The Fifth Senate District of North Carolina



N.C. Senate District 5 

"Loving Eastern NC!"

March 2017                                                                                                                                 Vol.1/No.1

  
In the News
Don Davis
Don Davis
  
  Mailing Address:
  
300 N. Salisbury St, 519
Raleigh, NC 27603-5925
(919) 715-8363
  
E-mail:
  
Counties:
Pitt, Wayne, Lenoir and Greene
  
Committees:
Finance
Health Care
State and Local Government
Education/Higher Education
Appropriations on Department
of Transportation
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
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Cabinet confirmation hearings underway

Machelle Sanders, Secretary of Administration appointee.
On March 17, a three-judge panel ruled the North Carolina Senate has the authority to conduct confirmation hearings for Governor Roy Cooper's cabinet picks. Machelle Sanders, Secretary of Administration appointee, was the first to face a confirmation hearing since the ruling. 

The State and Local Government Committee unanimously voted to recommend Sanders to the full North Carolina Senate for confirmation. Sanders is a native of Belhaven. On March 29, the Senate Health Care Committee is scheduled to conduct a confirmation hearing for Mandy Cohen, Governor Cooper's pick for the Secretary of Health and Human Services.  

Rural Education Advocacy Day  

On March 29, former US Congresswoman Eva Clayton will hold a bipartisan advocacy day at the North Carolina General Assembly emphasizing the necessity to make rural school districts a priority. According to event organizers, efforts will be made to increase funding for teachers, teacher recruitment and high quality educators as well as to expand access to digital learning.  North Carolina has the second largest rural population in the nation. Nearly 40% of students in traditional public schools are educated in rural districts. Low wealth rural communities lack the resources to attract and retain the best teachers and lag behind on digital infrastructure. 

You may register here  to participate in the Rural Education Advocacy Day . 

Study released: Opportunity scholarships

For three years, school vouchers have been available to North Carolina students through the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Program. Earlier this month , the Children's Law Clinic at Duke Law School released the results of an assessment of the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Program. A few of the highlights from the report includes:
  • "The Opportunity Scholarship Grant Program is funded through general revenues. The initial annual appropriation was $10 million; the current annual appropriation is $60 million; the anticipated annual appropriation by 2027 is $145 million. At this rate, the total expenditure by 2027 will be $900 million.
  • "The number of children receiving vouchers has increased from approximately 1,200 in the first year to 5,500 in 2016-17. The General Assembly has authorized an additional 2,000 vouchers for each year over the next decade, bringing the total to 25,000 by 2017.
  • "Based on limited and early data, more than half of the students using vouchers are performing below average on nationally- standardized reading, language, and math tests.
  • "Accountability measures for North Carolina private schools receiving vouchers are among the weakest in the country. The schools need not be accredited, adhere to state curricular or graduation standards, employ licensed teachers, or administer state End-of-Grade tests.
  • "Because private schools receiving vouchers are not required to administer state tests nor to publish detailed achievement data, researchers will be unable to develop thorough and valid conclusions about the success of the program at improving educational outcomes for participating students.
  • "The North Carolina voucher program is well designed to promote parental choice, especially for parents who prefer religious education for their children. It is poorly designed, however, to promote better academic outcomes for children and is unlikely to do so."
Click here for the complete report.   

Bills filed in the Senate

Since the February newsletter, I have filed the following bills:
  • S150: Auto Ins./Notice to Lienholder of Termination
  • S151: Inaccessable Liquid Resources/D-SNAP
  • S178: Ltd. Driving/ Remove wait for First Offense
  • S190: The Haley Hayes Newborn Screening Bill
  • S301: Need-Based Scholarships/Private Colleges
  • S302: Concussion Protocol/County Rec.
  • S311: DHHS Study/Maternal and Neonatal Care
  • S314: Give Retirees 2% COLA/Funds
  • S316: Suicide Prevention/Awareness School Personnel
  • S352: NC Promise Tuition Plan Modifications


Note: You may listen to sessions of the North Carolina General Assembly, committee meetings and press conferences.