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NC House Speaker Statement on State Healthcare Facilities Vaccine Mandate

Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) announced that the Division of State Operated Healthcare Facilities (DSOHF) will now require employees at all state healthcare facilities to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 30, 2021.
 
All DSOHF employees who are not fully vaccinated by the deadline will “be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, for unacceptable personal conduct.”
 
NC House Speaker Tim Moore responded with the following statement:
 
“I have personally been vaccinated against COVID-19, and I have done my best to help educate the public and urge others to get vaccinated if they choose to do so. But at the end of the day, the decision whether or not to vaccinate is a personal one and should be made between a doctor and patient. North Carolinians will not be bullied into being vaccinated against their will, particularly with a vaccine that has yet to be approved by the FDA.”
 
He continued, “Our healthcare workers are certainly capable of weighing the risks and benefits and can make their own decision about the vaccine. This mandate could force healthcare workers to choose between their employment and their conscience. Now is not the time to risk losing any of our healthcare workers who have been at the front lines of this pandemic.”
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House Honors Late Former Representative Melanie Goodwin

Raleigh, NC – Today, the North Carolina House of Representatives convened in honor of the late former Representative Melanie Goodwin.

HJR 971, A Joint Resolution Honoring the Life and Memory of Melanie Wade Goodwin, Former Member of the General Assembly passed the House unanimously Wednesday.

Rep. Goodwin served three terms in the state House from 2004 to 2010, representing Richmond and Montgomery counties. She co-chaired the House Elections Law and Campaign Finance Reform Committees and the Legislative Administrative Procedures Oversight Committee in the General Assembly.

Rep. Gooodwin was also an attorney and served as a Deputy Commissioner at the North Carolina Industrial Commission. She passed September 2, 2020 after bravely battling breast cancer for eleven years.

House Speaker Tim Moore said, “I am honored to have served with Rep. Melanie Goodwin. She was an amazing person, a dear friend, and an excellent representative. She was also a devoted mother and a loving wife, which meant more to her than anything else.”

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HB 951 “Modernize Energy Generation” Passes House in Bipartisan Vote

HB 951 passed the North Carolina House in a bipartisan vote.

Speaker Moore said, “It’s time to usher North Carolina into the future of energy. This bill gives our state a diverse portfolio of energy sources and includes input from a diverse group of energy policy stakeholders who were brought together to confront the challenges facing consumers.”

He continued, “I’m determined to have North Carolina set the tone for what energy policy should be. And this bill gets our state moving forward, even leading the way.”

The bill will now go to the Senate.

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NEWS: Governor Cooper Vetoes Bill That Would Put NC Back to Work

Today, on a Friday afternoon ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, Governor Cooper vetoed SB 116, the “Put North Carolina Back to Work Act.”
 
Once again, Governor Cooper has vetoed common-sense legislation that passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. SB 116 would have made unemployment benefits non-taxable income and withdrawn our state from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Agreement (FPUC.)
 
The bill would have also used $250 million in the American Rescue Plan Act money to subsidize child care for qualifying children.
 
Representative Jason Saine said, “Unfortunately the governor is short-sighted in his veto. We really need to get this economy back to full strength, and providing childcare for those who need it to get back to work is a priority of the house.”
 
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State Leaders Urge Cooper Sign SB 116 and Help “Put NC Back to Work”

Governor Roy Cooper has made more vetoes during his tenure than any other governor in our history.

The majority of those vetoes (a total of 37, approximately 65%) were filed under cover of night or over a weekend. The next bill on his desk for signature or veto is SB 116, the “Put NC Back to Work Act.”

House Majority Leader John Bell said, “On top of vetoing the most bills in North Carolina history, the Governor has made it a pattern of doing so on a Friday afternoon in an attempt to bury the news heading into the weekend. This is not leadership. The polling is clear that on both sides of the aisle people want to end the extra federal unemployment benefits and get our state back to work. Every day, I hear from local businesses who cannot find employees to fill open jobs. Just yesterday, one announced they are closing their doors for good due to labor shortages. I encourage the governor to sign this bipartisan legislation without delay.”

The NC Chamber’s President and CEO Gary Salamido also urged Governor Cooper to sign the bill, saying, “At this decisive moment for our state, every day matters for the job creators struggling to find talent and for the parents and families looking for a feasible path back to work. Senate Bill 116 provides the critical solutions we need to reinvigorate our workforce, reduce COVID-related childcare constraints on families to empower their return to a job, and end our dependence on federal programs created for a moment when jobs were not readily available across our state. The NC Chamber applauds our elected leaders who worked hard to secure this bill and we urge Governor Cooper to help expedite our economic relaunch by signing Senate Bill 116 into law.”

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House Speaker Tim Moore Responds to Governor’s Veto of the Human Life Nondiscrimination Act

Raleigh, NC – Today Governor Roy Cooper vetoed HB 453, the Human Life Nondiscrimination Act/ No Eugenics.
 
HB 453 would prohibit individuals from performing an abortion unless a physician has confirmed the abortion is not being sought because of the actual or presumed race or sex of the unborn child or the presence or presumed presence of Down syndrome.
 
North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore responded to the veto with the following statement:
 
“Gender, race, and disability are protected classes in most other contexts. Why should we allow the unborn to be discriminated against for these same traits? The message sent by this veto is that some human life is more valuable than others based on immutable characteristics.”
 
Speaker Moore continued, “This bill had bipartisan support in the House, and we will continue to work hard to protect the unborn. And we will support individuals with disabilities and the families who care for them. They deserve nothing less.”
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2021 Farm Act Approved by North Carolina House

Today the North Carolina House approved the North Carolina Farm Act to support agriculture communities across North Carolina.

The North Carolina Farm Act of 2021-22 represents the crucial role of farming families, with various changes to laws applicable to agriculture, forestry, and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The Farm Act includes the following key reforms:

  • Clarifies that a local government may either make decisions about establishment and modification of voluntary agricultural districts or delegate that authority to an agricultural advisory board.
  • Allows local governments to grant agricultural advisory boards the authority to execute agreements with landowners necessary for enrollment of land in a voluntary agricultural district.
  • Allows magistrates to waive trials for state forest rule offenses.
  • Exempts fires started for cooking, warming, or ceremonial events from open burning laws.
  • Modifies overtime policy for North Carolina Forest Service employees/
  • Increases punishment for timber larceny and increase civil penalties for damaging timber or agricultural commodities.
  • Requires timber buyers to provide a wood load ticket to sellers of certain wood products.
  • Expands the laws enforced by the Department of Agriculture and consumer services law enforcement officers.
  • Creates a new general permit for farms with farm digester systems.
  • Requires production of electronic records for Department of Agriculture and consumer services record audits.

North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) said, “North Carolina agriculture sustains our communities, provides a source of wellness and good health to North Carolina families, and is an essential driver to the economic health of our state.”

He continued, “The General Assembly acknowledges the vital role that farmers play in our communities and we will continue to support them.”

Rep. Jimmy Dixon (R- Duplin) said, “We know that agriculture is number one in our state, and this bill is a common-sense approach to maintaining a safe, economical, sustainable supply of food in North Carolina.”

The bill is now returned to the Senate.

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House Passes SB 173, “Free the Smiles Act”

Today the House passed SB 173, the “Free the Smiles Act.”
 
The bill gives local school boards the authority to determine masking policies for students in their district.
 
The bill would also require school boards to define their masking policies by an August 1 deadline. If no policy has been adopted by the deadline, students will not be required to mask. If a masking policy has been adopted by that deadline, the policy must be reconsidered for a vote each month.
 
House Speaker Tim Moore said, “North Carolina students deserve a safe learning environment in which they can thrive, but what works for one school district may not work well for another. One-size-fits-all mandates are not the answer. Local school boards, with input from parents and teachers, are best suited to do determine what works best for their own students.”
 
Rep. David Willis, said, “I am thankful for the support of our leadership and my fellow House members who voted for this bill. Our students deserve the right to remove their masks in school. The sooner they can get back to normal, the sooner they can begin to put the strain of this past year behind them. It is time to ‘Free The Smiles!'”
 
The bill will now go back to the Senate for concurrence.
 
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House Speaker Tim Moore Responds to Governor Cooper’s Veto of SB 43

North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore responded Friday to Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of SB 43 with the following statement:
 
“Today Governor Cooper vetoed SB 43, a bill to ‘Protect Religious Meeting Places.’ Senate Bill 43 passed through the House with veto-proof margins. It is a narrowly targeted legislation that simply allows North Carolinians to exercise their Second Amendment rights at a religious meeting place that is also the location of a school, as long as it is outside school operating hours.”
 
Speaker Moore continued, “North Carolina must always be steadfast in protecting our Second Amendment rights and our religious liberty.”
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NEWS: House Speaker Tim Moore Responds to Consensus Revenue Forecast for N.C.

House Speaker Tim Moore responded Tuesday to consensus revenue forecasts released by North Carolina’s nonpartisan budget agencies.

Today the Consensus Revised Revenue Forecast was presented to the Joint Full Chairs Appropriations/ Finance.

Analysts for both the General Assembly’s nonpartisan Fiscal Research Division and the Office of State Budget and Management predicted expect an estimated $6.04 billion in overcollections when compared to the May 2020 forecast, with total GF revenue up 13.6%, individual income tax is up to 12.6%, and sales and use tax is up 14.5% with corporate and franchise tax up 35.4%.

Expected growth over the biennium is estimated at 8% with FY 2021-22 shift-adjusted growth expected to be 4.5% and FY 2022-23 growth 3.4%.

The forecast projected a new $2.354 billion in recurring funds over the February revenue forecast for next year and $2.245 billion for FY 2022-23 compared to the February revenue forecast.

House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) said in a statement:

“There is no question that the strength of North Carolina’s economic outlook is proof that Republican policies work, and it is no coincidence that our state is the number two destination for Americans fleeing other states with bleak economic outlooks. North Carolina’s overall fiscal policy has set the stage for a commitment to conservative tax policies and we will continue to work collaboratively with the Governor and the Senate to keep our state on an upward trajectory of economic growth.”