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August 9, 2024
The Office of
Representative Mike Clampitt
House District 119
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NC Emergency Management on TS Debby | |
NC Railroad Company Working to Preserve Wetlands | |
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The North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) is partnering with Terracon, a leading engineering and environmental consulting firm, to launch its fifth economic development program.
This new program will support the conservation and preservation of wetland ecosystems and increase transparency around regulatory compliance for industrial projects in North Carolina.
Here is the story: https://www.ajot.com/news/north-carolina-railroad-company-partners-with-terracon
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This is the recent updates to North Carolina State Board of Election's Voter ID Page. They have published a lot of new content on our Voter ID page. They also just published a new page: FAQ: Voter ID.
Press Release from NCSBE.
No-Fee ID Card:
Anyone who is 17 or older can get a “No-Fee ID Card” from the NC DMV. Information on this ID card is available on the DMV website: Official NCDMV: State IDs (ncdot.gov).
We will keep you updated when new information is available.
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Debby's death toll reaches 7 after deadly tornado in North Carolina
by Jesse Ferrell/AccuWeather
Debby, now a tropical depression, is causing dangerous flooding as it makes its way up the mid-Atlantic after making its second U.S. landfall as a tropical storm early on Thursday near Bulls Bay, South Carolina, about 20 miles northeast of Charleston. Maximum sustained wind speeds were 50 mph as it moved inland at 5 mph, exacerbating ongoing flooding across the Carolinas that has promoted curfews, road closures, and widespread disruptions.
Three tornadoes were reported Wednesday and Wednesday night in North Carolina. Tornadoes damaged homes in Harrells, a town in Sampson County, and a tornado was recorded on video near Maple Hill in Pender County. A twister overnight in Wilson County killed a 60-year-old man, WRAL reported, bringing the death toll related to Debby to seven.
Six people in Florida died earlier this week in accidents related to Debby. Three of them were in traffic accidents and two from fallen trees. Another death involved a 48-year-old man in Gulfport, Florida, who was on his anchored sailboat when the storm struck, WTSP-TV reported.
Link for the article
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State Board of Education approves permanent rule for parental leave
by Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline
State education leaders on Wednesday gave final approval to a permanent rule offering paid parental leave to public school employees. Under the policy, a full-time eligible employee who is a birthing parent will be entitled to eight weeks of paid parental leave.
The policy divides that leave time into four weeks of “physical and mental recuperation” and an additional four weeks for parent-child bonding. A non-birthing parent will be entitled to four weeks for parent-child bonding.
A part-time eligible school employee who becomes a parent is entitled to a prorated share of paid parental leave, based upon the hours in that employee’s weekly schedule.
If a newborn is placed up for adoption or into foster care, the parental leave is limited to four weeks.
The state board estimates that the proposed rule will have an annual cost ranging between $324,000 and $436,000 statewide, though that figure could vary greatly based the rate of utilization and other factors like future pay increases.
Link for the article
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Wilson County tornado: Home collapses, search and rescue crews looking for man possibly inside home | |
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by WRAL
A tornado touched down in Wilson County early Thursday morning, damaging several homes in the area and a middle school. The tornado was first reported in Lucama at 2:51 a.m. Thursday.
WRAL News learned that at least 10 homes have been damaged.
A spokesman for Rock Ridge Fire Department told WRAL News that a two-story home on Lloyd Road collapsed near Lucama. "It looks like the second floor dropped in," he said.
WRAL News received reports that Springfield Middle School was badly damaged from the tornado. Photos show the extensive damage the tornado caused to the front of the building.
Link for the article
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Folwell warns of trouble ahead for NC’s pension and state health plans
by Theresa Opeka/The Carolina Journal
North Carolina’s state pension plan and State Health Plan are facing uphill financial struggles, State Treasurer Dale Folwell said Tuesday.
At the monthly Council of State meeting, he said that his office recently performed a “stress test” to determine the pension plan’s future. For the first time, it showed that the pension plan has a 75% chance of hitting its assumed rate of return over the next 20 years, which, as Folwell explained, is the result of a few things.
“We’ve lowered the assumed rate of returns so that we’re less optimistic, and when you’re less optimistic, that means more money has to go into the plan,” Folwell told Council of State members. “When you see numbers like 2% or 3% (possible future earnings) that’s because that’s what the stress test was meant to do, to put it under stress to see how it would perform in a bad economic environment, which we’ve obviously had over the last couple of days as far as the stock market is concerned.”
He also said that fewer state employees are paying into the plan, and part of the reason is the employer contribution rate.
Link for the article
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Soft voter ID laws in North Carolina cause concern going into November
by Elyse Apel/The Center Square
North Carolina is seeking to further strengthen voting laws, which should fill some of the loopholes that experts see in the current regulations on who can vote.
In November, North Carolina voters will vote to amend the state’s constitution to specify that only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote.
While photo identification is required, there are many different acceptable versions, including specific student or employee IDs. Andy Jackson, director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, said this is very problematic.
“Another problem is that the State Board of Elections issued regulations stating that county election boards must accept provisional ballots from people without voter IDs who sign an affidavit even when a majority of the county board has grounds to believe the affidavit is false,” Jackson said.
That vote has to be unanimous.
As the North Carolina Board of Elections website states, “all voters will be allowed to vote with or without a photo ID.”
Jackson said that his major concern lies partly with a lack of oversight from the Elections Board.
“I worry that the State Board of Elections and county elections boards are not doing enough to remove duplicate voter registrations and are resisting citizen groups' attempts to point them out,” he said. “That is something the General Assembly can address.”
Link for the article
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Budget shortfall threatens services to vets
by Wilkes Journal-Patriot
Budget burdens, pharmaceutical options and hyperbaric oxygen therapy are concerns North Carolina congressmen in the Senate and House of Representatives are raising with Veterans Affairs.
The budget shortfall could impact veterans across the nation with a disruption in payments as soon as October. Needed is $2.88 billion for disability and education benefits. Secretary Denis McDonough told Congress this month the projection for shortfall this year and next is $15 billion, of which $11.97 billion is for medical care next year.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is one of six signatories on a Wednesday letter to Chairman Jon Tester of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs in their chamber seeking an immediate hearing rather than waiting until the Sept. 9 resumption of session.
Dr. Greg Murphy, R-N.C. said, “As the representative of 76,000 veterans, it is my duty to advocate for more adequate and quality care for our veterans who have made many sacrifices. I conveyed the dissatisfaction of many veterans in my district, and across the country, with the VA’s management and my commitment to pursuing meaningful solutions to these issues.”
State lawmakers in North Carolina approved in September an appropriation of $500,000 that will help military veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
Link for the article
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Three years in a row K-3 students in North Carolina beat national average
by David Beasley/The Center Square
From kindergarten through third grade, North Carolina public school students scored higher than the national average on literary assessments at the end of last school year, state officials said.
The assessment is called Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, also known as DIBELS.
Educators credit the improvement to the statewide launch of a program called Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, also known as LETRS.
That two-year program for K-3 teachers started during the 2021-22 school year. As of June, all teachers in those grades had completed the training, which provides instructional tools on the science of reading.
Link for the article
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North Carolina moves to end vehicle emissions testing in every county but one
by Richard Stradling/The Herald
The state is moving to eliminate vehicle emissions testing in Wake, Durham, Johnston and 15 other counties, but first it needs approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The change would mean that only residents of Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, the state’s largest city, would still be required to have annual emissions inspections for their cars and trucks.
The state’s proposal would reduce the number of vehicles tested each year in Mecklenburg until the program is eventually phased out in about 2037.
Cars and trucks in all 100 counties would still be required to get annual safety inspections when their registration is renewed with the Division of Motor Vehicles.
The fee for a standard safety inspection is $13.60. The combined safety and emissions inspection costs $30.
The N.C. Division of Air Quality says emissions inspections are no longer needed to help the state comply with federal air quality standards.
Link for the article
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Feel free to explore any nonprofit organization you're interested in donating to. | |
Do you want to report waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, or other ways state government actions fail to match their legislated goals? | |
NC211.org
NC211.org is a free service that can help you find local community agencies providing assistance with a wide range of needs including:
- Utility bills
- Housing, food and other essentials
- Child and elder care
- Medical expenses and health counseling
To get started, simply visit NC211.org or dial 211 from your phone.
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Contact:
~ Phone: (919) 715-3005 ~ Email: Mike.Clampitt@ncleg.gov ~
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