Good afternoon,
I hope everyone is having a great week. I currently have several bills going through the Senate. One bill passed out of the Judiciary II Committee last week and passed its second reading on the Senate floor today. That bill, House Bill 532: WC/Truck Drivers’ Status, makes changes to North Carolina’s Worker’s Compensation system that will ensure that the trucking industry is treated the same way all other industries are treated. This is about creating a level playing field for all industries and helping entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Question of the Week
Thank you to everyone who responded to last week’s Question of the Week survey. It was nice to get your opinion on a wide variety of issues. Below are last week’s questions with the most common answer. Below that are two questions you asked me.
How pleased are you currently with the way state government is being run in North Carolina?
B) Somewhat pleased
What areas do you think need more attention in North Carolina?
A) Agriculture
The House and Senate proposed budgets differ by about $800 million. What do you think about the spending levels in each budget?
A) The Senate and House both have spent too much
There many outlets to keep up with state government news, where do you get most of your information about what goes on in Raleigh?
C) Word of mouth
D) Radio news
5. What Branch of state government do you think is functioning the best?
A) Executive
Last Week’s Questions to Senator Jackson
Why did you run for North Carolina Senate?
“I was motivated to run for Senate because I was tired of seeing agriculture treated as an afterthought by our state government. I don’t have to tell y’all that farming is the bedrock of our State’s economy and the only thing that kept our rural areas afloat, to some degree, during the recession. Seeing the regulations continue to pile up and the programs continue to atrophy was more than I could stand.”
My question for you; is there anyone in the senate (or house) campaigning on reforming the justice system, this is a huge issue that effects thousands NC citizens and sucks billions from the economy.
“Every year, the legislature makes efforts at reforming the justice system. I agree that it is in need of an overhaul and we are in the process of trying to make it more efficient, fair, and effective. Our interim director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, Judge Marion Warren, has been working hard to get the word out to legislators on what needs to happen to improve the court system. I believe that with his continued guidance, and with the continued efforts of the legislature, we will be able to make some real, positive changes to the North Carolina judicial system. So far, we have enacted Business Court Reform, Tort Reform, and provided additional resources to the courts to help them upgrade their information technology systems. Our work is far from done, but I believe we are off to a good start.”
This week, I would like to get your feedback on the newsletter. What would you like to see added to (or changed) in its format? Do you like having one open-ended question to answer, or a survey? Is their another outlet that you would like to be able to connect to Senator Jackson through?
Thank you, I look forward to hearing from you all!
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can assist you in any way possible.