Chuck Edwards Senate Desk | March 2020
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The Latest News From the NC Senate
With me now serving on 16 committees and two commissions, I am a bit behind in getting this information to you. I hope you will still find it helpful to know and understand more about what’s happening in your state government.

Last year, the North Carolina Legislature completed the second-longest session in recent history. It’s unfortunate for our citizens that our differences in the budget turned out to be more about politics than serving the needs of our citizens. The budget passed by the General Assembly had unilateral support when it passed. Then the Governor issued his veto, and those who supported the budget could no longer.

As frustrating as it has been trying to pass another great budget over the objections of the Governor, we have accomplished much. Our State continues to thrive and prosper. We continue to prudently save money in the Strategic Reserve Fund while addressing the usual and extraordinary needs we face. When we return next month, we will continue to work on other issues that are in the budget the Governor has vetoed. But the process of overriding these vetoes has kept lawmakers extremely busy in Raleigh.




Chuck Edwards, Senator
48 th District NC
Village of Flat Rock's New Mayor and Council Members
On December 12, I had the distinct honor and privilege to swear in and administer the oath of office for Flat Rock’s new Mayor, Nick Weedman, and council members Anne Coletta, Tom Carpenter, and David Dethero.

The Flat Rock Village Council meets on the second Thursday of each month. You can keep up with the village council activity by checking the Village of Flat Rock’s Facebook page , Instagram page , and contact administration and council members on their website
The 2020 Primary Results Are In!
North Carolina held its primary elections on Tuesday, March 3. One race has already declared a runoff election for May 12. To avoid a runoff, the leading candidate must gain at least 30% of the vote. Republicans in the 11 th Congressional district, where Representative Mark Meadows is vacating his seat, will have to choose between Lynda Bennett, who gained 23% of the vote, and Madison Cawthorn, who had 20% of the vote.

The Democratic Lieutenant Governor race has also qualified for a runoff. State Representative Yvonne Holley (D-Wake) gained 26.5% of the vote, and State Senator Terry Van Duyn (D-Buncombe) had 20.5% of the vote. Van Duyn has stated that she is taking until Tuesday, March 10, to consider a runoff election.

For all other primary election results, including local school boards, visit the State Board of Elections website
UPDATE: NC Voter ID Blocked
On December 31, a federal judge blocked North Carolina’s voter ID requirement that would take effect for the full 2020 election cycle, barring an appeal. In 2018, North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment to require a present state-approved ID at voting polls. In the order, the judge stated that racial motivation was a likely factor when crafting the legislation to implement the constitutional amendment. The NAACP initially filed a suit against the legislation in 2018, and a full trial on the state’s voter ID law was planned to take place in the coming months.
 
NC Attorney General Josh Stein announced that he will appeal the judge’s ruling, but will not seek to restore the voter ID requirement in time for the March 3 primary election. Previously, Attorney General Stein opposed the preliminary injunction and argued that the voter ID law did not deny any voters right to vote. 

Last week, the General Assembly requested a full rehearing before all 15 state Court of Appeals judges to review a decision blocking North Carolina’s voter ID law. This common-sense law is already in place in 34 other states. Lawmakers also moved for the recusal of a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals because the judge previously worked to invalidate voter ID laws as legal director of the State’s American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) chapter. We are going to keep fighting to make sure their voices are heard.

Read and share my Op-Ed on the absurd decision to overturn Voter ID
NC Ranks High, Again
North Carolina leads another business-climate ranking for the Southeast; this time rated sixth nationally by 24/7 Wall St., a financial research company. The company released its 2020 Best and Worst States for Business ranking using a weighted index of 42 measures to identify the best and worst states for business. Massachusetts tops the list and West Virginia fell last.

Part of the reason North Carolina ranks so highly is the relatively low cost of doing business. The average retail price of electricity per kilowatt-hour is lower than in most other states, and according to the Tax Foundation, North Carolina has a more favorable business tax climate than most states.

NC’s high ranking with Anderson Economic Group, Chief Executive magazine, Forbes, CNBC, George Mason University, FitSmall  Business.com , Site Selection magazine’s Prosperity Cup, the Tax Foundation, and US News & World Report is proof of our hard economic work, particularly with tax reform. Reducing the State’s corporate tax rate from 6.9% in 2013 to 2.5% in 2019 — the lowest in the country for states that have a corporate tax rate. The result has led to a $600 million annual reduction in corporate tax dollars paid to North Carolina.
15th Annual Agriculture Development Forum 
Lots of good news shared during the 15th Annual Agriculture Development Forum held at the NC State Fairgrounds.

Some of the most positive news comes from development with the trade war with China. In Phase I of President Donald J. Trump’s new trade deal, China has agreed to increase its purchases of US agriculture and seafood products from $13 billion in the year before the trade war to a record of $40 billion annually. China will cut tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. goods. The news of reduced regulation of WOTUS (Waters of the United States) was also met with enthusiasm by our State’s farmers.

Commissioner Troxler and N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have done a great job organizing this year’s Farm Show.
Economic Tier Rankings
The Labor & Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) released its annual countywide economic tier designations for 2020. District 48 did not see any changes; Buncombe and Henderson counties remain a tier 3, and Transylvania is a tier 2 county, but seven counties are seeing change.

The State by law labels each North Carolina county ​​with a tier level of 1, 2, or 3 as a mark of economic condition, 3 considered the healthiest, which can determine eligibility for specific assistance programs. The list is updated each year based on various calculations.

Counties moving to a less distressing tier ranking include Gates, Hoke, and Surry. Counties moving to a more distressed tier ranking include Caldwell, Onslow, Pitt, and Wilkes.

Click Here​ for the full list of 2020 County Tier Designations
President Trump Visits Charlotte for North Carolina Opportunity Now Summit
It was an honor to sit along with some of my fellow legislators as President Donald Trump visited Charlotte to speak at the “North Carolina Opportunity Now Summit” at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte. The President announced a new nationwide initiative called “Opportunity Now” and highlighted the impact Opportunity Zones have made across the country. The president signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law in 2017, creating this initiative.

President Trump also talked about the economy, unemployment numbers for minorities, and criminal justice reform. He spoke for over an hour and even chimed in on the Iowa Caucus and impeachment trial. President Trump also said he is looking forward to returning to Charlotte in August for the Republican National Convention.

To hear the President’s remarks from the event - Click Here
Transylvania County Opportunity Zone
The Opportunity Zone tax incentive, enacted into law by Congress as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, offers tremendous opportunities for transformational impact, including new jobs and higher wages in low-income areas throughout the country.

North Carolina has just over 1,000 of these tracts, and only 252 tracts can be federally designated Opportunity Zones; Transylvania county has one.
My excitement for Transylvania County’s participation in the program was soon met with frustration after discovering a glaring problem. Sixty-five percent of the land area composition of the opportunity zone resides inside of the Pisgah National Forest, and development on national forest property is prohibited.

To address this significant barrier, I called on Congressman Mark Meadows to evaluate Transylvania County’s designated opportunity zone requirements and establish the process to modify opportunity zones to produce attractive, productive investments, that could likely include the abandoned Ecusta Mill site. The current law does not make any provision for modification.

With some slight modification, it could be a game-changing force to help revitalize the economy of Transylvania County and other rural parts of our state.

View my letter to Congressman Mark Meadows HERE
EDGE Committee Reconvened for 2020
Last week was my first ever Joint Legislative Oversight Committee for Economic Development & Global Engagement meeting as a chairman. I’d like to share with you my thoughts on how I see this committee operating in 2020. Here is a portion of my opening comments I shared with members and visitors:

“NC’s economy and business climate is the envy of our nation. In fact, we could be our own nation. Did you know that if NC were a country, our GDP would be the 19th largest in the world?

Were’ consistently rated among leading publications for our business-friendly environment.

  • For 2017, 2018, and 2019 Forbes ranked NC as the best State for business
  • For 2019- Business Facilities Magazine ranked NC the #1 state for Economic Growth Potential, #2 in Installed Solar Capacity, and #3 in Biotechnology Strength
  • Site Selection Magazine ranked NC #2 for Top State Business Climate 2015, 2016, 2017, & 2018
  • NC received the Site Selection‘s Prosperity Cup recognition (# 1 in 2016, 2017, & 2018)

Critics have told me that these are just magazine articles. That may be true, but they’re supported with results and some key milestones:

  • Our annual GDP is now about $590 billion
  • That’s growing at a rate of about 3% a year- at least national average
  • Fasting growing sectors are financial, information, and manufacturing
  • Because of our growth last year- NC beat its revenue prediction by about $900 million
  • According to our Dept. of Commerce, NC added about 137,000 jobs last year
  • Unemployment is the lowest that it been in 50 years
  • Jobs in occupations that pay over $75,000 are projected to grow faster than those that pay under $30,000

How we got to where we are today hasn’t been easy. We’ve had to dig ourselves out of really tough spots. Over the past several years, we’ve had a lot of groups working together. We’ve lowered our taxes, offered economic incentives, retooling our workforce, investing in public education and our universities - and one of the brightest jewels of our economy happens to be one my favorites- our community college system. Not to mention that businesses have believed in the spirit of and shown their confidence by taking chances and making significant investments here. Simply put- we’re making NC a better place to do business.

While all of these milestones and accolades have been serving well over the past few years, let’s be reminded that all of those are now in our rear-view mirror. When you’re in the lead, as NC is- everyone’s chasing you.

Other states in our nation and the international markets want what we have. If we take our economy for granted, if we don’t work to stay ahead, and especially if our policies were to digress, we could lose our position.

Therefore, this committee will not set on its laurels. This committee should plan on meeting right up until the time that the final whistle blows on our 2019-2020 terms.”

And then I went on to describe my vision of how I wanted my committee to function. I view this entity as a committee where ideas, questions, and suggestions from every member is valued. I consider the role of ANY oversight committee also to be the taxpayers' watchdog and look for ways to operate a more efficient government.

Follow the EDGE Committee HERE
Fewer NC Teachers Are Leaving the Classroom
Wow, look at that drop in teacher attrition! It will be hard to argue that Republican policies are pushing teachers out of the classroom. The annual “State of the Teaching Profession” report from the Department of Public Instruction showed the number of teachers leaving the profession has hit a four-year low.

The report found 7.5% of teachers left the profession in the 2018-19 school year, compared with 9% in the 2015-16 school year. Of the 94,672 North Carolina teachers, 7,115 left in the 2018-19 school year. A little over 60% left for personal reasons. The drop in turnover shows teachers are staying in classrooms and gaining valuable experience.

The higher retention is the result of Republican-led budgets that have consecutively increased teacher pay 20% pay increase over the last five years - the third-highest in the country. Teachers should have already received their sixth and seventh consecutive pay raises, but Governor Cooper has vetoed every single teacher pay raise the General Assembly has sent him.

This year’s state budget Governor Cooper vetoed included a 3.9% raise for educators. After Senate Republicans negotiated with their Democratic colleagues, they offered a 4.9% raise plus a $1,000 bonus. The Democrats refused the offer because Governor Cooper wouldn’t sign any budget unless it included Medicaid expansion.

The report dives deeper into these findings and explains the implications of the data on NC public schools, teachers, and students.

You can read the full DPI annual report HERE
OP-ED: Medicaid Expansion Won't Solve North Carolina's Health Care Crisis
Many North Carolinians believe that Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion is a deal too good to pass up. Most of them are not taking the time to look beyond the partisan talking points. Why wouldn’t North Carolina want to offer “free” health insurance to more than half a million residents and only pay for 10 percent of the cost, since the feds promise to cover the rest of the tab?

Such a significant policy change for such a complex program cannot be viewed so simply. There are severe fiscal and human costs associated with Medicaid expansion that deserve a closer examination.

Instead of piling more federal debt onto future generations, North Carolina has taken a more fiscally responsible approach with plans to improve the value of our existing Medicaid program and to invest in local organizations that provide medical care to low-income and uninsured people.

Continue reading and share my Op-Ed on Medicaid expansion in NC
NC Chamber 2019 Jobs Champion
The NC Chamber recognized myself and a few of my Senate colleagues as a 2019 “Jobs Champion” in their annual How They Voted report. The report details lawmakers’ voting records on key bills identified as critical to preserving and enhancing a favorable climate for business and job creation in North Carolina.

I earned the recognition thanks to a 94% voting record based on pro-growth and pro-jobs. This year’s “Jobs Champion” voting record was calculated using votes on 38 bills, including 25 pro-jobs bills and 13 anti-jobs bills. A legislator with a voting record above 80% is considered a “Jobs Champion.”

During my time in office, we have seen North Carolina become one of the fastest-growing economies and best states for business. Our State consistently ranks at the top for the best economy in the nation from continued Republican-led tax policies. Our commitment to increase take-home pay for working people and attracting investments in our workforce continues to draw rapid population growth and cutting-edge industries to North Carolina.

You can read NC Chamber’s annual publication HERE
2019 Defender of Public Safety
I am honored and humbled for The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association’s (NCSA) recognition as a 2019 “Defender of Public Safety.” It is a privilege to work together on behalf of the brave officers who put their lives on the line to protect our communities.

During the 2019 legislative session, the General Assembly considered hundreds of bills and enacted dozens of laws that had a direct impact on law enforcement and public safety in North Carolina. Legislators who earn the Defender of Public Safety recognition for his/her dedicated time and effort during the session advocating for law enforcement issues important to the Association, which impact the office of sheriff, local communities, and the State.

One of the primary goals of a state legislator is to serve the public’s interest. It is critical to my role as a strong advocate for the pursuit of justice, standing up for public safety, and protecting the rights of the citizens of North Carolina.

The 48 th District is served by Sheriff Quentin Miller (Buncombe), Sheriff Lowell S. Griffin (Henderson), and Sheriff David Mahoney (Transylvania). 
7 GO Grants Awarded to WNC Schools
I am pleased to announce that seven schools in District 48 received an NC Schools Go Outside (GO) Grant from the Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council. Congratulations to the following schools -

  • Mountain Community School: 6th-8th grade students to kayak at Henderson County parks in the Spring of 2020. The awarded amount is $1,700.
  • Brevard Elementary: 5th-grade students to participate in the Muddy Sneakers program this school year. The awarded amount is $1,000.
  • Henderson County Career Academy: 9th – 12th-grade students to visit nature trails around Cherokee, NC. The awarded amount is $750.
  • Bruce Drysdale School: 2nd-grade classes to visit Pisgah National Forest on April 9, 2020. The awarded amount is $400.
  • Bruce Drysdale School: 4th-grade students to visit Cradle of Forestry and participate in hiking and wildlife watching. The awarded amount is $970.
  • Hendersonville Elementary: 5th-grade students to visit Biltmore Estate and Antler Hill Village to tour the working farm. The awarded amount is $2,000.
  • North Henderson High School: 9th – 12th-grade students to visit the Biltmore Estate and Gardens, and Riding Stables to take photographs while horseback riding and hiking. The awarded amount is $1,250.

I have reached out to commend each of the teachers for applying and for taking their students outdoors. The hands-on learning that the students will receive will be very beneficial, and I look forward to hearing all about the activities they can do with the grant money.

The GO Grants are awarded by the North Carolina Outdoor Heritage Trust Fund for Youth Outdoor Heritage Promotion, which is administered by the North Carolina Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council.
Congratulations, Sarah Glad!
As a State Senator, I have the honor of meeting and working with our state’s great young leaders – Sarah is one of these young leaders.

Many of you know, Sarah is my Legislative Assistant in my Raleigh office. She was recently accepted into the distinguished  E.A. Morris Fellowship for Emerging Leaders  program. This program trains and energizes new leaders for the future of North Carolina.

Those of you who do know Sarah will agree with me that she provides a fervent service to my office and the constituents of District 48. She demonstrates a relentless work ethic, a positive attitude, and a constant willingness to serve.

I'm so proud of Sarah for making this investment of time in her future, and I look forward to seeing her continue to rise in leadership for our state.
2020 Senate Page Applications Open
I always enjoy opportunities to introduce students to the inner workings of the General Assembly. The Senate Page Program offers the perfect opportunity for young people to get to know more about how laws are made. It is a week-long experience available to high school students (9 th – 12 th grade) in good academic standing with their school.

Pages have the opportunity to become familiar with the Legislative Complex and the Senate Chamber as they attend daily sessions, deliver messages, and carry out other tasks that are more important to my staff and me.

Colleges and Universities, as well as your future employers, all want to recruit students who have experience beyond the classroom – young men and women who have taken advantage of opportunities to push their boundaries while learning and growing.

So I urge you to read about the Senate Page Program , and if you still have questions, visit NC48.com/page or contact Michael Perdue (Senate Page Coordinator) at (919)733-5702.
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