May 17, 2013
Senate Budget to be Released Next Week; Competing House and Senate Tax Reform Plans
Greetings!
House Tax Reform Plan Released
N.C. House leaders released their tax reform plan this week. It is less sweeping than the Senate package, but also regressive. The plan would result in a tax cut of $1.2 billion over five years, creating a flat personal income tax rate of 5.9 percent (down from the current rates of 6, 7 and 7.75 percent) and lowering the corporate income tax rate from 6.9 to 6.75 percent. The sales tax would be extended to some services and lowered by 0.1 percent. The bill increases the Child Tax Credit but eliminates the Earned Income Tax Credit. The House is expected to consider the legislation within the next couple of weeks.
Senate Budget Proposal Coming Next Week
Senate leaders announced that they plan to release their budget proposal on Sunday evening. Details of the Senate Tax Reform plan are not expected to be included in the proposal, but instead debated and voted on separately. Advocates are expecting the Senate education reform plan to be included in the budget proposal. The budget should be heard in committees and on the Senate floor and passed by the end of the week.
Update on NC Pre-K Eligibility Limitations Advocates are hearing that the Senate budget will not propose changing the current eligibility standards for children in NC Pre-K. A House bill, H.B. 935: NC Pre-Kindergarten Law Changes, would change the definition of an 'at-risk' child for purposes of the NC Pre-K program, cutting the maximum income level more than in half, and it would reduce the number of children eligible for the program by at least a third, or about 9,000 of the children who are currently enrolled in the program. The bill has passed the House, with an amendment that would allow children in families with incomes up to 130 percent of the federal poverty level to be served by the program, if funds allow. It has not yet been taken up by the Senate, and the Senate is now not expected to address the issue in their budget proposal either.
Several opportunities to take ACTION FOR CHILDREN this week:
TAKE ACTION: Stop the Senate's Regressive Tax Shift Plan!
(from our friends at the N.C. Justice Center)
Raise the Red Flags North Carolina: The new Senate tax shift proposal would hurt working families and critical public investments. This plan continues the Great Tax Shift by forcing middle and low-income families to pay more while giving a tax cut to the wealthiest individuals and corporations.
Click here to read more and to tell North Carolina's Senators and Representatives to stop shifting the tax load to hardworking North Carolinians.
TAKE ACTION: Sign Raise the Age Petition!
This is the year to raise the age in North Carolina, but we need your help!
For the last few years Action for Children has had a petition to the Governor and the General Assembly calling on them to raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction in North Carolina. We have the goal of reaching 10,000 signatories for our petition. Why 10,000? That's the number of 16 and 17 year olds convicted as adults every year in North Carolina. Today we're only 1,652 signatures away from reaching a landmark of 5,000! Signing this petition is a small act that will leave a BIG impact.
So how can you help? We need you to help share our petition with your own social network, friends, and family. We need to show policymakers and legislators that the people of North Carolina no longer want to witness bright and talented youth with criminal records which cripple their future opportunities and prosperity.
TAKE ACTION: Tell the House to Vote NO on Higher Loan Rates and Fees
(from our friends at the Center for Responsible Lending)
SB 489: Consumer Finance Act Amendments would increase the interest rates and fees and size of consumer finance loans in NC, putting more North Carolinians in insecure financial situations. The bill has passed the Senate and is now up for consideration in the House. Please contact your Representative today and ask him/her to oppose SB 489. Click here to get Representatives' office phone numbers and emails.
Message: "Please Vote No on Senate Bill 489. Consumer finance loans are too expensive already. Don't make it harder on North Carolinians by increasing rates and fees on the people who can least afford it."
Relevant Bills Acted on This Week
Key bills affecting children
that were acted on this week at the General Assembly are listed below. The crossover deadline has passed, so any bills that do not have a budget impact and have not yet passed one chamber or the other are no longer viable. Below, bills annotated with "Did not make cross-over" are no longer viable this session.
Health S.B. 132: Health Curriculum/Preterm BirthsWould require a reproductive health and safety education program commencing in the seventh grade that also includes teaching about the preventable causes of preterm deliveries, including induced abortion as a possible cause of preterm birth in subsequent pregnancies. An amendment passed on the House floor added smoking, drinking alcohol, using illicit drugs, and inadequate prenatal care as potential causes of preterm births to be taught to students. Passed the Senate and referred to the House Committee on Health & Human Services. SB 107: Decriminalize Direct Entry MidwiferyWould have introduced a new category of provider called a Certified Professional Midwife, with less training than Certified Nurse Midwives. Many in the medical community were opposed to the bill. Pulled from the floor and re-referred to the Senate Committee on Health Care. Did not make cross-over.
Would have applied to Certified Nurse Midwives, removing requirement that they must have a doctor's supervision at all times and replacing it with a mandate for collaborative practice, among other provisions. Pulled from Committee and sent to House Rules. Did not make cross-over, so no longer viable.
H.B. 683: Commonsense Consumption ActPrevents local governments from regulating the size of soft drinks (like the regulation passed by New York City) and bars civil actions against food producers, marketers, etc for weight gain or obesity stemming from consumption of the foods in question. Passed the House. H.B. 805: Ban Smoking in Foster Care Settings/Infants
Would prohibit foster parents from smoking around infants in their care. Passed the House. H.B. 498: Autism Health Insurance CoverageWould require insurance plans to cover autism spectrum disorders. Passed the House. S.B. 703: Limit Local Regulation of Outdoor SmokingWould have prevented localities from putting in place more stringent regulations than the state. Did not make cross-over.
New language would require a study of whether helmet laws should be changed. Original language which would have raised the age at which adults don't have to wear helmets from 18 to 21, was stricken. Passed the House and referred to the Senate Rules Committee.
H.B. 848: N.C. Toxic-Free Kids Act
Calls for a study on how to protect children from harmful chemicals and a process by which DPH can identify and designate chemicals of high concern. Language that would have eliminated certain chemicals known to be harmful from children's products, including BPA, tris and phthalates, was stricken. Passed the House Commerce & Job Development Committee and was referred to the House Rules Committee. Could still be included in an omnibus study bill.
Increases the fine for passing a stopped school bus and makes it a criminal offense. Filed and referred to the House Transportation Committee. Passed the House and referred to Senate Committee on Transportation.
Would allow eligible students with disabilities to apply for $3,000/semester scholarship grants to attend any nonpublic school and to receive special education and related services in a nonpublic school setting. Replaces a refundable tax credit that was passed two years ago for children with disabilities. Passed the House and referred to Senate Education/Higher Education Committee.
Requires that funds transferred from LEAs to charter schools be transferred by a given date and be accounted for. Passed the House.
Would establish a committee to study the provision of EC services in the local school systems. Passed the House and referred to the Senate Rules Committee.
Would start a pilot program, including some charter schools, in New Hanover, Charlotte/Mecklenburg and two other (unnamed) school systems. Passed the House and referred to Senate Committee on Education/Higher Education.
Original version directed all rule-making boards, commissions and agencies to review and re-adopt all rules by a certain year (2016 for HHS rules). New version would limit the reviews to rules deemed necessary but controversial. It is unclear what the ramifications of this amended bill would be for the myriad of child care regulations that currently keep children safe in child care centers and ensure that the state is in line with state and federal law. Passed the House and referred to the Senate Rules Committee.
Friday Conference Calls
Action for Children and the Covenant with North Carolina's Children hold Friday morning conference calls to update you on the week's happenings at the General Assembly. Updates include bills and budget actions. To join:
- Fridays, 11 a.m.
- Dial 1-800-582-3014 and enter passcode 882011141#
Click here to add this call to your calendar.
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