More than 2,000 filled or vacant positions in North Carolina state government would be eliminated in a draft budget plan for justice, public safety and correction departments.
     
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RALEIGH, N.C. – A new survey by The Associated Press shows North Carolina among the best states at posting public records on the Internet.

But those records are sometimes hard to find.

The Sunshine Week 2009 Survey of State Government Information examined how all 50 states provide online access to 20 different kinds of records, ranging from consumer complaints to teacher certifications. North Carolina ranked third.

The survey found the Department of Transportation’s Web site lists status updates for every road project and the Attorney General’s Office allows users to file consumer complaints.

But there are inconsistencies in the type and depth of public records. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Web site doesn’t post comprehensive details about the safety inspections at places such as nursing homes.

RALEIGH, N.C.  – North Carolina officials say the state will receive about $6 billion from the $789 billion federal stimulus package that’s nearing a final vote in Congress.

The bill spelling out how much each state will receive during the next two years is headed for votes Friday in the U.S. House and Senate.

The state budget office said a preliminary breakdown of the bill’s spending plan shows about $1.2 billion for school modernization and other education programs in North Carolina. The state will also get $2.35 billion to help provide Medicaid health insurance for low-income residents.

Gov. Beverly Perdue is counting on federal aid to help narrow a gap in the current year’s state budget of about $2 billion, but state officials caution they don’t yet know if there will be limits on how all of the $6 billion is spent.

Five Questions Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-Banner Elk

Q: Why did you join most Republicans in voting against an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to cover an additional four million kids?

A: The program was originally designed to provide health insurance to lower-income children whose parents made too much to qualify for Medicaid. But it has been modified to the point that some kids who qualify for coverage are denied because some states used the money to cover adults. We should return the program to its original purpose. Also, the expansion was funded with an increase in the federal cigarette tax to $1.01 per pack, an effort by Democrats to put tobacco farmers and tobacco companies out of business.

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Q: Tobacco companies and anti-smoking advocates agree that raising cigarette taxes reduces smoking rates. Isn’t that a worthwhile goal?

A: It is, but the government should not tell people how to lead their lives. I love butter, and I probably use too much of it. If they increase tobacco taxes to stop people from smoking, what’s to stop Democrats from increasing taxes on butter to keep people from eating butter?

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Q: You also joined every Republican in voting against the $819 billion economic recovery package that just passed the House, arguing that most of the spending programs would not immediately create jobs. Were any of the spending programs worthwhile?

A: Not that I can recall. There is a possibility that some of the infrastructure spending on roads and bridges could create jobs, but a lot of the money will not be spent for years.

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Q: North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue says the state faces a $2 billion budget deficit this year, and the package contained at least $1 billion to fill that gap. What about those funds?

A: I’ve read the Constitution. I don’t see anything that says the federal government should balance state budgets. Why should we bail out irresponsibility? The state needs to take care of its own spending problems.

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Q: As a former teacher, what grade would you assign to President Barack Obama’s first few weeks in office?

A: I wouldn’t grade a student this early in the term. I certainly don’t agree a lot with the executive orders he has signed. I appreciated his meeting with House Republicans. I take him at his word that he wants to be bipartisan and he wants the country to succeed. We want him to succeed because we want our country to succeed.

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About Five Questions

Each week when Congress is in session, Washington correspondent Sean Mussenden sits down with a different member of the North Carolina delegation for an in-depth interview on issues of importance to you.

The answers have been condensed for space and are not direct quotes. Watch a video of the extended interview online.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The latest polling conducted by the Civitas Institute indicates Democrats will open the legislative session with an advantage in public trust.

The poll says Republicans trail in that arena. Public perception of their ability to handle issues, ranging from holding down taxes to health care, is unlike previous General Assembly sessions.

“Democrats have succeeded in convincing the voters that they have the solutions to the problems confronting North Carolina,” said Civitas Institute Executive Director Francis De Luca. “Now the question becomes, can they deliver?”

Republicans used to be known for their anti-tax stands, but in this poll, they have even lost to Democrats on the issue of taxes. According to the poll, 45 percent of voters said they believed Democrats will do a better job of keeping taxes low; 34 percent indicated they thought Republicans will hold the line; 11 percent stated they did not endorse either party; eight percent said they were not sure; and five percent said they trusted both parties equally.

Health care has continued to be a strong issue for Democrats, and voters again confirmed the party’s dominance on this issue. Sixty-five percent of respondents said they give Democrats the green light at keeping health care affordable; 18 percent said they believed the Republicans can; seven percent said they were not sure; five percent said they agreed with both parties equally; and the remaining five percent said they were not sure.

“Despite what current Democratic members of the General Assembly may or may not have promised in last fall’s campaign races, President Obama has in fact spoken for them to the public,” De Luca noted. “The campaign rhetoric set high expectations for many inside the borders of North Carolina; they expect economic conditions to improve, unemployment to go down, education to get better and all around improvement.”

Full text of questions:

“For each of the following, please tell me which political party in North Carolina, Democrat or Republican, will do a better job on each issue in the upcoming session of the General Assembly:

“Making Health Care More Affordable?”

Democratic – 65%
Republican – 18%
Both Equally – 5%
Neither – 7%
Not Sure – 5%

“Creating Jobs and Growing the Economy”

Democratic – 58%
Republican – 21%
Both Equally – 9%
Neither – 5%
Not Sure – 7%

“Improving Public Education”

Democratic – 58%
Republican – 23%
Both Equally – 11%
Neither – 4%
Not Sure – 5%

“Bringing Change to North Carolina Government”

Democratic – 56%
Republican – 18%
Both Equally – 10%
Neither – 7%
Not Sure – 5%

“Improving Roads and Highways”

Democratic – 51%
Republican – 21%
Both Equally – 14%
Neither – 5%
Not Sure – 10%

“Holding Taxes Down”

Democratic – 45%
Republican – 34%
Both Equally – 5%
Neither – 9%
Not Sure – 8%

The study of 600 registered voters was conducted Jan. 19-22. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters we interviewed had to have voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that:

95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.”  True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008. 

By SEAN MUSSENDEN
Media General News Service

WASHINGTON-The House passed an economic recovery package Wednesday that would send at least $16 billion to North Carolina, including $1.9 billion over the next two years to help the state patch its gaping budget hole.

The $819 billion package is a mix of spending and targeted tax cuts that supporters hope will immediately create new jobs and kick-start the slumping economy.

Despite President Barack Obama’s plea for bipartisan unity, the package passed along party lines, with every Republican and 11 Democrats voting against it. Rep. Heath Shuler was the only North Carolina Democrat to vote against the measure.

“We have an obligation to get ourselves out of a ditch,” said Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C. “I’m sure a lot of Republicans believe they have the luxury of standing back and second guessing and saying, `no, no, no.’”
Republicans complained that the package was loaded with spending projects that would not immediately create jobs while significantly expanding the deficit.

“We can immediately jumpstart the economy by cutting taxes, but that’s not what this bill is all about. This bill is all about sneaking in all their pet projects,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.
Foxx and other Republicans backed an alternative package that that included larger tax cuts and less spending. The alternative failed Wednesday.

The package that passed included almost $300 billion in increased tax breaks for the poor, some parents, homebuyers and businesses. Republican and Democratic economists disagree about how effective tax cuts are in stimulating the economy.

It also included more than $500 billion for road projects, school construction, health care for the poor and other programs.

One provision would require the Homeland Security Department to only purchase uniforms made in the United States.

Rep. Larry Kissell, D-N.C., a former textile worker who sponsored the uniform provision, said he hoped it would help North Carolina’s ailing textile and apparel manufacturers.
“With our presence in textiles, I feel that it will help us. But, if not, it will help workers somewhere,” he said.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., complained that the many of the tax cuts in the legislation expire within two years. And he complained that the package spent money on the National Endowment for the Arts but did not increase specific assistance for workers who lost jobs when trade deals prompted companies to send jobs overseas.

“There are worthy things not included in the bill,” he said.

In a statement, Shuler said he voted against the package because it would significantly expand the deficit and contained “too much additional spending in areas that will not offer immediate economic stimulus.”

The Senate is expected to pass a costlier version of the package. Then, a committee of House members and senators will hash out differences between the bills. President Barack Obama hopes to sign it by mid-February.

A state-by-state analysis of the House bill by the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank, found that North Carolina would receive at least $16 billion from the larger spending and tax cut provisions in the bill.

North Carolina’s share includes $937 million in 2009 and again in 2010 to make up a budget shortfall in the state.

Gov. Bev Perdue, D-N.C., flew to Washington earlier this month to tell congressional leaders and Obama’s aides that the state faces a $2 billion shortfall this year.

Perdue said she could make up half the deficit by cutting state spending but wanted the federal government to make up the remaining $1 billion.

Because the final version has not been signed by Obama, “We’re not quite in a position to say whether it’s enough to fix all our problems, but we’re hopeful,” said Chrissy Pearson, a Perdue spokeswoman.

How North Carolina House Members Voted
Yes
Mike McIntyre, D
Larry Kissell, D
G.K. Butterfield, D
Bob Etheridge, D
Brad Miller, D
David Price, D
Mel Watt, D

No
Howard Coble, R
Virginia Foxx, R
Walter Jones, R
Patrick McHenry, R
Sue Myrick, R
Heath Shuler, D

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The House version of the economic recovery package targets billions to North Carolina, including money to…

…patch the state budget deficit-$1.9 billion
…bolster Medicaid-$2.6 billion
…build highways and bridges-$802 million
…repair run-down schools-$551 million
…fund clean-water projects-$105 million

Source: Office of the Speaker of the House

RALEIGH – Governor Bev Perdue has declared a state of emergency for North Carolina due to the winter storm impacting most of the state. The declaration, made as a precautionary measure, enables the governor to deploy extra resources to respond to the storm.

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According to the Public Policy Institute, just 39 percent of North Carolinians named the economy as their top issue last year on this date.

Beverly Perdue spent at least another $9 million in the general election to become governor of North Carolina.
  
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