Rep. Tine offers amendments to moderate two important bills | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This press release originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    Press release from Rep. Paul Tine

    Freshman Representative Paul Tine (D) offered amendments on two controversial bills over the past two weeks. "I jumped in faster than I expected to," Rep. Tine said. "The first time I heard an amendment offered on the floor, I was giving it. But there was some middle room on these two bills that neither side was looking at that needed a voice in the debate."

    The first bill entitled HB 4 - UI Solvency & Program Changes, addresses the state's $2.5 Billion debt accumulated during the recession from Unemployment Insurance payments. One of the main provisions of the bill lowers the maximum benefit for people laid off after June 30, 2013 from $535 to $350 per week. Paul Tine's amendment would have changed the top benefit to $425 and increased the state unemployment tax paid by employers by 0.15%. This change would have put $120 million back into benefits and increased taxes by $1800 on $1 million payroll.

    "As a business owner and someone who has been heavily involved in economic development, I know we have to pay back this debt as soon as we can," said Rep. Tine during the debate. "But, we got into this mess together and we all need to feel the pain of fixing the problem." The amendment was defeated upon party lines and yet Paul Tine crossed the aisle to vote for the bill.

    "Compromise is hard," said Tine. "It's not just about finding the middle ground; you have to give up something you believe in so that you can get the best out of the situation. In this case, some more changes and adjustments are coming and I wanted to make sure we had a seat at the table."

    The second bill, entitled SB-4 No NC Exchange / No Medicaid Expansion, was brought to the floor this week. Rep. Tine's amendment would have helped rural hospitals that stand to lose billions by not expanding Medicaid Coverage. The Affordable Care Act and the Fiscal Cliff legislation changed the way hospitals are reimbursed for treating individuals without insurance, or the means to pay for their treatment, resulting in a $7.8 Billion reduction in payments to hospitals in North Carolina over the next 10 years. The expectation was that the loss would be made up with more individuals covered and less write offs with the expansion of Medicaid expansion.

    Rep. Tine's amendment expressed the state's desire to make up for the losses and established an eight person commission of House and Senate members to determine how to accomplish this repayment. A report would be due during the short session on how to move forward.

    "I am not a big government person either but sometimes the Federal Government puts us in a box that has real consequences," stated Paul Tine. "Our rural hospitals are operating on a razor thin margin and cannot afford to lose this revenue. If someone comes to the hospital, they have to be treated. The hospitals in this region cannot afford to absorb these losses on their own."

    This amendment was also defeated on party lines. "I'm going to keep working. I have had positive responses from rural legislators on the other side and I'm going to keep working with them to try and to get the very best I can out of the policies being brought forward," said Rep. Tine.

    Representative Paul Tine can be reached at his office at (919) 733-5906, on his cell at (252) 305-5133 or by email at paul.tine@ncleg.net.