Better internet is coming to Swain and Jackson Counties.
Last week on County Commissioners Day, Governor Roy Cooper announced $10 million in GREAT Grants for broadband expansion in 19 rural counties. Two of the grants awarded include
$233,645 for Jackson
County
and
$179,153 for Swain
County.
"Access to reliable, high-speed internet service is critical for businesses to grow, students to learn, and communities to thrive," said Governor Cooper. "These grants will help connect thousands of homes and businesses with opportunities across the state and around the world."
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I joined our Swain County Delegation for a great conversation on County Commissioners Day and shared the news about the broadband grant for their county! From left to right, County Manager Kevin King, me, Board of Commissioners Chairman Ben Bushyhead, and Commissioner Roger Parsons.
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The two grants awarded in Swain and Jackson Counties are expected to bring high-speed internet service to
more than 900 homes.
My goal for ALL of North Carolina is, "Everywhere we have electricity, we should have high-speed internet service." These grants are a great step toward that goal.
This year's budget proposals both from our Governor and the House would triple the funding for these GREAT Grants for broadband expansion from $10 million to $30 million.
We're raising the bar, facing the challenge, and I won't let up until we get it done for everyone.
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Young Henry joined his father, Jackson County Commissioner Chairman Brian McMahan, to visit the historic capital as well as the new legislature building on County Commissioner Day. Again, I was able to share the great news for Jackson County's broadband efforts!
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Last week I joined Michele Presnell to successfully pass our bill that would designate
Haywood County as the Elk Capital
of North Carolina. It will soon come up for a vote in the Senate.
The last elk in North Carolina was killed in the late 1700s. In 2001, a small herd of 52 elk was re-introduced in the Cataloochee Valley. Today Haywood County is home to a growing herd of more than 200 elk. We are proud of them. They are a real asset to Western North Carolina, beloved by locals and visitors alike.
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Cataloochee
Elk photo courtesy of Will Thomas
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Big
Billion Dollar Differences
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Healthcare
Governor Roy Cooper's budget would
expand Medicaid this year.
The
House Budget fails
yet again to take this common sense step.
It means in this session we could
waste another $5 Billion
of our tax dollars and get nothing, versus
investing our $5 Billion
in healthcare and healthcare jobs for our citizens. The spread is a difference of
$10 Billion
for North Carolina this session!
Medicaid Expansion is the
single best thing we can do this session
to insure more hard-working North Carolinians, make healthcare more affordable for ALL citizens, address the opioid crisis, and boost our rural economies.
Medicaid Expansion means coverage for
500,000
low-wage workers in our state, starting this November. It means we start
saving thousands of lives.
And by stopping the cost shifting, it also means an estimated
7% drop
in healthcare costs across the board, for everyone.
We can do all of this with
No New Taxes.
It's time to do this in NC.
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Investing in our Future
Governor Roy Cooper's budget lays out a forward-thinking, positive path for our public schools. The House Budget, on the other hand, falls short.
The Governor's
$3.9 billion
Invest NC Bond is clear, certain, transparent, timely, and fair to all.
It will
invest
$2 billion
in our public schools,
$500 million
in our universities,
$500 million
in our community colleges, and
$900 thousand
in clean water projects statewide. We know with certainty
that we will receive these funds this November!
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On the other hand, the
House Budget's "SCIF SCAM" simply falls short.
With it's "pay as you go" model, there is nothing timely, certain, transparent, or arguably fair. I say arguably because we don't know. What my past experience tells me is that "pay as you go," legislature by legislature, is always unfair, especially for rural North Carolina.
The "SCIF SCAM" doesn't even come close to meeting the needs of our great state.
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Education
Governor Roy Cooper's budget sets a clear path for our public schools to
lead the Southeast.
The
House Budget is meant to deceive,
cooking the books to score political points without any real follow-through.
With the Governor's budget,
ALL teachers are guaranteed a
9.1% raise.
The House Budget, on the other hand, is haphazard and scattered. It claims to raise our top tier veteran teachers to the national average by comparing our best, top-tier 30-year teacher pay, not with top-tier teachers nationwide, but with the nationwide average for ALL teachers. This misleading comparison means our
top-tier teachers will still be well below veteran teacher pay
nationwide, and
the rest of our teachers will still fall far below the national average.
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The motto of our great state is,
"To be rather than to seem."
North Carolina can do better than this House Budget. Next week, we will see what the Senate proposes. Stay tuned.
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Please
share
this with your friends!
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P.S. check out our legislative web page at
www.joesamqueennc.com
. You can find all of my previous newsletters and more!
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