Calif., and the leadership have yet to work out disputes over abortion services and health care for immigrants, issues that must be settled before the bill can come to a vote. Pelosi has also said the bill would strip the health insurance industry of a long-standing exemption from antitrust laws covering market allocation, price fixing and bid rigging. Democratic officials said the bill also would give the Federal Trade Commission authority to look into the health insurance industry at its own initiative. The officials spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to pre-empt a formal announcement.

While precise figures were not immediately available, it appeared the legislation would target the drug industry for more than the $80 billion that pharmaceutical firms agreed to contribute toward health care in a deal earlier this year with the White House and key senators. But the industry managed to come away with a provision worth billions: 12 years of market protection for high-tech drugs to combat cancer, Parkinson’s and other deadly diseases.

Medical device makers also took a hit, with a 2.5 percent excise tax on sales of their products that is reported to cost the industry $20 billion over the next decade. A $40 billion fee on those businesses was included in a Senate Finance Committee-approved version of the legislation, but Reid is considering cutting it by as much as half.

RALEIGH, N.C.  – Gov. Beverly Perdue is running out of time to decide on bills left on her desk by the North Carolina General Assembly before it left town last month.

The state constitution gives Perdue until midnight Thursday to sign or veto legislation. Those not considered within the 30-day window automatically become law.

Perdue has left to consider five of the 108 bills given to her by the Legislature. One bill would make clear that requests made by General Assembly employees to state agencies are exempt from the public records law.

North Carolina was the last state in the country to give veto power to its governor, acting in 1997. A governor has issued vetoes nine times. The Legislature overrode one of those vetoes.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama celebrated the beginning of implementation of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. This bill, through its Yellow Ribbon Programs and partnerships with colleges and universities throughout the nation, will provide our service members with the most generous educational benefits package since the original GI Bill of 1944.

Over 3,400 agreements were received from the 1,100 schools participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program. The Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, funds tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate.

A list of North Carolina schools participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program can be found here: http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/YRP/states/nc.htm.

“Sixty-five years ago, a grateful nation offered a generation of World War II heroes the chance to go to college,” President Obama said. “The original GI Bill paved the way to a better life for millions of veterans and their families while building the foundation of the American middle class. Today, the Post-9/11 GI Bill is affording a new generation of heroes a 21st century version of that same opportunity.”

“The President and I know that the nation’s courageous service members and their families have shouldered the heaviest burden for our country’s security and safety over the past eight years,” VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said. “This new GI Bill is a way for a grateful nation to tangibly demonstrate our heartfelt appreciation and abiding respect for their service.”

“More than two and half years ago, we began with the simple concept that those who have been serving since 9/11 should have the same opportunity for a first class educational future as those who served during World War II,” Senator Jim H. Webb said. “This bill provides a modern and fair educational benefit to address the needs of those who answered the call of duty to our country–those who moved toward the sound of the guns–often at great sacrifice.”

With the implementation of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, our nation has an opportunity to honor America’s veterans in a very tangible way.  The maximum benefit under the Post-9/11 GI Bill allows veterans, service members, Reservists and Guard members the ability to receive an in-state, undergraduate education at a public institution at no cost.

Further, to honor their many sacrifices, the Post 9/11 GI Bill allows for the transferability of unused benefits to eligible career service members’ families. More information on the transferability of unused benefits can be found here: http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2009/0409_gibill/

President Obama has directed Secretary Shinseki to create a results-driven, 21st Century VA. Since the signing of this monumental legislation, VA has made meeting the August 1 implementation deadline a top priority.  As of July 30th VA has processed over 112,000 claims.

FAIRFAX, Va.  – President Barack Obama said Monday a new GI Bill for those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan is an investment in both a new generation of veterans and the future of America.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is the most comprehensive education benefit offered to veterans since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the original GI Bill for World War II veterans in 1944. In the next decade, $78 billion is expected to be paid out under it.

“We do this not just to meet our moral obligation to those who sacrificed greatly on our behalf, on behalf of the country,” said Obama, speaking at a celebration rally at George Mason University. “We do it because these men and women must now be prepared to lead our nation in the peaceful pursuit of economic leadership in the 21st century.”

The maximum benefit under the law rolled out Saturday will allow every eligible veteran, serviceman and woman, Reservist and National Guard member to attend a public college or university for free for four years. They are also eligible for a monthly housing stipend and up to $1,000 a year for books.

Those who attend a private institution or graduate school can receive financial assistance up to the cost of a public college in the state. About 1,100 schools are offering additional scholarships matched by the VA.

Obama noted that many of the 1.9 million troops who have deployed in support of the recent wars joined the military knowing they’d have to go and fight somewhere. He said military members have endured multiple tours in grueling combat.

“The contributions that servicemen and women can make to our nation do not end when they take off that uniform,” Obama said. “We owe a debt to all who served and when we repay that debt to those bravest Americans among us, then we are investing in our future.”

Service members who agree to serve four more years in the military can opt to transfer the benefit to their spouse or kids. It’s anticipated that nearly a half million veterans or their family members could participate in the first year.

More than 100,000 claims have already been processed, and more than 25,000 service members have applied to use the transfer benefit.

The legislation has been widely praised by veterans groups, but there have been concerns that universities and the VA could be overwhelmed, in part, because of the complexity of the benefit. There have been complaints that veterans attending private schools in states that keep public tuition low face a huge disparity in what they receive.

The legislation was authored by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va. He was joined by several other veterans in Congress in getting it passed.

On the Net:

Veterans Affairs Department site on new GI Bill

Defense Department site on new GI Bill

Toll-free VA phone number on GI Bill benefits: 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551)

RALEIGH, N.C. – The State Employees Association of North Carolina and the Legislative Black Caucus have thrown their political support behind legislation to regulate and tax video gaming in North Carolina.

State Representative Earl Jones (D-Guilford) today announced the endorsements during a press conference at the Legislative Building in Raleigh.

“We are looking for a resolution to our budget crisis,” said Representative Alma Adams (D-Guilford) chairwoman of the Black Legislative Caucus. “We are here to support video lottery terminals because we see it as a viable option for additional revenue. The games are here, people are playing them, so we need to look at regulating and taxing them,” Rep. Adams said.

“I have supported the lottery, I have voted against video poker but I am here today to take a second look,” said State Representative Jean Farmer-Butterfield (D-Wilson). “It’s time to regulate and tax video gaming as a revenue source for the state. We have to come up with a way to generate revenue. The Legislative Black Caucus cares about people with needs in our state. We see video gaming as a permanent source of revenue.”

“We are in a real budget crisis in North Carolina. As these men and women work here today to find more than a billion dollars in revenue, the Entertainment Group of North Carolina is coming to the General Assembly asking them to regulate and tax the video gaming industry,” said William Thevaos, president of the Entertainment Group of North Carolina.

“While there is an army of lobbyists and special interest groups working the halls of the General Assembly today opposing budget cuts and new taxes, the Entertainment Group of North Carolina is the only group down here on Jones Street asking for more regulation and taxation,” added Thevaos.

Recent Superior Court rulings have validated video gaming rights in North Carolina. Earlier this year, Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning ruled it was unconstitutional to grant video gaming rights to the Cherokee nation without granting the same rights to citizens in all 100 counties.

“Video gaming is alive and operating well in North Carolina,” said Chase Brooks, a video gaming operator from Burlington. “In one mile of the State Capitol, I can take you to a video sweepstake center. These court rulings mean we will see a proliferation of video gaming in the state, that’s why it is critical for the Legislature to take action this session.”

Thevaos said if the Legislature fails to act the lawmakers will be turning back the hands of time. “We cannot afford to return to the dark days. We need to move forward in a partnership with the Governor and Legislature to oversee, regulate and tax video lottery terminals,” stated Thevaos.

“If you really want to clean up video poker, if you want to make video gaming transparent – then enter into a partnership with the industry to regulate and tax it. There are $498 million reasons we need to do it,” said Thevaos.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A movement to help North Carolina learn more about thousands of people who were sterilized under a state program in the mid-20th century is getting another chance to be heard.

A House committee scheduled debate Tuesday on legislation that would order the public schools to teach about the eugenics program. Students at University of North Carolina campuses also would be directed to interview program victims so future generations know what happened.

About one-third of the 7,600 people sterilized by choice or coercion are still alive. The program ended in the 1970s.

The state unveiled a roadside marker in downtown Raleigh two weeks ago recalling the program.

It’s unclear whether a separate effort to pay survivors will wind up in the state budget.

RALEIGH, N.C.  – A bill requiring school districts in North Carolina to approve more detailed anti-bullying policies is headed to the House floor.

A House judiciary committee Tuesday approved the Senate measure on a party-line vote of 9-5, with Democrats in the majority.

Districts would have to create updated policies that at a minimum list the perceived characteristics of a person likely to be bullied.

Linda Griffin of Zebulon attended the meeting and said she took her autistic son out of the public schools because his teacher blamed him, in part, for being bullied. Griffin said the bill would protect more children.

Social conservatives and Christian leaders oppose the bill, in part, because sexual orientation and gender identity are among the characteristics required to be in the policies.

RALEIGH, N.C.- – Health Care Providers from around the state of North Carolina said Wednesday they oppose Senate Bill 202.

The current bill has passed the House and will now move to the State Senate for final review. According to the group, if this bill completely passes with the existing language, not only do providers across the State of North Carolina stand to lose their businesses, but consumers who are being served by these agencies will be forced to seek other sources of support.

“We anticipated something beyond rhetoric and had new hopes of inclusion”, says Tanya Wiley, spokesperson for the NC Health Care Providers Alliance. “Little did we know, the state would allow public incentives to chart their own course and take the lead in efforts to their own demise.”

NC State Representatives Earline Parmon (Forsyth County – District 72) and Beverly Earle (Mecklenburg County – District 101) have been monitoring the situation with Providers for close to two years.

“We firmly believe that in order to facilitate effective growth and development we must bridge the economic divide between minority, small and non-minority owned businesses. Approximately 78 percent of our providers in North Carolina are minority owned businesses and as such it is of great concern that budget cuts will ultimately force many of these businesses to close their doors,” said Representative Parmon.

She continued, “I believe there are many things we can do to extend opportunities to the most underutilized businesses in our state, and since the numbers of providers is so great, we can start there.”

Alliance providers will be visiting with State Senators throughout the day today in an effort to send a clear message that they will not stop until the State has heard their voices.

The NC Health Care Providers Alliance was established in 2008 to focus on developing partnerships with organizations to implement new ways to support providers and professionals with effective methods for serving the community.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Ending the 140-year-old ban on Sunday hunting with guns in North Carolina has one week to stay alive at the Legislature.

A Senate judiciary panel scheduled debate Tuesday on the proposed repeal. The bill is on a long list of bills up for consideration during the General Assembly’s so-called crossover week. Bills unrelated to spending or taxes that don’t pass one chamber by Thursday are unlikely to be heard again until 2011.

North Carolina is one of 11 states that restrict Sunday hunting.

Bill supporters argue it’s an archaic law that prevents hardworking citizens from being able to hunt on what may be their only day off. But a 2006 consultant’s report found that two-thirds of the state population opposed lifting the ban.