RALEIGH REPORT

Getting Underway

We're Working with Our Governor I am looking forward to working closely with Governor Roy Cooper's team this session. I have already met with the governor himself on multiple occasions to discuss possible plans to expand broadband universally throughout North Carolina. I also had a follow-up meeting with his senior advisor for the Department of Information Technology, Nate Denny and Jeff Surall, Director of the Broadband Infrastructure Office, this week. I am optimistic that we will make significant progress on broadband this year.

I'm with the Governor at a pre-session reception in Raleigh.

Close the Medicaid Coverage Gap On the first day of session I co-sponsored legislation to close the Medicaid coverage gap and make healthcare affordable and accessible for approximately 500,000 North Carolinians not currently being served. Medicaid expansion is a fiscally responsible issue that has growing bipartisan support, and I am proud to be a part of the coalition in support of this measure. In Haywood, Jackson, and Swain, more than 10,000 will gain access to affordable healthcare coverage if this bill becomes law. In my district alone, we have lost 1,341 jobs, $617,200,000 in business activity, and have experienced 269 opioid overdoses since 2016 as a result of not expanding Medicaid. Those are stunning numbers. Hopefully we will reverse that trend in 2019.

Legislators at our Medicaid Expansion press conference on Wednesday. The legislature is buzzing with support for closing the Medicaid coverage gap!

Looking Forward

Committees I had one committee change since I announced my assignments last week. I will now be serving on the following committees: Agriculture Appropriations Appropriations - Information Technology Redistricting Regulatory Reform School Tours I will return to Haywood, Jackson, and Swain Counties at the end of next week to continue touring my district's schools. This coming Friday, I will tour the Shining Rock Academy in Haywood County, Mountain Discovery in Swain County, and Summit Charter School in Jackson County. The following week, I will tour the Cherokee School System with Superintendent Michael Murphy.

Joe Sam's Notes

Mission Health Joins HCA Mission Hospital is now officially part of the international company HCA Healthcare. The Dogwood Trust, which will handle the money paid to Mission Health for the merger, will have a much more representative board, including people from all of western North Carolina, not just Buncombe County. Attorney General Josh Stein has done a fantastic job with negotiations and I think that he has secured a promising outcome for all of WNC. Ag Development Forum I attended the Ag Development Forum this past week, and the main takeaway is that 2018 was a rough year for agriculture across North Carolina, between hurricane damage and the devastating effects the current tariffs and trade wars are having on agricultural commodity prices. North Carolina is suffering a crisis, but we will pull together across the state behind agriculture. It is essential to our rural economies, and 2019 is projected to be a much better year.

Ag Development Forum with my fellow representatives, Nasif Majeed, Rachel Hunt, and John Ager.

Sincerely,

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