Friday, March 23, 2007

Other Legislative Highlights 3-23-07

I have been one of the primary sponsors on several bills this past week in the House. House Bill 901 would amend the state Constitution to ensure that all citizens have access to health care. To further protect victims of sexual assault, House Bill 961 would require that facilities providing emergency care offer contraception pills to those victims.

Below is a selection of additional bills that have been introduced in the House or Senate during the last week (those with an asterisk are one that I have co-sponsored):

· House Bill 893* would give the student member of the UNC Board of Governors a vote.

· House Bill 934* would appropriate $350.2 million over the next two fiscal years for mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease programs in the Department of Health and Human Services.

· House Bill 938* would require that schools provide educational information on hpv, cervical cancer, and the virus that prevents them, to students in grades 5-12. Sen. Katie Dorsett has introduced the Senate companion bill.

· House Bill 963* would provide for the election of physician members of the North Carolina Medical Board, supply information to the public regarding malpractice awards or settlements, and require the reporting of sexual misconduct by a doctor or physician assistant.

· House Bill 969* would provide for the licensing of naturopathic physicians

· House Bill 981* would set aside money for a Department of Justice consumer protection specialist to focus solely on military personnel and their families.

· Senate Bill 936 would set aside $12 million each of the next two years to establish a state education data warehouse that would include a database with information about all students in the state from prekindergarten through college.

· Senate Bill 944 would make leaving the scene of an accident where a victim suffers serious bodily injury a more serious grade of felony.

· Senate Bill 972 would require twice as many toilets in women's restrooms than men's restrooms in new bars, public halls, theaters, and arenas and in current buildings where large renovations take place.

· Senate Bill 1002 would extend restrictions on robo calls and other automatic dialing and message players used to make unsolicited telephone calls.

· Senate Bill 1003 would require that DNA samples be taken from people arrested on violent felony or certain other criminal charges.

· Senate Bill 1261 would establish a pilot program in four legislative districts to allow candidates the option of financing their campaigns from a voluntary taxpayer-designated fund.

The House will return to session Monday at 7 p.m.

I am pleased that so many of you feel free to contact me to let me know how you feel about the issues that are being debated by the North Carolina General Assembly and the challenges you and your family are facing each day. By continuing to work together, we can make a difference in Guilford County and all regions of North Carolina, to provide a better place to live, work, and raise a family.

Cheers,

Pricey

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