STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 04-18-19
DURHAM CELEBRATES 150THANNIVERSARY AMID TEARS
[DURHAM] There were smiles, and even some laughter. But underneath, as Bull City citizens wished each other a 150th“Happy Anniversary,” there were solemn prayers for those responders injured during the April 10thgas explosion in downtown that injured 25, and killed a coffee shop owner who refused to evacuate his business. Durham Mayor Steve Schewel led those gathered at the American Tobacco Campus is honoring the first responders who risked their lives to save others. Mayor Schewel said though he was saddened by the tragedy, he was heartened by how the Durham community came together to help the affected families.
NCGOP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WOODHOUSE TO STEP DOWN
[RALEIGH] In the aftermath of his boss, NCGOP Chairman Robin Hayes, being indicted by a federal grand jury for alleged bribery, NC Republican Party Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse has announced that he will step down once his contract ends after the next NCGOP Convention in June. Woodhouse has been in charge of the day-to-day operations of the state Republican Party since 2015. He is a former television reporter, known for his “in-your face” style. Woodhouse testified before the grand jury in December, but was not named in the indictment.
COOPER PICKS REUBEN YOUNG, CHRISTOPHER BROOK FOR NC APPELLATE COURT
[RALEIGH] Gov. Roy Cooper now has an 8-7 Democrat majority on the NC Court of Appeals, and a 6-1 Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court. The 8-7 majority comes after appointing Reuben Young and ACLU of NC Legal Director Chris Brook. Young is currently chief deputy secretary for adult corrections and juvenile justice at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Previously, Young served as a special superior court judge for five years, and secretary of the NC Dept. of Public Safety.He replaces former NC Appellate Court Judge Mark Davis, who was elevated to the State Supreme Court several weeks ago.
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IS THE GOP MEDICAID EXPANSION
DESPITE YEARS OF PRONOUNCEMENTS,
STUDY FINDS SBA DOES LITTLE FOR HBCUs
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
In April 2013, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) proudly announced that it had signed “Strategic Alliance Memorandums (SAMs) with three HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) in SBA Region IV (comprised of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida).
The SAMs were designed to “collaborate (with HBCUs) by ensuring that students get vital information on starting a business and the surrounding communities at large, may also benefit from these relationships.”
Cassius Butts, regional administrator for SBA Region IV said, “I’ve always believed that these institutions and their faculty serve as the foundation for strong and thriving communities. This partnership will foster entrepreneurship amongst the young population, especially in minority communities.”
The signings was considered a big deal per the White House Initiative on HBCUs and the U.S. Dept of Education then.
However, none of the three HBCU’s recognized were in North Carolina. All of them were in Mississippi. Two months prior, one HBCU in Florida. One month prior, two in Alabama.
The pace and location of SBA agreements began to raise questions.
A few weeks ago on March 7th, the GAO (Government Accountability Office)
in a report to “ Congressional requesters,” stated that “SBA …fosters working relationships with institutions of higher education through memorandums and outreach activities (such as training and counseling). However, little is known about the extent of SBA’s activities and partnership programs with HBCUs.”
North Carolina Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC-12) requested the GAO report, and she wasn’t pleased with its findings.
“The report found that despite decades of White House Executive Orders promoting engagement with HBCUs, strengthening HBCU participation in federal programs, and directing federal agencies to identify priorities for working with HBCUs, there has been no specific HBCU outreach at the SBA,” a release from Rep. Adams’ office stated. “GAO reviewed recent executive orders and SBA’s 2018 plan and found that the Agency’s key programs designed to promote entrepreneurship do not specifically target HBCUs. The report also concluded that only 18 out of 101 HBCUs have Small Business Development Centers, and 24 schools have strategic alliance memorandums that, according to SBA officials, are mostly symbolic.”
“I am very disturbed by its findings,” Rep. Adams said. “HBCUs are critical to providing a pipeline of diverse talent for our workforce, and it is vital HBCUs have access to the resources they need to cultivate successful small business owners and entrepreneurs.”
At Rep. Adams’ request, the House Small Business Committee will now hold a hearing to delve deeper into why the SBA is not helping HBCUs as it was first mandated to.
“Preliminary findings in the report also revealed that the SBA does not have any plans or infrastructure in place to execute the Executive Order on White House Initiative to Promote Excellent and Innovation at HBCUs,” Adam’s office said.
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PROPOSAL WORTHWHILE?
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Gov. Roy Cooper, legislative Democrats, and even the NCNAACP, have for the past five years, religiously called for expanding health insurance for the poor, otherwise known as Medicaid, for approximately 500,000 more uninsured North Carolinians. With the federal government picking up the lion’s share of the tab, North Carolina would join 33 other states.
But Republican legislative leaders have consistently said “no,” even though, through the payment of federal taxes, North Carolinians have been paying for Medicaid for years, but for other states.
“We have delayed Medicaid expansion for years now,” states Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield (D – Wilson). “These delays have cost North Carolina countless lives and billions of dollars.”
Last week, however, four Republican lawmakers announced HB 655 – Nc Heath Care for Working Families, which would provide private health insurance for hundreds of thousands of poor North Carolinians, but with some restrictions. It would require eligible North Carolinians to be employed, contributing two percent of their annual income to cover premiums, and they would also have to cover co-pays.
“There are things we as legislators have to do in order to get things done,” said Rep. Donny Lambeth (R- Forsyth) in defense of the requirements.
Republicans, in an effort to assure voters that their tax dollars, even federal funds, are not being wasted or scammed, tack on the work requirement for political reasons, critics say, even though there are many who are sick and unable to work in desperate need of heath insurance coverage they can’t afford.
“Work requirements are an ill-informed attempt to legislate behavior and do not reflect the realities of people living in poverty,” writes Brian Kennedy II, a public policy analyst with the Budget and Tax center at the NC Justice Center. “In fact, the science shows that they effectively take away the ability of people to make good, rational decisions. If our legislators are truly in the business of helping to improve the lives of North Carolinians, they will listen to the research and evidence and reject these harmful provisions.”
On Monday, sixteen health advocacy organizations issues a joint statement opposing the Republican proposal.
“HB655’s 2 percent premium is an affront to working families barely making ends meet given their current incomes,” the statement by The NC Justice Center, Health Care Justice NC, the NC Council of Churches and others, said. “To charge people earning 50 percent of the Federal Poverty Level — as little as a single parent earning approximately $700 a month — will force families to choose between putting food on the table and health care. This bill does not improve access to care for working families.”
“We call on our General Assembly to expand Medicaid.”
HB 655 has passed first reading, and has been referred to the House Committee on Health.
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