August 28, 2025 | Proudly representing Guilford County and the 57th District

Dear reader,

August is almost fully behind us, and I finally feel a slight crisp fall breeze in the mornings – hooray! We were supposed to be back in session this week which is a double-edge sword … sadly no comprehensive budget to vote on, but happily no more veto override votes for the time being. Below are updates from my office – I am honored to serve you and please reach out if we can help you!

Sincerely,

Tracy

As our children head back to school, here is what I tried to accomplish to better support Guilford County Schools:

I filed a bill requesting $5M for GCS high dosage tutoring (Dr. Oakley’s full ask that has clear ROI). I strategically recruited 2 Dems and 2 GOP as lead sponsors, all Guilford Reps. This bill is a messaging play since it ultimately has to get added to the budget, but I felt this was important to show bipartisan support. The N.C. Senate then filed the same bill to show bicameral support.

When I saw that it wasn’t in either budget draft, I tried to run an amendment in House appropriations committee since I saw Union County where powerful GOP budget writers represent had allocated $2M for their district’s high dosage tutoring. Sadly that was declined. Frustrating how they see the ROI to invest in tutoring for one county but not another.

I also ran a bill to include pre-K students within our schools to count toward the ADM (average daily membership) for funding purposes as obviously housing them within our schools adds to overhead costs for AC, etc. That bill sadly didn’t move. (But I will keep working on it!)

I signed onto all other k-12 bills to raise starting teacher pay to highest in the Southeast, reinstate masters pay, provide free breakfast/lunch, and add accountability for private school vouchers.

Despite Republicans controlling both the House and the Senate, none of these bills cleared both chambers and no budget was finalized. This means our state is operating on its 2023-2024 budget despite significantly more residents to support and in drastically different economic times with higher overall costs. I will keep advocating that we need a comprehensive budget for our state!

I have been working to secure a meeting with Congresswoman Foxx all summer … big kudos to my legislative assistant for all the back-n-forth! I drove up to her Mayodan office on Tuesday and spent an hour with her.

I had a few goals in meeting with her:

1. Introduce myself and build rapport. We have nothing in common policy-wise, BUT I recognize her high-ranking position and need a working relationship with her so focused on our commonalities, such as being Tar Heel alumna.
2. Communicate back to her concerns that I am hearing locally. Specifically, the Big Beautiful Bill cutting Medicaid and SNAP benefits … concerns around Medicare and Social Security … tariffs and raising costs.

Congresswoman Foxx, whose district has historically encompassed the Northwest counties of North Carolina, newly represents all of State House District 57 in Northern Guilford County. It was important that I introduce her to our shared constituency and fight for our interests.

As the Rules Chairman in the U.S. House, Rep. Foxx dictates what legislation sees the floor. That makes her one of the most powerful politicians in the United States. To hear more about my conversation with her, check out my video recap here.

Town Hall Scheduled

I have partnered with Indivisible to host our next town hall! Join us on Monday, September 8, 2025, where I will talk about my highs and lows in my first year as your legislator, things I learned, the status of Gov. Stein's vetoes, and my outlook at the year ahead. The event is being held at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 3506 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro from 6pm-7:30pm.

For more information and to register ahead of time, visit the Indivisible Guilford site here.

The General Assembly remains recessed. The next time votes might occur is the week of Sept. 22.

Despite this body's inaction, I will still be hard at work meeting constituents and researching legislation. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me and my legislative assistant if you need help with a State Agency or have questions about legislation!

My virtual office hours remain open; you can schedule a one-on-one call here. I look forward to hearing from you!

NC Cash

Are you owed any of the almost $1.4 billion in the unclaimed property fund? NC Cash is a program ran by the North Carolina Treasurer's Office that helps reunite owners with their unclaimed property.

This cash consists of bank accounts, wages, insurance policy proceeds, and other funds that lost track of their owner. Give it a look here and see if you can claim NC Cash.

Celebrating the accomplishments of District 57!

I want to celebrate YOU! If you would like to acknowledge someone for an accomplishment such as:

• Graduation
• Honor Roll
• Scholarship
• Gold Award / Eagle Scout

Please use this link to fill out this form to let me know! I am always happy to send a letter to help celebrate!