District 57 Updates with Tracy Clark | December 13, 2024 | Proudly representing Guilford County and the 57th District | | |
Veto of SB 382 overridden | House supermajority broken! | Preparing for the New Year! |
- Family Justice Center
- Church World Services
- NC Institute of Political Leadership
- Sheriff Rogers
- Year of Public Schools
- Greensboro holiday fun!
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Committees
- Appropriations
- Appropriations - Education
- Commerce
- Education - Community Colleges
- Education - Universities
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On December 11, the North Carolina House voted to override Governor Cooper's veto of SB 382 - Disaster Relief-3/Budget/Various Law Changes. While presented as the third wave of State-funded relief for Hurricane Helene recovery, the law does not appropriate any new funds to the people of Western North Carolina. Rather, the law is a thinly veiled and massive power grab created behind closed doors to undermine the results of the 2024 Election.
SB 382 was first introduced to legislators the morning of November 19. It was a hefty 132-page bill that could not be amended and faced no committee hearings or public comments. The public only officially received access to SB 382 at 6PM that night, a mere hour before it was rammed through the House without member or public input.
I joined all my Democratic colleagues, as well as 3 House Republicans from Western North Carolina, in voting NO against this sham bill the first time. The Senate, presided over by disgraced gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, passed SB382 the next day. Gov. Cooper quickly vetoed it, so it came back to the Senate last week for an override and ended with our veto override vote in the House. I was hopeful that any of the three initial GOP Reps who voted no (for good reason) would stay true to their vote, but sadly they joined their party to override the veto.
Thank you to the thousands who emailed your NC Senators and Representatives and to the hundreds who came out in the rain yesterday to make your voice heard. I heard you and support you and am equally sad at the outcome.
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What does SB 382 do?
This law transfers $227 million to the Hurricane Helene fund for future allocations, action which is unlikely to happen until at least February.
Election Changes
- Transfer the North Carolina State Board of Elections to the Department of State Auditor and require the State Auditor to "direct and supervise" the budget.
- Remove the Governor's powers to appoint members to the State and County Boards of Elections, granting it to the State Auditor instead.
- Requires every provisional ballot be counted before 5PM on the third day after Election Day.
- Shortens the deadline to request a mail-in ballot from one week before the election to two.
- Shortens the timeline for voters to fix or "cure" their ballots from 9 to 3 days.
These changes are not feasible for election officials who already deal with unsustainable and unfair working conditions.
Judicial Appointments
- Removes the seats of Wake County Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins and Forsyth County Superior Court Judge Todd Burke. Both have ruled against election law changes that GOP lawmakers have enacted over the years.
- Abolishes the Courts Commission
- Gives NC Chief Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby power to decide who the Senior Resident Superior Court judge is in each district, rather than the longest serving.
Executive Power
- Prohibits the Attorney General from acting against the General Assembly in any way.
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Private School Vouchers
Another bad piece of legislation was passed on November 19. The Governor's veto of HB10, the bill that allocates an additional $463 million to Tier 3 and Tier 4 private school vouchers for wealthy families, was overridden. I was proud to once again vote to protect our public schools from efforts to defund them, but am disappointed by the outcome.
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2024 Election Results
I was proud and deeply honored to be elected to serve District 57 for the next two years! I join a cohort of Democratic House members that has FINALLY broken the Republican supermajority. I look forward to working with all elected officials to improve the lives of all North Carolinians. For more details on results, click here.
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New Member Orientation
Last week I was able to meet the next batch of Freshmen legislators through our New Member Orientation. There are 23 new House Members (11 Dem, 12 Rep) and 7 new Senators (4 Dem, 3 Rep). Of the 30 new members, I'm proud that 9 are women. We learned all there is to know about building security, HR, technology, bill drafting, ethics, and more.
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(From left to right) Rep. Brian Turner (116-Buncombe), Sen. Sophia Chitlik (22-Durham), Rep. Tracy Clark (57-Guilford), Rep. Julia Greenfield (100-Mecklenburg), Rep. Rodney Pierce (27-Halifax), Rep. Beth Helfrich (98-Mecklenburg), Rep. Dante Pittman (24-Wilson), Rep. Aisha Dew (107-Mecklenburg), Rep. Bryan Cohn (32-Granville), and Sen. Caleb Theodros (41-Mecklenburg) | |
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What's on the calendar?
Today, December 13, marks the official end of the 2023-24 Biennium. The General Assembly will reconvene next on January 8 to swear in new members.
My office will remain open for constituent services and legislative questions/requests. Please feel free to reach out (contact information here). We are looking to hitting the ground running in January!
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Family Justice Center Conference and Meeting | |
(11/14) I spent 2 days with 500+ others at the Greensboro Coliseum for the 6th annual NC Family Justice Center & Collaborative Communities conference. We heard testimonies from five brave domestic abuse survivors, each of whom spent over $100,000 in legal fees and years fighting their abusers in court.
I’m so proud of these women for sharing their stories, and to the hundreds of community members, police officers, and elected officials who came to learn how to better protect domestic abuse victims. There are a few stalled NC legislative items we must prioritize, including waiving the one-year divorce waiting period and waiving debt incurred by abusers.
(12/9) I followed up the conference with a meeting with Catherine Johnson, the Director of Family Justice Center (FJC). We discussed the need for legislation to help protect survivors of domestic violence. FJC has helped ~100k victims since opening 10 years ago, and handles about 30-50 walk-ins daily. They do phenomenal work, and I will happily support the legislative and budgetary needs for our Guilford County Family Justice Centers!
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Church World Services (CWS) Visit
(12/10) I had the pleasure of visiting the office of Church World Services of Greensboro and meeting Office Director Megan Shepard. They welcome refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers from around the globe. CWS provides employee training and assists families in resettling.
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NC Institute of Political Leadership Graduation
(11/23) Last Spring I was a fellow with the NC Institute of Political Leadership (IOPL) but was unable to attend my graduation. Thus, I was honored to join the fall class of IOPL fellows at their Fall Graduation, and particularly excited to meet fellow IOPL graduate and Rep-elect Rodney Pierce (27-Halifax). Congratulations to all fellows - I look forward to seeing everyone in elected positions across our state in the years ahead!
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Sheriff Danny Rogers Meeting
(12/5) I had a great, productive meeting with Sheriff Rogers and 10 members of his team to discuss gun violence in Guilford County and what we can do about it. We discussed a variety of tactics, and I am reviewing current appropriations with my staff to ensure Guilford County received all eligible funding.
This Saturday, December 14, marks 12 years since the tragedy of Sandy Hook, reminding us of the hard work that needs to be done to protect our children.
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Year of Public Schools Celebration
(12/10) We celebrated 2024, the "Year of Public Schools" as designated by Governor Cooper, at Claxton Elementary. Claxton was rebuilt using bond money approved by Guilford taxpayers several years ago. We celebrated Superintendent-elect of Public Instruction Mo Green.
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As Gov. Cooper shared, more than 80% of North Carolina school-aged children attend public school. We boast an 87% graduation rate and the highest amount of credentialed teachers in Guilford County. According to US News & World Report, Guilford County houses the best Elementary School (Lincoln Academy), Middle School (Brown Summit), and High School (Early College at Guilford) in our state.
As Gov. Cooper said, "we have made progress, but it will always be a work-in-progress."
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Happy Holidays and New Year!
My family and I are thoroughly enjoying the sights and sounds of the holidays throughout December, including the Greensboro holiday parade last weekend, Elf the Musical at Tanger, and The Nutcracker at UNCG.
I hope you and your loved ones enjoy quality time together over the holidays! I look forward to continuing to serve you in the New Year!
Sincerely,
Tracy
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