Dear Friends -
Last week I shared descriptions of the bills I am going to work hard to pass. This week, I'll share the "messaging" bills I've introduced that have no chance of moving forward. As I said last week, we introduce these because we feel strongly about an issue, it's an important issue for our districts, or we want to send a message about the policies we would adopt and the state we would build if we were in charge.
But first, I have a new legislative website that is in addition to my NCGA webpage. This has additional information you might find helpful, plus all of these newsletters, so please check it out and share it around.
Also, we are coming up on some Helene-related deadlines you need to know.
· April 7 - Deadline to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance, which can be used to pay for housing, repairs, and other needs caused by Helene.
· April 7 - Deadline to apply for FEMA Public Assistance, which can help local, tribal, state government agencies, and certain nonprofit organizations offset costs associated with response and recovery.
· April 27 - Deadline to apply for SBA Physical Property Disaster Loans, which can help WNC renters, homeowners, and business owners whose property was impacted by Hurricane Helene.
· June 30 - Deadline to apply for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans, which are available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and most private nonprofit organizations.
There is also lots of data about how far WNC has come in the recovery. I've pasted some below, and here is a dashboard where you can check the continued progress.
· More than 4,500 families received temporary housing support.
· More than 1,300 roads repaired and reopened by the crews and contractors of NC Dept. of Transportation, including I-40.
· More than 5.3 million cubic yards of debris cleared from right of ways helping first responders save lives and allowing people safe travel within their communities.
· More than 97% of water and wastewater systems have been restored.
· $150 million in loans to NC home and business owners through the Small Business Administration.
· $20 million in state-funded grants and $15 million in philanthropic grant funding through the WNC Small Business Initiative.
Not Likely to Pass Legislation
S94 - Repeal the Death Penalty. This is a personal passion – my first job after college was working against the death penalty for Amnesty International USA, and I have been committed to the fight ever since.
S166 - This bill should be titled, "A Ban on the Ban Banning Bans." This is in response to the enactment two years ago of a ban on local governments adopting ordinances to regulate food packaging like styrofoam and plastic bags. Asheville and Buncombe were poised to do just that, so this is an important statement for our community.
S199 – Housing Support for Hurricane Impacted Areas. This allocates $150,000,000 to the NC Housing Trust Fund for use in rebuilding homes in WNC. If any of this is actually allocated, it will be through the budget, so that's where I'll look for this in a couple of weeks.
S326 - Economic Security Act. This does a number of things to support working people and families, including raising the minimum wage to $22/hour, requiring paid sick leave and family leave, mandating equal pay for equal work, and reinstating the child tax credit and earned income tax credit.
S381 – Equality for All. This ensures equality for members of the LGBTQ community in all areas – housing, employment, public accommodations, education, banking, etc.
S398 – Prohibit Weapons at Polling Places. Enough said.
S406 – Allow ERPOs (Extreme Risk Protective Order). This is a red flag law that would allow a court to temporarily remove weapons from someone who is determined to be a danger to themselves or others. It would also allow law enforcement to remove weapons from a person who is the subject of a domestic violence protective order.
S407 – Prohibit Defense Based on Sex or Gender. This would prevent defendants in homicide or assault cases from claiming as a defense that they acted out of a belief or perception of the victim's sex, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
S438 – NC Adopt ERA. Again, enough said.
S518 – Mobile Home Park Act. This gives residents of mobile home parks additional rights, including the right to form homeowner cooperatives.
S553 – Save More Tatas Act. This would create parity in insurance coverage for advanced breast cancer diagnostic imaging, like ultrasounds and MRIs, that are recommended for women with an elevated risk of breast cancer and/or dense breasts. This bill is personal for me since I have an elevated risk and get MRIs every year rather than simple mammograms. I pay for those MRIs whereas I wouldn't pay for regular mammograms, and this bill would fix that.
I am a primary sponsor on several other bills, but in a supporting role, and I've cosponsored many, many more bills. You can see all the bills I'm supporting here. I'll keep you updated as any of my bills move forward on the long journey of becoming law. And here's a fun flashback on how we learned how a bill becomes a law!
Julie