Representative Joe Hackney

May 12, 2010

HOUSE DEMOCRATS RELEASE CAUCUS AGENDA FOR 2010 SESSION

Plan will focus on economy, education, ethics

RALEIGH – North Carolina House Democrats today introduced their 2010 session agenda, a plan designed to create jobs, support small business, protect education and strengthen ethic rules.

The caucus’ Plan to Protect North Carolina’s Future focuses on four major priorities:

1) JOBS: Putting North Carolinians back to work and supporting our small businesses

2) EDUCATION: Protecting our future by ensuring our students receive a quality education

3) FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY: Making sure our state government lives within its means and protects its citizens

4) ACCOUNTABILITY: Demanding a more responsible government

The 68 representatives who make up the House Democratic Caucus developed the plan over the past several months and will use it as a blueprint to guide their legislative work in the months ahead. Rep. Larry Womble and Rep. Deborah Ross led the committee that wrote the plan, which was approved unanimously within the caucus.

“This plan outlines the priorities of House Democrats as we start this year’s session,” House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman said. “We intend to help move North Carolina along through this economic recovery with ideas that will bring jobs, protect education and show that we take our fiscal and ethical responsibilities to this state seriously. We have rolled this plan out on the first day of session to show our resolve. Now, it’s time for us to get to work.”

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Plan to Protect North Carolina’s Future

North Carolina House Democrats

2010 Session

While our nation endures one of the toughest recessions in history, North Carolinians remain resilient. As many families cut back their household budgets, so is the state of North Carolina. Now, we must continue to lay the groundwork for more prosperous times and secure the future for our children.

As House Democrats, we will continue to help North Carolinians cope with the current economic uncertainty by working to preserve essential services for our state. We will: create and expand job opportunities; support our small businesses; protect education at all levels; and strengthen the public’s confidence in its elected and appointed leaders. As Democrats, we will move North Carolina forward and protect our future.

Under our Plan to Protect North Carolina’s Future, we will focus on four major priorities in 2010:

JOBS: Putting North Carolinians back to work and supporting our small businesses

EDUCATION: Protecting our future by ensuring our students receive a quality education

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY: Making sure our state government lives within its means and protects its citizens

ACCOUNTABILITY: Demanding a more responsible government

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JOBS: Putting North Carolinians back to work and supporting our small businesses

Our number one priority is and must continue to be getting North Carolinians back to work and supporting our small businesses, which are essential to our economic recovery. We must:

- Recruit jobs into the state and protect the ones we have

- Build a workforce to fit the needs of the 21st Century

- Invest in existing job development funds for new and expanding businesses

- Assist small businesses in creating jobs

- Provide tax credits for small businesses that provide health insurance to their employees

- Increase worker training at community colleges

- Promote green jobs and green technology

- Create jobs now through critical infrastructure improvements

- Support our small business centers

- Increase business’ capacity to procure federal and military contracts

EDUCATION: Protecting our future by ensuring our students receive a quality education

This economic downturn won’t last. We are preparing for a strong recovery by continuing to invest in our education system. We must:

- Make protecting our teachers a top priority

- Support our community colleges and university system to ensure an educated workforce

- Protect class size, especially in K-3

- Keep our students on track to graduate

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY: Making sure our state government lives within its means and protects its citizens

We will continue to meet our constitutional obligation to balance the state’s budget. We made the largest cuts in the state history in 2009 and like most families in North Carolina, it is necessary that we continue cutting back. We must:

- Streamline, economize and prioritize government spending

- Continue to find ways to make government more efficient

- Fund essential services, particularly for our state’s most vulnerable people

ACCOUNTABILITY: Demanding a more responsible government

We must ensure an open and transparent state government that acts responsibly and finds solutions. We must:

- Continue to lead by example and earn the respect of our citizens through our actions

- Make sure government records are available and accessible to the public

- Improve the integrity of government contracts

- Continue to strengthen our ethics laws

- Crack down on those who defraud the government

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