NC Senator Bill Cook's Legislative Update | Eastern North Carolina Now

North Carolina General Assembly
Senator Bill Cook     “Update from Raleigh”
District 1 Newsletter: April/9/2013
    I apologize my update is a week late. The past couple weeks have been very busy as we worked hard to get our bills in final form before last Tuesday’s bill filing deadline! I have filed and cosponsored a number of bills since my last newsletter, and will be highlighting some of those bills here:

No Ferry Tolls

    Many of you have contacted me with concern about proposed ferry tolls. I have let you know that I understand your concerns and that I in no way supported ferry tolls – which is why I worked hard to make sure they were not implemented last year.

    I am pleased to let you know that Senator Sanderson (District 2) and myself have filed legislation that clearly states there is to be NO FERRY TOLLS – S524 “Ferry Tolling Alternatives.” What we propose instead is selling commercial space on the ferries – on the TVs, naming rights to the boats, as well as concessions which would all go to pay for the cost of the ferries, so you don’t have to pay.

    I have heard from a number of you already on how much you appreciate our thinking “outside of the box” on this issue to come up with a viable solution. However, I will need your calls, emails, and personal visits to get this legislation passed. If you want to keep up with where the bill is or if you want to read the bill, go here: http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2013&BillID=S524

Rodanthe and Buxton

    I was instrumental in recently bringing the Governor to the Outer Banks to see the Rt. 12 problems in Rodanthe that he addressed a few days later in his Declaration of Emergency. I am glad I could be of service and help provide much needed assistance in this area. Unfortunately, Buxton was not included as a part of the Declaration of Emergency, but I will continue to work to thwart the encroachment of the ocean in Buxton, and bring this dire situation to leadership’s attention. I will continue working not only for the situation with Rt. 12, but also for the Oregon Inlet, Bonner Bridge, and the Mid-Currituck Bridge in Currituck.

Senate Passes De-Facto Moratorium on Death Penalty in N.C.

    At the beginning of April, I voted for and the Senate passed legislation (S306) to end the de-facto moratorium on the death penalty in North Carolina. It is past time for the state to defend public safety and ensure justice for victims and closure for their families. S306 allows doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to participate in executions without fear of punishment from state licensing boards. It requires the Attorney General to update the General Assembly each year on the status of pending post-conviction death penalty cases. This bill gives the Secretary of Public Safety flexibility to develop the most humane and constitutionally-sound method possible to conduct execution by lethal injection. S306 reaffirms the various avenues of appeal available to ensure a fair hearing of race discrimination claims in capital cases.

Senate Bill 541: Repeal Public Campaign Financing

    My filing of this bill has wide support from the folks in North Carolina. Simply put, this bill seeks to eliminate all taxpayer-funded campaigns. Currently, the races for appellate judges, Auditor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Commissioner of Insurance are funded through taxes. Eliminating this ensures that no one is involuntarily paying to support a candidate with whom they disagree.

   

Senate Bill 666: Election Law Changes and Senate Bill 667: Equalize Voter Rights

    I filed these bills to protect the integrity of North Carolina’s entire electoral process. In these tough economic times, we need to be proactive in finding ways to save money. One day of early voting in North Carolina costs $98,000. Our counties bear this cost exclusively. Cutting back early voting from seventeen to ten days does this by saving roughly $686,000 per election. This money would be better used to hire teachers and first responders. If these changes had been in place last year, our counties could have saved a lot of money.

    These bills simply ensures students the same rights as other citizens have: the right to vote in their home district; the right to vote by absentee ballot; or the right to change their registration and vote in their selected new home district. This simply levels the playing field and allows all voters the same access to exercise their voting rights.

    If you want more in depth information about the need to equalize voting rights, please click here.

    I appreciate the positive feedback I have received from many of you about these bills.

Sponsorship Update

    In addition to the bills mentioned above, since my last update I have also sponsored or drafted several other bills including: S542 “Drug Testing for LTC Applicants and Employees”, S642 “Modifications/Certain Farm Buildings”, S664 “Consolidate DV Commission/Council for Women”, S665 “Student Safety/Heat Illness”, and S691 “Unlawful to Assist Another to Commit Suicide.”

    So far this session, I have cosponsored 59 bills, most recently including S362 “Excellent Public Schools Act of 2013”, S370 “Respect for Student Prayer”, S495 “Election Reform Act”, S499 “Update/Modernize/Midwifery Practice Act”, S613 “Regulatory Reform Act of 2013”, S629 “NC Back-to-Work Program”, S638 “NC Farm Act of 2013”, S669 “Reduce the Individual Income Tax Rate”, and S791 “Election Omnibus.”

    You can click on the title in the hyperlink provided to read each bill. You can also keep track of all the bills I have sponsored or cosponsored here.

Page Program

    If you know a high school student interested in learning more about our state government and how it operates, please have them contact our office about the week-long Senate Page Program. The program is filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Many weeks are still open through the end of May. Please contact us for the application as soon as possible for the best chance of receiving appointment to your desired week of service. 
 

Contact Information

    My office contact information is shown below. If you like my newsletter, share it with your friends. If not, let me know and you will be removed from our distribution list.

    Mailing Address:

    300 N. Salisbury Street, Room 525
     Raleigh, NC 27603
     (919) 715-8293     cookla@ncleg.net or bill.cook@ncleg.net