2021: A Year in Review
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
    • Careers
  • Programs
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • Mental Health Advocacy
      • BIPOC Mental Health Grant
      • Growing Communities of Inclusion: A Faithful Response to HIV
      • Healthy Aging
      • Citizen Science
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Criminal Justice
    • Immigrant Rights
    • Public Education
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
  • Events
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

Raleigh Report — May 18 Update

Aleta Payne, Former Deputy Executive Director · May 21, 2012 · 1 Comment

Click here to sign up to receive the Raleigh Report in your inbox

The General Assembly convened this past Wednesday for its regular “short session.” As always, the primary purpose of the short session is to tweak the budget for the fiscal year that starts on July 1, but there are several other important issues either still rattling around from last year or being newly introduced. Because we have colleagues working on many of these issues, this edition of Raleigh Report will be made up mostly of information from others. But before we move to specific issues, we start with a tribute to one of our own.

Honoring B Holt

Bertha “B” Holt was a state legislator for 19 years, a recipient of the NC Council of Churches’ Faith Active in Public Life Award, and a member of the Council’s Governing Board (representing the Episcopal Diocese of NC) at the time of her passing in 2010. A legislative resolution memorializing her life will be read and voted on Monday evening, May 21, in the House session that starts at 7:00. In addition, her children have invited B’s friends and colleagues to a reception at 5:45, just prior to the House session. It will be held in the 2300 Court of the Legislative Building. For a map showing parking near the Building, click here. On-street parking will also be available after 6:00. Just be sure to pay attention to areas around the Legislative Building where parking is restricted to those with special legislative plates and parking stickers.

State Budget

Click here for a video from Together NC about the need for additional revenue and potential sources of more than $1 billion. Together NC is organizing phone banking. If you are in the Raleigh area and interested in helping with phone banking, please e-mail raleighreport@nccouncilofchurches.org with your contact information.

Gun Violence

Eat in Peace is a campaign being organized by North Carolinians Against Gun Violence to oppose House Bill 111. This is the wacky bill that would allow people to bring loaded, concealed handguns into bars and restaurants, including establishments which get up to 70% of their revenue from alcoholic beverages. NCGV’s focus right now is to get the NC Restaurant and Lodging Association to oppose H 111. If you think guns and alcohol are a bad combination, please sign a petition to the Association by clicking here.

Childhood Obesity

H 503 is scheduled for discussion and possible vote in the Senate Education Committee Wednesday, May 23, at 10:00. This bill would require food sold by school stores, in school vending machines, and at on-campus fundraisers to meet minimal nutritional standards. It would NOT impact foods sold through the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs. For more information from the NC Alliance for Health, click here.

Eliminating Boards and Commissions

The Joint Regulatory Reform Committee is recommending the elimination of a host of board and commissions, including the Child Fatality Task Force, the Governor’s Crime Commission, the Committee on Dropout Prevention, the Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Taskforce, the Legislative Taskforce on Childhood Obesity, and the Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change. How’s that for a great collection of issues we’ve fixed and no longer need to worry with?! For a complete list, click here. Additional boards and commissions are targeted for downsizing. For that list, click here.

Cutting Unemployment Benefits

The NC Chamber of Commerce is about to release a study with recommendations that call for the General Assembly to reduce the maximum weekly unemployment benefit payment from $506 to $350 and to reduce the maximum length of state-funded benefits from 26 to 20 weeks. These changes would not apply to those already receiving unemployment benefits but to all newly unemployed people if legislation were to be adopted. For an article from the Raleigh News & Observer, click here.

What to do?

Because this session is expected to move rapidly, you should contact your senator, your representative, and the Governor on each of these issues that is important to you. Here’s how to contact them:

State Legislators

By telephone: All legislative offices can be reached through the legislative switchboard – (919) 733-4111.

By e-mail: Legislative e-mail addresses follow the pattern of <first name dot last name@ncleg.net>. (Example: Speaker Thom Tillis’ address is Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net.) If you have any question about the spelling of your legislator’s name or whether your legislator’s e-mail address uses a nickname, you can confirm addresses at the General Assembly’s web site: www.ncleg.net. Look for Member Lists for the House and Senate.

By postal service mail: All legislators can be addressed at: North Carolina General Assembly, Raleigh, NC 27601-1096.

To find out who your legislators are, click here. You will find a variety of ways to search, including through your nine-digit ZIP Code. (And there’s a link to the Postal Service if you don’t know yours.) For those without Internet access, local Boards of Elections can be asked for assistance.

The Governor

By phone: (919) 733-4240

By Fax: (919) 733-2120

By mail: Governor Bev Perdue

Office of the Governor

20301 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-0301

By e-mail: governor.office@nc.gov

–George Reed, Executive Director

Filed Under: Blog, Raleigh Report Tagged With: Children & Youth, Good Government, Gun Violence, Health, Religion & Society, State Budget

About Aleta Payne, Former Deputy Executive Director

Aleta Payne first joined the Council staff in the spring of 2001 as the Communications Associate. She continues to oversee that work along with development, represents the Council in several partnership efforts, and serves in other administrative roles, as well. Aleta is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a degree in government and foreign affairs and spent much of her early career as a journalist. She has three young adult sons who continue to come home to Cary for dinner, or at least groceries, and two young adult terrier-mix dogs who keep the nest from feeling too empty.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Because of Jesus
The Perfect Gift for Mother’s Day
PHW Faith and Health Summit: Thank You

Comments

  1. a diet for kids says

    May 22, 2012 at 8:21 am

    I think that the nutritional food at schools is what all children need to learn well, and maintain a healthy weight. It is so much better to not allow junk food in schools

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anonymous comments or comments that target individuals will not be posted (please include your first and last name). All comments must be on topic and respectful. Comments will not be posted until they have been reviewed by a moderator. Comments do not reflect the positions of the NC Council of Churches.

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

Raleigh Report — May 18 Update

Latest Tweets

We must #ExpandMedicaid in North Carolina. Lives depend on it. twitter.com/healthac…

Yesterday

We have supported reproductive choice since 1970. "To see that now, 50 years later, my 26-year-old daughter has fewer rights around reproductive choice than I had when I was 26? We are going backward and that is unconscionable,” said Jennifer Copeland. newsobserver.com/new…

About 2 days ago

#SCOTUS has overturned Roe v. Wade, making it crystal clear how much #CourtsMatter. Reproductive choice is a healthcare decision and women should make those decisions about their own bodies. We stand by those words today.

About 5 days ago

We affirmed in 1970 that reproductive choice is a healthcare decision and women should make those decisions “without embarrassment, excessive cost, and unwarranted delay.” We stand by those words today.

About 5 days ago

Grant opportunity for BIPOC faith communities in North Carolina to apply towards COVID-19 mental health efforts. Follow the link for more details! ncchurches.org/bipoc…

About 5 days ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

Greetings! Be sure to stop by our table at the Western NC Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church at Lake Junaluska this weekend! We hope to see you there! pic.twitter.com/30bk…

About 2 weeks ago

Hello twitter family! Be sure to stop by our table at the NC Conference of the United Methodist Church in Greenville, NC starting today! We hope to see you there! pic.twitter.com/l6X3…

About 2 weeks ago

Our mini grant cycle is now open!!! pic.twitter.com/eyRp…

About 3 weeks ago

RT @faithleadership Faith coalitions are addressing the opioid crisis by providing resources, connections and a destigmatizing vision. lght.ly/45iam80 Featuring: @okconfchurches | @ODMHSASINFO | @healthandfaith | @ncchurches | @DukeTMCI | @shannon_fleck

Last month

Join us for Sacred Conversations: Older Adults - Fraud & Scams on Friday, June 24th from 11 AM to 12 PM and learn to recognize common scams targeted towards older adults and how to protect yourself and those in your faith communities. ncchurches.ourpowerb…

About a month ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

Faith Leaders Call on U.S. to Pay Fair Share for Climate Related Loss #USFairShare Click to listen - 2min w/Rev. Malcom @mtmalcom & Rev. @Susannah_Tuttle: shar.es/afbjPy @scennetwork1 @uscan @WEDO_worldwide @ActionAidUSA @AlabamaPJC @foe_us @UCSUSA @ClimateNexus

Last week

RT @mocleanair Climate change affects everything: investments, agriculture, health, factories, transportation, the electric grid. Fossil fuels cause climate change, and @LloydsofLondon needs to stop insuring fossil fuels. Climate change is wreaking havoc with the economy and our health. Enough! twitter.com/parents4…

Last week

RT @mocleanair Today @mocleanair, @GeorgiaIPL and @CleanAirMoms_GA delivered postcards to @SenatorWarnock asking for more funding for #EVschoolbuses! #EV schoolbuses are better for kids health and learning! #post4theplanet #cleanair4kids #CleanAir #ClimateAction pic.twitter.com/ztzI…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @mocleanair #EVschoolbuses: better for health, better for education, better for climate, and good for Georgia’s economy. A real win-win-win! #post4theplanet #CleanAir #HealthyAirIsHealthCare #ClimateAction #ClimateActionNow @GeorgiaIPL @NCIPL @uwomenfaith @AlabamaPJC @eldersclimate twitter.com/mocleana…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @alinterfaithpl You don’t want to miss this! Register RIGHT NOW with this link: us02web.zoom.us/meet… twitter.com/AlabamaP…

About 2 weeks ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2022 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine