Friends,

For over two months, I showed up to sustain the Governor's veto of the state budget. Many of us worked hard to compromise with Republicans, but they refused to make even one compromise offer.

On the anniversary of September 11th, Republicans misled the Democrats and the media about the legislative calendar and held the State Budget override vote when almost all House Democrats were absent.

By chance, I was present at that 8:30 am session. I saw Speaker Moore call the veto override vote and disregard mine and my colleagues’ requests to speak before a vote was taken. The entire incident and the behavior of House Republicans was horrific and a travesty of democracy.

That afternoon, we attempted to recall the vote and place it back on the calendar, but the motion failed.

After months of knowing they couldn’t override the veto because our caucus has held strong and showed up everyday, House Republican leadership finally resorted to trickery and games to override the Governor's veto of the budget. By doing so, they have robbed the people of North Carolina of legislative fairness and of proper representation. 

This week's veto override vote was wrong, but Governor Cooper’s veto can still be sustained by the State Senate. The fight for better health care and public schools continues and I will do my part to get a better deal for all citizens. The larger problem is our legislative leaders have let down the people of North Carolina yet again.

You deserve better from our legislature. As always, feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions about this week's events.
 Sincerely,

Representative Julie von Haefen
Update on Redistricting
On September 3rd, a bipartisan, three judge panel unanimously struck down the State House and State Senate maps as partisan gerrymanders, confirming what North Carolinians already knew: North Carolina’s districts have been drawn to benefit one party over the other.


In its ruling, the court was clear: the NCGA cannot be trusted to draw legislative districts fairly, and so the Redistricting Committees must draw new maps under the full view of the public eye. Because of this, the Redistricting committee rooms for the House and Senate have been live streaming redistricting work all week. Despite daily meetings and late night work sessions, our Redistricting committees are not quite done with their work yet.

If you would like to view the work of the Redistricting committee in real time, please follow the link below:
Although District 36 is not affected by this round of redistricting , I have been paying close attention to the process. Admittedly, this has been North Carolina's most transparent redistricting process in recent memory. However, it has not been as accessible to the public as it needs to be. There has only been one day for public comment during committee this week, and the public was only given 30 minutes notice of that opportunity.

However, there will be public comment taken on both the House & Senate Maps on Monday during the Senate Redistricting Committee meeting
  • When: Monday, Sept. 16th @ 12PM
  • Where: Room 643 of the Legislative Office Building

Here is a link you can use to view the documents being considered by the House Redistricting Committee. If you are unable to make it on Monday, please use the link below to submit comments on the maps and on the Redistricting process:
Save the Date:
Election Security Town Hall
Please join us for a town hall on Election Security this October 27th!

Joining us are Mr. Tomas Lopez , Executive Director at Democracy NC, Ms. Allison Riggs , Senior Attorney for Voting Rights at Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and Mr. Bob Phillips , Executive Director at NC Common Cause.

  • Date & Time: Sunday, October 27th from 4:30PM-6PM
  • Location: Apex Town Council Chambers, 73 Hunter Street, Apex, NC 27502
Municipal Candidate Forums
Apex Forum
The Apex Chamber of Commerce is hosting a municipal candidate forum.

When: Tuesday October 8th from 6:45PM-9PM.
Where: Apex Friendship High School 7801 Humie Olive Rd Apex, NC 27502

Mayoral candidates and town council candidates will be in attendance to answer questions.
Cary Forum
The League of Women Voters of Wake county will host a Municipal Candidate Forum for Cary Mayor & Town Council Seats.

When: September 23rd at 7:00pm
Where: Glenaire Retirement Community, 4000 Glenaire Circle, Cary NC 27511)

This forum will be moderated by WRAL news anchor Kathryn Brown. NC Board of Elections Executive Director, Karen Brinson Bell, will provide opening remarks.
Fuquay Varina Forum
Join the Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters at a forum for the candidates running for Fuquay-Varina mayor and town commissioner seats.

When: October 23, 2019 at 6:00pm
Where: Fuquay-Varina Arts Center

All interested voters are encouraged to attend!
District News
Upcoming Elections
Municipal Elections are on the horizon!

Cary residents will cast their ballots on October 8th of this year.

Apex, Fuquay Varina, Garner, and Holly Springs residents will cast their ballots on November 5th of this year.

If you are unsure when or where to vote, please check your voter registration using the link below.
Office Updates
Tuesdays With Tillis
I was at the Tuesdays With Tillis rally on September 10th, defending women’s healthcare and federal Title X funding! These activists have shown up at Senator Thom Tillis’s Raleigh office for 138 weeks IN A ROW & he has not met with them once.

It was great to hear advocates from NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina, Planned Parenthood Votes South Atlantic, MomsRising.org, NC NOW (National Organization for Women) & Fight4Her.

On September 29, an “Empty Chair Town Hall” with Senator Tillis is scheduled.
NC Women Breaking Barriers
It was a gorgeous morning to celebrate women at our beautiful NC State Capitol, last week.

I was inspired to hear from leaders in all areas of our state, including Governor Bev Perdue, First Lady Kristin Cooper, Chief Justice Cheri Beasley and more.

She truly changed the world!
NCSU Plant Sciences
Congratulations to NCSU on the groundbreaking of their Plant Sciences Building on Centennial Campus!

Read more about this amazing 185,000 sq ft facility which will open in 2021 & was partially funded by the Connect NC Bond.
Southeast Raleigh YMCA Ribbon Cutting
It was quite an honor to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for Southeast Raleigh YMCA on September 4th.

YMCA's are, “Where children can learn, families can get healthy and community can fellowship with each other.”

This project, many years in the making, is a testament to the power of community partnerships with Wake County Public School System YMCA of the Triangle and Southeast Raleigh Promise.
First Responders Appreciation
Earlier this month, I joined the Raleigh Chamber in celebration of our great state's First Responders.

Inspiration from 9/11 survivor John Cerqueria: “We are at our best when we are in the service of others.”

Thank you to all who serve our community! 
District Events
Click the links for more details about each event!
September
Did you Know?
House members must abide by several general rules of decorum while conducting business on the House Floor. Did you know they're not allowed to read newspapers in session?

Rule 12 (e): The reading of newspapers shall not be permitted on the floor of the House while the House is in session.