TALKING POINTS UPDATE: Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Fact Checkers Confirm at Least 30 House Democrats Signed Active Pledge to Defund Police in North Carolina

Voters and Republican Lawmakers Prevail at N.C. Court of Appeals on Voter ID and “Max Tax” Amendments

“Stress Test” for N.C. Pensions is Another Responsible Legislative Reform to Prepare for Fiscal Uncertainty

 

“Fact check” by largest newspaper in North Carolina confirms House Democrats’ pledge “calls for the reallocation of law enforcement funding and an examination of the state’s police funding to reduce excessive policing.”
 
  • Fact check confirms “at least 30 current members of the House” pledged “to achieve the policy goals by 2030,” including “reallocation of law enforcement funding” away from public safety to other programs.
 
  • By contrast to Democratic lawmakers’ pledge to reallocate law enforcement funds, House Republicans support strong investments in public safety.
 
  • Republicans raised pay for highway patrolmen, correctional officers, and state law enforcement officers while increasing public safety spending.
 
  • Heightened penalties for assaulting law enforcement were enacted by the Republican General Assembly this biennium to protect officers.
 
  • The Republican-led legislature’s COVID relief sessions provided significant funding to help public safety departments operate in the pandemic.
 
Lawmakers win yet another voter ID ruling, this time in state court, after back-to-back wins at the federal 4th Circuit.
 
  • After activist trial court judges blocked voter ID laws in both state and federal courts, Republican lawmakers have repeatedly won on appeal.
 
  • A 4th Circuit three-judge panel, and then the full court, have also allowed lawmakers to intervene and defend voter ID in federal court.
 
  • A strong majority of states have voter ID, a commonsense election integrity measure that the people voted to put in the North Carolina constitution.
 
  • Today’s ruling upholds a lower maximum tax rate for North Carolinians, maintaining Republicans’ promise to increase take-home pay for families.
 
Pension “stress test” is latest smart fiscal reform after Republicans balance budget, pay down debt, build rainy day fund, collect revenue surpluses, and earn AAA credit ratings.
 
  • The Pew Research Trust praises North Carolina’s new “stress test” law for its Teachers and State Employees Retirement System (TSERS).
 
  • Historic fiscal reforms to the state budget, tax code, and rainy day fund by the Republican-led legislature improved the state’s economic outlook.
 
  • Pension stress testing is “an important component of risk management for even the best-run systems…can aid in assessment of contribution policies and provide early warnings of potential problems.”
 
  • Stress tests “help states improve budgetary planning, allow better assessment of proposed pension changes, and avoid costly mistakes.”
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