NC legislature back in session with big issues to tackle

Wednesday, the North Carolina legislature will head back to session with plenty of big issues to tackle. WWAY News Channel 3 talked with two state senators and two representatives from our area to find out what they think are priorities for this legislative session.

Sen. R.C. Soles said, “I would say jobs, jobs, job. The economy will never recover unless we get people working. We have to see that our universities and schools are working properly, and particularly our community colleges in training workers for new jobs and improving the skills in the jobs they have. Continuing with that, we will have to do some probably public works type things. We’re going to have to look at if we need to, in effect, reduce taxes on individuals and industry and jobs to encourage people to try and stay in operating condition.”

Rep. Carolyn Justice said, “We have to fund what’s mandatory to run the state. We have to have more money for schools next year, because the kids don’t stop coming. There are certain things you have to fund no matter what. We are facing a crisis in health insurance for all state employees. That includes every teacher in North Carolina. There’s a shortfall in that division. We have to make that up. We still have a mental health crisis in North Carolina that we still don’t seem to know how to fund.”

“I think the main thing is going be focusing on the economy and the budget. We’re already looking at a $2 billion shortfall, and we need to find ways to cut spending and make government run more efficiently. I also plan to, on the first day, introduce a bill dealing with the insurance beach plan, and what my bill would do is to freeze the premiums that are supposed to be increased in February and also to freeze the deductibles to keep that from increasing, too. You know, I think these are both things that are very important to folks here,” said Sen. Julia Boseman.

Rep. Danny McComas added, “We have annexation to deal with. We have homeowners insurance to deal with. We have infrastructure to deal with, and more infrastructures to deal with. But annexation and homeowners insurance, those two issues are going to dominate the session as far as I’m concerned. And the reason for that is when we’re in such dire economic straits as we find ourselves now, it’s incumbent upon us to afford as much relief to the homeowners and the property owners as possible.”

Tomorrow on Good Morning Carolina, we’ll hear more from these legislators about how to solve the financial crisis North Carolina is facing.