Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Democrats’ attempt to take out the budget provision failed. There could be another attempt when the budget moves to the Senate.

Congress is taking action on the matter this week, with the U.S. House of Representatives voting today on H.R. 3541, more commonly known as the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA). If the bill passes, it will be illegal to coerce, fund, or transport a pregnant woman to have an abortion in this manner, criminalizing actions like those of the Planned Parenthood employee in the leaked video. A concern surrounding these types of abortions is the length of the pregnancy – gender often cannot be determined until the 4^th or 5^th month, when the child’s vital organs have started to develop.

These types of issues with particular services of Planned Parenthood have extended to North Carolina, where lawmakers have proposed budget cuts to agencies of this type. Planned Parenthood claims that North Carolina is targeting the agency by withholding money - $343,000 to be exact. Last Thursday, a House budget committee approved the plan banning DHHS from providing family planning and pregnancy prevention funds to private organizations; if this provision of the budget remains intact, funds will stay within local health departments to address such issues.

HB 1104 expands school choice to students who need it most.  The bill grants a dollar-for-dollar tax credit to corporations who contribute to scholarship organizations. The organizations would then grant scholarships — up to $4,000 annually — to students from households whose family income is no higher than 225 percent of the federal poverty level; about $50,000 for a family of four.  The amount of credits allowable under the legislation is limited to $40 million in 2013.  The bill contains a provision where credit limit will be expanded by 35 percent when 90 percent of the tax credit limit for the allowable year is reached. The bill is patterned after a highly successful program in Florida. It was introduced last week and is currently under consideration by the House Education Committee.

The second bill, the SB 795, Excellent Public Schools Act is ambitious in scope and propelled by a fundamental principle:  fixing public education means bringing structural change to improve how our children are educated and how our teachers do their jobs .  Last week I blogged about some of the  bill”s major provisions.  As the bill has worked its way through committee,  the bill has been revised in several key areas.

The new bill allows school systems to give educators with more than three years experience a contract of up to four years. The original legislation called for one-year contracts. Another change broadens  eilgibility requirements for the NC Pre-K program making them consistent with the state judge’s ruling . The changes reverses  provisions in last’s year budget to limit Pre-K eligibility requirements.  The bill also adds five days to the school year but the new bill gives districts the flexibility to meet an hourly requirement (1,025) instead of a daily requirement (185).   In all honesty, I’m  not sold that an additional time — no matter how it’s defined  — will do much to address our fundamental problems.

While neither bill is perfect, both offer an opportunity to infuse true reform into a system that fails too many children.  And therein lies the problem.  Promise for one group is peril for another.  And the lobbyists have lined up accordingly.   Most observers think it unlikely that either bill will pass both Houses.   To put it simply, it’s too big a fight, especially with elections only looming this fall.  I’d be happy to be wrong, but I’m also a realist. Still, these are bills worth watching, not only for what they do but because there is a good chance we’ll see them again.

Democrats on the committee said they were concerned about the lost revenue and the effect on road projects which the tax funds. However, Rep. Bill Brawley (R-Mecklenburg) pointed out the state budget only counted on a gas tax of 35.5 cents so it shouldn’t have much effect. He also complained previous legislative sessions diverted a lot of tax revenue away from road projects:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The new language in the bill would also delay any increase in ferry tolls. The tolls were going to increase starting in July, but HB142 instructs the Department of Transportation to delay any increase until after 2012-2013.

Juvenile Age to 18 (HB 632/SB 506), otherwise known as “Raise the Age,” seeks to modify the criminal court system by allowing minors (under age 18) charged with most misdemeanors to be tried in juvenile court. More serious felony charges committed by 16-17 year olds, on the other hand, would remain in adult court with some leeway for a judge’s discretion. On April 7, 2011, the bill was submitted to a House Judiciary Subcommittee and  is currently waiting to be placed on the schedule for this session.

Currently, North Carolina prosecutes all 16- and 17-year-olds charged with a crime in the adult criminal justice system regardless of the severity of their alleged crimes.  A misdemeanor is usually defined as a lesser crime and often the maximum punishment is less than one year in prison.

However, examples of misdemeanors in North Carolina can include some rather serious offenses such as  assault by pointing a gun, assault inflicting serious injury, speeding to elude arrest, prearranged racing, larceny, possession of stolen goods, breaking or entering of building, forcible trespass, resisting delaying or obstructing an officer, simple assault, trespassing, disorderly conduct, shoplifting, and intoxicated and disruptive in public.

Opponents of the bill say Raise the Age is soft on crime and that people, regardless of age, should be held accountable for their actions.

Action for Children, an activist group who supports the bill, says “Raise the Age only applies to young people who commit low level offenses.  Serious, violent offenses will remain only in the adult system.”

On May 21, Sen. Phil Berger (R-Rockingham)in the Winston Salem Journal stated, “I’m not inclined in moving in that direction at this point,” referring to the legislation. “I’d be interested in some discussion about it, but nothing I’ve heard so far would convince me that’s — at least for me — where I think we should go.”

Interestingly, there still remain many important questions left unanswered in HB 632/SB 506.  What happens when the juvenile is originally charged with a felony? When is it appropriate to transfer to adult court?  How many times can the juvenile commit misdemeanors before they must go to an adult court?

Other questions still needing to be addressed in this legislation include how the state treats offenders who commit multiple misdemeanor offenses over time, and if there is any opportunity to move a juvenile misdemeanor offender to the adult system if appropriate.

This bill appears to lock the door to all but felony offenders being moved to the adult system. A good lawyer will plead a felony down to a misdemeanor. What about those juveniles who commit a felony but plead to a misdemeanor?

Raise the Age legislation may be a good idea, but it is imperative for lawmakers to answer some important questions before they pass a one size fits all reform.

Raleigh, N.C. – The newest Civitas Poll indicates North Carolina voters want to acknowledge the state’s role in a forced sterilization program, but a significant number have reservations about how to properly address an abuse that is now decades in the past.

Slightly less than a majority — 49 percent — support a proposal to compensate each victim, living or dead, $50,000. And 44 percent of those polled said that calling the measure a step in the right direction was the opinion closest to their own.

However, when asked which opinion comes closest to their own, 40 percent chose an alternative: that such a donation of money is an empty gesture, and there are better ways to acknowledge that long-ago part of North Carolina’s – and the nation’s – history.

“The poll shows significant resistance to aspects of this idea,” Civitas President Francis De Luca said.. “People here want the state to acknowledge this sad chapter of our history. But many have doubts that money is the best way to make amends for such a wrong.”

The Civitas Poll is the only regular live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina.  For more information on Civitas polling, see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.

Full text of questions:

As you may know, a bill was filed recently that aims to compensate North Carolina residents who were sterilized against their will between 1933 and 1974.  Under this bill, over eleven million dollars of the state’s budget will be used, paying fifty thousand dollars to both living and dead people who underwent the procedure. This would make North Carolina the first state to offer such compensation.  With that information, would you support or oppose this bill?

49%     Total Support
37%     Total Oppose

33%      Strongly Support
16%      Somewhat Support
10%      Somewhat Oppose
27%      Strongly Oppose
13%      Undecided/Don’t Know
2%        Refused

Still thinking about this issue, please tell me which opinion comes closer to your own…

For the full results and crosstabs, click here.

This poll of 600 registered 2012 general election voters in North Carolina was conducted May 19-20, 2012 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ.  All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered 2012 general election voters in North Carolina.  For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past three general elections (2006, 2008, 2010) or be newly registered to vote since November 2, 2010.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in at least one of the past three general elections or is newly registered since November 2, 2010.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at (919) 834-2099.

Raleigh, N.C. – The newest Civitas Poll indicates an overwhelming percentage of North Carolina voters want to cut the gas tax — and a solid majority is willing to take money from rail and transit to pay for it.

Seventy-four percent of voters said they favored cutting the gas tax from 39 to 35 cents per gallon. Asked what cuts they’d support to pay for any loss of revenue, 59 percent would accept cuts in light-rail and mass transit programs. Also, 27 percent would accept reductions on new road construction.

“Reinstating the cap on the state gas tax at 35 cents a gallon is very popular,” Civitas President Francis De Luca said. “Some politicians complain they would have less money to spend. However, among North Carolina voters, there’s little debate: They want the gas tax lowered and capped, and they are willing to accept cuts in specific areas of transportation spending to do so.”

The Civitas Poll is the only regular live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina.  For more information on Civitas polling, see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.

Full text of questions:

Do you support or oppose reducing North Carolina’s Gas Tax from 39 cents per gallon to 35 cents per gallon?

74%    Total Support
21%    Total Oppose

57%     Strongly Support
17%     Somewhat Support
7%       Somewhat Oppose
13%     Strongly Oppose
5%       Undecided/Don’t Know
1%       Refused

If you were to learn that reducing the Gas Tax will result in less money being available for transportation projects across the state, and due to the tax reduction, spending reductions were also necessary,  please tell me which programs you would support cutting or slowing down in order to reduce the gas tax.   Here they are – and you can choose more than one:

27%     New Road Construction
12%     Resurfacing and Repaving Projects
7%       Bridge Replacement and Maintenance
59%     Light Rail and Mass Transit
7%       None
1%       Other
9%       Don’t Know

For the full results and crosstabs, click here.

This poll of 600 registered 2012 general election voters in North Carolina was conducted May 19-20, 2012 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ.  All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered 2012 general election voters in North Carolina.  For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past three general elections (2006, 2008, 2010) or be newly registered to vote since November 2, 2010.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in at least one of the past three general elections or is newly registered since November 2, 2010.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at (919) 834-2099.

Last Friday, Civitas analyzed the budget proposals put forth by the five major state General Fund appropriation committees that make up the majority of the General Fund. The analysis found plans that would increase spending in those agencies by $436 million above the spending level approved for the coming budget year in last year’s biennial budget. This raised the question of where the extra money is coming from.

This morning, the House released the full budget plan. The full House budget reveals that House budget writers relied largely on one-time funds – including unanticipated revenue - to help finance their additional spending.

Total spending in the House plan’s General Fund comes to $20.3 billion, overall roughly $340 million above total spending approved last year. The $20.3 billion amount would also mark a nearly $600 million hike over last year’s General Fund budget.

Additional Funding Sources

The spending hike will be financed largely by additional revenue that was unanticipated when the budget passed last year. $438 million in unspent monies and revenue surplus from the current fiscal year play a large role – with $216 million going to plug the current year’s Medicaid shortfall ($154 million) and help shore up the state’s Repairs and Renovations reserve account ($62 million).

Moreover, the House budget anticipates an additional $41 million in judiciary fees above what was projected last year, along with $22 million in extra “other” non-tax revenue collections not incorporated in last year’s budget plan.

And as noted in the previous article, the House budget taps into an extra $42 million in state lottery funds, as well as $30 million from the One NC Fund, in order to put the spending plan into balance.

Relying so heavily on one-time funding sources to help balance a budget consisting largely of recurring expenses is to repeat a risky mistake made many times in the past.

Other Accounting Gimmicks

House budget writers also raid the $121 million in funds set aside last year into a “Compensation and Performance Pay” reserve fund. The reserve was established last year as a measure to fund a new system of merit pay for state employees, including teachers. Instead, the House budget would use $79 million of those funds to distribute a one-time, across the board $250 bonus to permanent teachers and state-funded employees. The “performance pay” initiative is a praiseworthy one; it is unfortunate that House budget writers want to de-fund it before it is even implemented.

Furthermore, the House budget reduces by $62 million the state contribution to the state employee and teachers pension.  The move is justified by a change in the actuarial valuation of the pension plan at the end of 2010, showing the pension plan to be fully funded. However, with such volatility in the market, and given the fact that just three years ago the state Treasurer was advising state budget writers to allocate hundreds of millions of additional funds to help shore up the pension, this also seems like a very risky move. Potentially shortchanging a long-term obligation like the state pension fund for a one-time money grab is not a very fiscally conservative strategy.

Conclusion

The release of the full House budget plan answered several questions about revenue sources. Disappointingly, those answers reveal a band-aid approach of patching the budget together with one-time funding sources and a lack of any meaningful spending reform.

NOTE: The original version of this article mistakenly discussed a “raid” of Highway Fund money. The Highway Fund transfer is actually a planned transfer of funds approved in last year’s budget to finance the State Highway Patrol, which was moved from an independent agency funded by the Highway Fund to the new Department of Justice and Pubic Safety, which  is under the General Fund. Civitas regrets the error.

(RALEIGH) – After a national outcry over  lunch inspections at a pre-K program in Hoke County, the North Carolina Childcare Commission got the message. The commission reinstated a rule allowing homemade lunches to be exempt from nutrition guidelines. The Childcare Commission had previously considered making “parental preference” an exemption to nutrition standards at previous meetings but decided to omit it. Parents would be able to tell the schools not to supplement their children’s homemade lunch with school food. Without the exemption, pre-K programs would still need to inspect homemade lunches to ensure all lunches meet the nutrition guidelines. The new rule would allow exemptions for “familial, cultural and ethnic preferences.” At a meeting June 21, the Rules Review Commission is expected to give final approval to the change. The rule would become effective July 1.

The new rule means if parents pack a lunch for their child, the preferences of the parents would trump the established nutrition guidelines.

The change can be credited to a story that triggered national attention.

Articles by the Civitas Institute and Carolina Journal revealed homemade lunches at West Hoke Elementary School were being inspected and supplemented with cafeteria items. One girl was given chicken nuggets to go with her turkey sandwich. The pre-K program also received a lower assessment score because the homemade lunches didn’t meet national nutrition standards. The national outrage that followed apparently convinced the Childcare Commission to reverse course and give parents final say on what their children eat at school. The girl’s teacher also lost her job after being brought to tears by Hoke County school officials.

A physician and advocate for parents’ rights, Scott Sweeney, was prepared to file objections if the Childcare Commission did not reinstate the parental preference. That would have forced the issue into a hearing at the legislature. “With that and what is going on in the legislature I think we can call it a win,” says Sweeney. “I will continue to follow it though.”

The commission also decided it would not impose the national standards on private Family Care Homes as it intended. However, a new rule  is expected to be adopted which would require a prescription from a healthcare provider before infants could be given juice.

New legislation in the General Assembly also would give parents more control over what their children eat at pre-K and child care programs. It would at the same time go further than the Childcare Commission rules and prohibit using what children are eating as a factor in school assessments, whether it be homemade lunches or provided by the child care facility. The new language is in HB503, which restricts the sale of sweetened beverages in schools. The bill is being discussed in the House Committee on Education and Higher Education. As of May 25, however, the online version of the bill did not contain the new language.

Update: The House Education and Higher Education Committee passed HB503. The bill now only has language addressing “parental preference” for lunches and eliminating lunches as a factor in school assessments.

This poll and the Democratic primary survey were each of 400 registered voters who were likely primary voters in their respective primaries in North Carolina and was conducted between April 30 and May 2, 2012 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered 2012 primary election voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past two primary elections (2008, 2010) or be newly registered to vote since May 1, 2010.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 400 interviews (registered voters) will be within +- 4.9% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in at least one of the past two primary elections or is newly registered to vote since May 1, 2010.

Raleigh, N.C. – The newest Civitas Poll of likely North Carolina voters shows Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory maintaining a 10-percentage point lead. Voters prefer McCrory, a former mayor of Charlotte, by 48 percent to 38 percent to the Democratic standard-bearer, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton.

The head-to-head numbers are also reflected in voters’ view of the candidates, with 48 percent of voters viewing McCrory favorably and 20 percent viewing him unfavorably. Dalton had a lower favorability rating, 33 percent, with about the same amount of voters, 21 percent, viewing him unfavorably.

Dalton’s support in a head-to-head contest with McCrory has risen 8 percentage points since a February Civitas Poll. “The party faithful tend to rally behind a candidate, as we see in Dalton after the May primary election,” Civitas President Francis De Luca said. “So a surge in support was to be expected.

“Note, however, that the amount of undecided voters has declined from 20 percent to 12 percent since February. Dalton will need to pick up a large proportion of the shrinking pool of undecided voters to beat McCrory,” he concluded.

The Civitas Poll is the only regular live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina.  For more information on Civitas polling, see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.

Full text of questions:

Now I am going to read you a list of people active in politics.  After I read each name, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of that person.  If you never heard of them, just tell me and we’ll go on to the next one…

Pat McCrory

Walter Dalton

If the election for Governor were held today and you had to make a choice, for whom would you vote if the candidates were: Pat McCrory, the Republican, or Walter Dalton, the Democrat?

2/12               3/12             5/12    

49%                48%               48%     Total McCrory
30%                32%               38%     Total Dalton

37%                 36%                 36%     Definitely McCrory
10%                 10%                 9%       Probably McCrory
2%                   2%                   3%       Lean McCrory
20%                 18%                 12%     Undecided
2%                   2%                   2%       Lean Dalton
7%                   9%                   9%       Probably Dalton
20%                 21%                 26%     Definitely Dalton
2%                   2%                   1%       Refused

For the full results and crosstabs, click here.

This poll of 600 registered 2012 general election voters in North Carolina was conducted May 19-20, 2012 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ.  All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered 2012 general election voters in North Carolina.  For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past three general elections (2006, 2008, 2010) or be newly registered to vote since November 2, 2010.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in at least one of the past three general elections or is newly registered since November 2, 2010.

More information on the Civitas Institute is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at (919) 834-2099.

Well, a recent revelation in North Carolina’s Medicaid program should cause indignation in all citizens of North Carolina, not just conservatives.

Thanks to IBM, $191 million dollars of potential fraudulent Medicaid claims have been exposed. That’s a lot of money; money, it should be remembered, that comes from taxpayers. I am sure that $191 million could have been put to use in the government, or, better yet, used by individuals to purchase goods and services or to create jobs. But, no, that money went down the drain, funneled to greedy and deceptive individuals.

Medicaid is not going anywhere anytime soon; therefore, it makes absolute sense that we use the tools created by IBM and other companies to crack down on the fraud that exists in government.

It has been reported that 206 outpatient behavioral health providers in North Carolina were the perpetrators of the $191 million dollars’ worth of fraud. Fraud was committed in a few ways: when providers billed for more than 24 hours of service rendered per day, when providers  intentionally overbilled for a service rendered, and when they double-billed (billed for a patient enrolled in group therapy and then billed for that same patient in individual therapy sessions). This obviously was a lucrative business for many duplicitous schemers. Fortunately, the software created by IBM was designed to identify the suspicious claims submitted to Medicaid. Hopefully, justice will soon be served to those who defrauded taxpayers of millions of dollars.

This event should be a wake-up call for North Carolinians. Medicaid is a billion dollar industry, and it appeared to be far too easy for some shady characters to funnel millions of taxpayer dollars to their own greedy pockets.

If fraud of this magnitude exists in Medicaid, I am sure it exists elsewhere in state government. North Carolina is struggling right now. It is time for the state to increase its efforts in finding and exposing fraud wherever it exists. The tools exist; it is simply a matter of mustering inner fortitude to utilize them for the sake of taxpayers across the state.

One of the board members comments:

… It should be noted that NC is generally voter fraud free (Wake County had 3 Democrat and 1 Republican cases of double voting fraud in 2008).  That is 4 reported cases out of over 4,000,000 voters.  MN, PA, CA, FL have had recent newsworthy fraud cases.  The subject of fraud is likely to get big as the emotion packed Nov. 6, 2012 election draws near….

Part of my response:

Thank you very much for forwarding me this email – I must say that reading it got me riled up.  While I appreciate your opinion, I could not disagree with you more!

I believe that your suggestion that “NC is generally voter fraud free” is naïve, at best.  The only difference between NC and other states (a list much longer than you have suggested) that have worked to discover, investigate and prosecute voter fraud, is that our State Board does not work to discover, investigate and prosecute fraud.  Our State Board (members and staff) have worked long and hard with the legislature and liberal advocacy groups to pass, collectively, the most liberal and deliberately obscure election laws in the nation.  They have succeeded in creating a system that makes it virtually impossible to detect fraud.  We should expect more than an “honor system” that requires “self policing” to protect to our precious votes.

Nuff said?

In 2011 North Carolina lawmakers passed a two-year state budget which legislators are reviewing this year. The current budget has built in increases of roughly a quarter billion dollars for the second year, and decisions were made based on revenue forecasts at that time. The House budget proposal, however, includes another $436 million in additional spending on top of that.

As of now, the state is on track to run a slight surplus in the current fiscal year, but the House’s recommended additional spending increases could translate into a deficit for FY 2012-13.

Following is our summary of the House budget plan:

The five major North Carolina House appropriation committees that make up the majority of the state’s General Fund budget have settled on their proposals tweaking the second year of the biennial budget passed last year. Rather than holding the line on spending, or even finding some more sensible reductions, the plan would increase spending for fiscal year 2012-13 by $436 million over what was passed last summer. Items such as debt service and reserves for state employee retirement benefits still need to be added separately.

The increases are even more curious given the fact that the most recent revenue projections for 2012-13 show virtually no additional revenue becoming available in the coming fiscal year. This issue, of course, leads to the question: where do House budget writers think they are going to come up with an additional $436 million?

The most likely guess is they will seek to raid various trust funds established for specific purposes. For instance, there was some talk of lawmakers looking to transfer money from one of the transportation trust  funds. Moreover, the Natural and Economic Resources budget includes a transfer of $30 million from the One North Carolina Fund (the governor’s corporate welfare money) to the General Fund to finance general operations. In addition, public education increases are budgeted with the partial aid of $42 million in anticipated surplus state lottery receipts. But that still leaves well over $300 million in unfunded increases.

Amidst all the recent talk coming from Raleigh about fiscal restraint, tough economic times and belt-tightening, it is striking that the House would craft a budget proposal hiking spending by another $436 million.

Seems like old times…

Below is a summary of the five major agencies and the House’s budget proposal for each.

Education

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education approved a budget recommendation for public education (K-12, community colleges and UNC System) which — if approved — will add  about $268.6 million in additional spending over funding levels approved in last year’s budget.   About $248 million of the expected increase is for K-12 education. Under the House’s proposed plan, budgets for the Community Colleges and the UNC System will increase by $10 million and $10.5 million respectively.

K-12 Highlights:  

• $333 million in additional spending to offset reduced allotment to local education agencies (LEAs). $227 million of this is one-time, non-recurring funds to help replace federal Edujobs funds.  Some of the funding is to be appropriated from $42 million in projected surplus lottery receipts.
• $6.4 million in savings because of fewer students
• Budget also restores pass-through funding to programs whose budgets were reduced last year including: $3.2 million to restore Teaching Fellows Fund; $900,000 Teach for America and $200,000 Governor’s School

Community Colleges Highlights

• $12.1 million savings because of expected reduction in enrollment
• $10 million NC Back to Work Initiative

UNC

• $11.7 million to lessen  management flexibility reduction
• $3 million for faculty recruiting and retention fund
• $9 million for UNC Television

There are several reasons why conservatives should be concerned about the proposed House Education budget.

The Use of Non-Recurring Funds.  Lawmakers used $227 million in one-time funds to offset the loss of federal Edujobs funding.  The one-time fix shows lawmakers aren’t willing to make tough budget decisions to get state spending under control. Haven’t we seen this before?

Flip Flops. By restoring funding to programs Republicans had reduced last year  (i.e. Teaching Fellows, Teach for America, Governor’s School), lawmakers showed little commitment to the principles on which they justified last year’s funding reductions. These actions also indicate lawmakers have no aversion to funding private non-profit organizations with public money. If these programs are doing good work, private support will help to replace the loss of public funds.

Fail to Reflect Winning Themes. Republicans swept to majorities in the House and Senate on themes of reform, less spending and smaller government. Approving a budget which adds $268 million in spending is certainly not consistent with those themes.  Patching together a budget that uses one-time funding, additional funding transfers and delays hard decisions on programs only perpetuates our current problems. It is worrisome the House Education budget fails to reflect these themes, and hopefully is not a sign of things to come.

Health and Human Services (HHS)

Amount Approved in 2011 Session: $4,455,162,933
House Appropriation Revised Budget Proposal: $4,617,833,246

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services (HHS) has rolled out its Fiscal Year 2012-13 Budget Proposal.  The original approved budget during the 2011 session was almost $4.5 billion but after the interest groups were done with it, it now stands a little over $4.6 billion – just a cool $162 million increase over last year’s biennial budget.  While that may be pocket change to some legislators, it’s still quite a bit of money to the average taxpayer.

The highlights include:

• Replace state Smart Start Funds with federal Block Grant funds: This will save the state an estimated $4 million.
• Increase in NC Pre-K Program: These additional funds in the amount of $15 million, along with the lottery funds, provide a total of $143 million for the Pre-K program.
• Medicaid adjustments: Based upon an expected growth in Medicaid eligibility, $168 million in additional funds is now available.  Another $55 million will go to fund repayment of a FY 2009 federal overdraw and to repay a drug rebate policy change. There is also expected a $59 million reduction due to projected savings by the Community Care North Carolina network and a $630,000 savings through the 1915 b/c waiver in behavioral medicine. Through fraud prevention programs, another $3.8 million is expected to be saved.
• Eliminate administrative waste and vacant positions: An attempt to minimize waste and redundant positions fell rather short. Only $1 million was reduced due to administrative waste and only 50 vacant positions were eliminated while 650 vacant positions remain open.   

Natural and Economic Resources

Amount Approved in 2011 Session: $360,985,691
House Appropriation Revised Budget Proposal: $384,014,831

The House Appropriation Committee for Natural and Economic Resources plan reveals a proposal to increase spending by $23 million, or 6.4%, over the spending amount approved in last year’s biennial budget. A significant share of the increases involve corporate welfare and economic central planning activities.

Funding increases include:

• More than half a million increase for Agriculture Centers in southeastern NC
• $12.6 million in funding for regional offices within the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The appropriation restores funding for the offices, which had been eliminated in last year’s biennial budget.
• $100,000 in nonrecurring funding for the “Oyster Sanctuary Program”
• Nearly half a million dollars are restored to fund a “Conservation Education Program” in the Wildlife Resources Commission. The education program had been slated for elimination in last year’s biennial budget.
• $9 million for the One North Carolina Fund – a corporate welfare scheme. The Fund currently has a cash balance of $60 million. However, $30 million of that would be transferred to the General Fund under the House proposal, with $30 million remaining. For some reason, House budget writers felt the need to pad the Fund with another $9 million.
• $2.6 million in additional taxpayer money to fund Regional Economic Development Commissions, which would bring the total FY 2012-13 allocation to close to $5 million. These commissions are essentially local economic central planning boards.

Justice and Public Safety

Amount Approved in 2011 Session: $2,323,469,854
House Appropriation Revised Budget Proposal: $2,302,980,918

Interestingly, the only major segment of the state budget taking a reduction in the House budget plan is Justice and Public Safety (JPS). In all, the JPS budget would be reduced by roughly $20 million relative to the original spending plan passed in last year’s biennial budget. The total revised budget for JPS was $2.3 billion.

The highlights include:

• The funding for the Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders (VIPER) was increased by $2.29 million.
• The Justice Department budget was reduced by $6 million.
• $543,942 will be appropriated for the creation of a DNA section at the Triad Regional Lab.
• For the Judiciary, $2.8 million in recurring funds were restored to the Family Court Program.

General Government

Amount Approved in 2011 Session: $401,274,973
House Appropriation Revised Budget Proposal: $403,868,491

Non-essential items like museums, tourist attractions and the symphony receive more than $5 million in additional funding in the House’s General Government budget plan, which would grow on net by about $2.6 million over the original spending plan passed last year.

The highlights include:

• $323,298 in recurring funds and almost $2 million in non-recurring funds were added to operate the Nature Research Center and Green Square Office Building
• $210,074 will be restored to the Museum of Art, $300,000 to the state Transportation Museum, and $200,000 in recurring and $225,000 in non-recurring funds for Tryon Palace.
• $1.8 million will be given to the Voluntary Safety Workers’ Compensation Fund on a non-recurring basis. The Department is also directed to review the status of the fund.
• A $2 million appropriation was made for a Challenge Grant for the NC Symphony.

This poll and the Democratic primary survey were each of 400 registered voters who were likely primary voters in their respective primaries in North Carolina and was conducted between April 30 and May 2, 2012 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered 2012 primary election voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past two primary elections (2008, 2010) or be newly registered to vote since May 1, 2010.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 400 interviews (registered voters) will be within +- 4.9% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in at least one of the past two primary elections or is newly registered to vote since May 1, 2010.

These predictions fascinate me. I’m sure there is some quantifiable “science” behind them; however, my gut tells me that these predictions are, at best, merely educated guesses, or, at worst, a stealthy way of conveying an ideological agenda.

Ever since hysteria broke out over the possibility of human activities (living) being the main cause of global warming, the hurricane season has drawn more attention to itself. For some time now, the news media has waited with bated breath for hurricane season predictions to emerge, eager to use those predictions to further their anti-free market and pro-big government agenda. The media loves a good “gloom and doom” news template to spread to the unsuspecting masses.

The news report detailing this year’s hurricane predictions was interesting to read. The reporter had to sheepishly admit that this hurricane season was only going to be “average.” So much for a ratings boost. However, it was reported that an increase in El Nino activity could increase the possibility of strong storms later this season. Finally, some good news for environmentalists! But wait, El Nino is a natural phenomenon that is not affected by human activity.  This truly has been a rough day for the Left.

WRAL reported that no major hurricane has made landfall in the US for the past six years. The often repeated claim that global warming was going to create larger, more violent, and more frequent hurricanes seems to have dissipated like a dying tropical storm. Hold on, though! The news report goes on to say that the season that saw Hurricane Andrew pummel Florida back in the 1990s only had six named storms. There remains hope! But it is a twisted, ideologically driven hope that only a liberal could have.

I do not know what this hurricane season will entail, and, truth be told, no one really does. However, it is enjoyable to watch hurricane predictors and liberals play the guessing game, while simultaneously setting themselves up to be proven wrong yet again.

That remains a critical issue both in North Carolina and across the nation.  Is a New York doctor any better than a North Carolina doctor or vice versa?  Would a person rather receive no medical attention or get care( *gasp*) from an out-of-state volunteer provider?  I believe most would prefer to receive care, no matter where the doctor is licensed.

Last year, North Carolina successfully passed SB743, Encourage Volunteer Healthcare Providers, which allows doctors and PAs from out-of-state to provide medical services to indigent patients in NC. Unfortunately, dentists and vision care providers were not included, leaving North Carolina with an incomplete medical volunteer corp.  This national issue was highlighted recently in a compelling video.  Remote Area Medical’s founder, Stan Brock, speaks about the need for cross-border licensing provisions for volunteer operations.  Check it out!

The state is appealing the ruling but if the latest legislation is given final approval that could make the lawsuit moot because the new legislation also allows all registered voters in a community to vote on an annexation.

Those opposed to involuntary annexations felt another victory was coming so they rallied at the legislature on the day of the preliminary vote to hear from legislators pushing the new bills.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The nine cities that would have annexations repealed are:

Kinston, Lexington, Rocky Mount, Wilminton, Asheville, Marvin, Southport, Goldsboro and Fayetteville.

The final vote will come next week and the two bills should pass easily since they received an overwhelming majority of votes on tentative approval.

During an unruly classroom discussion this past week, Mrs. Neely shouted at a student in the classroom posing a question-although somewhat disrespectfully – regarding President Obama. The fact of the day, which sparked the question, happened to be that Mitt Romney was a bully in high school. I think we all know where this is going.

Mrs. Neely continues on her advocacy rant defending President Obama, claiming that, “They (Romney and Obama) are not equal”, because Romney is just running for office, and Obama holds the Presidency. She also goes on to accuse the student of slander, “As a social studies teacher, I cannot allow you to slander any President in here, past or present”. Unless the definition of slander has been changed from telling a damaging untruth about someone to asking a question with a truthful answer, or the past president is a Republican, Mrs. Neely is out of her realm.

However, most striking and worrisome is Mrs. Neely’s blatant disregard for the students’ First Amendment right to free speech. The student remarked that he would “say what I want” in regards to the debate; Mrs. Neely’s response was, “Not about him you won’t”. Such remarks have no place in our public schools. Rowan-Salisbury Schools made the correct decision in suspending Mrs. Neely. If our children cannot peacefully ask questions of incumbent office holders in our schools, the link between a free society and free speech will be severely damaged.

Instead of blindly supporting a President, and referring to others as “shi**y”, Mrs. Neely and other teachers should aim to have objective, mature, and constructive conversations on the current political environment that allows criticism of both sides. Teachers hold a powerful and important role in students’ lives. Teachers who prohibit students from discussing both sides of a policy impoverish our students and our discourse. Schools are for education, not indoctrination.

Parents, school administrators, and teachers across our state should be reminded of the importance of free-speech in the classroom, and the importance it holds to individual freedom in our country.

Mrs. Neely violated her duties as a teacher. Both students and teachers deserve a better learning environment. The video highlighted below shows students had meaningful questions but did not meet the level of respect that teachers deserve in the classroom. The video also shows Mrs. Neely’s classroom lacks discipline, proper instructional methods and respect. If the problems discussed here are to be resolved, all these issues should be addressed.

After contacting Rowan-Salisbury Public Schools for a public statement, they directed the author to this statement found in the Salisbury Post:

“The Rowan-Salisbury School System expects all students and employees to be respectful in the school environment and for all teachers to maintain their professionalism in the classroom. This incident should serve as an education for all teachers to stop and reflect on their interaction with students.”

Embedded below is the link to the video captured by a student in the classroom. It should be noted that the video contains some foul language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjpWaESn_9g&feature=youtube_gdata_player