April 19, 2024

The Office of

Representative Mike Clampitt

House District 119

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Lt. Col. Edwin B. Cottrell, USAF (Ret) Ceremony

Retired Lt. Col. Edwin B. Cottrell's event on Saturday, April 13 in Brevard:

In recognition of a veteran with a remarkable military career spanning from World War II through the Air Force Reserves, played a pivotal role in the 48th Fighter Group during the Battle of the Bulge. His courage and resilience were evident in surviving a close encounter with enemy planes and contributing significantly to the war effort, later dedicating his post-war years to education and promoting the game of golf worldwide.

In Honor of Kelsey Mae Richardson and Karli Arlene Richardson

Ellen Pitt, chair of the WNC Regional DWI Task Force (left); Cathy Hocking, mother of Kelsey and Karli (center); and Rep. Mike Clampitt (right)

Cathryn Hocking, whose daughters Karli and Kelsey Richardson tragically lost their lives to a DWI driver in 2017, delivered a presentation at WCU alongside several fraternities. One of her daughters was a student at WCU, making the event particularly poignant.

Click here for the full article.

Attack on Pregnancy Service Centers

Unreasonable request by Senator Gladys Robinson (Dem) and legal response by Paul Stam.

Full documents: Stamp's Letter and Sen Robinson's letter

Attack on Opportunity Scholarship Program

Unreasonable request by Senator Michael Garrett (Dem) and legal response by Paul Stam.

Full letter

National Lineworker Appreciation Day

National Lineworker Appreciation Day, a time to honor those who work around the clock to keep the lights on for our citizens and communities.

National Hope Month

April is National Hope Month and our Farmland Preservation Division works hard to provide hope to the N.C. Agriculture industry every day through the work that they do to preserve farmland across the state.

To date, our Farmland Preservation team has preserved 35,000 acres of working lands through agricultural development and the farmland preservation trust fund."

Click on this link: https://www.facebook.com/NCAgriculture/posts/824886703008905

NC Teacher of the Year

A tip of the hat to Heather Smith of Haywood County. She has been NC named Teacher of the Year. Well done! https://nsjonline.com/article/2024/04/nc-teacher-of-the-year-from-haywood-co/

NC Railroad Company Announces New Economic Development Programs

The North Carolina Railroad Company has a 175-year legacy of contributing to North Carolina’s economy and fostering partnerships with the state and local communities. Great economic partner for our state! https://tinyurl.com/yc52s6ve

Latest Revenue Forecast Projects $1.4 Billion Surplus for North Carolina

Raleigh, NC – The latest consensus revenue forecast was released today, reflecting the economic growth in North Carolina. The forecast shows that the state has a one-time $1.4 billion surplus.

House Speaker Tim Moore said, "Today's revenue forecast is a sign that North Carolina is on the right track. Our conservative approach to responsible spending has been effective in strengthening our economy and attracting business to our state. When those businesses bring thousands of jobs to NC and our economy is strong, all of North Carolina wins."

We Congratulate the Recipients of NC Schools Go Outside (GO) Grants

Schools in our district received one of our NC Schools Go Outside (GO) Grants. Congratulations! 

• Casey Walawender from the Scoots Creek School, Jackson County

Voter ID Information

This is the recent updates to North Carolina State Board of Election's Voter ID Page. They have published a lot of new content on our Voter ID page. They also just published a new page: FAQ: Voter ID.

Press Release from NCSBE.

No-Fee ID Card:

Anyone who is 17 or older can get a “No-Fee ID Card” from the NC DMV. Information on this ID card is available on the DMV website: Official NCDMV: State IDs (ncdot.gov).

We will keep you updated when new information is available.

Millions in USDA grants could improve food access in N.C., make locally sourced food cheaper for pantries

by Patrick Thomas/Spectrum News

USDA announces millions in grant funding to improve food access across America. North Carolina is one of 20 states and the nation's capitol potentially benefiting from the grant.

A three-prong partnership called the "Growing Food Finance in the Triad Program" was funded through this grant. A goal is to help food pantries benefit from funding that could allow small farmers and independent businesses to compete against corporations in their communities.

Link for the article

N.C. hospitality leader warns Buncombe against using tourism tax for affordable housing

by Felicia Sonmez/WUNC

When Buncombe County’s Tourism Development Authority decides which projects to fund using visitors’ dollars next week, a powerful organization will be watching closely.

The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association warned in a letter last week to the Charlotte City Council that spending occupancy tax dollars on affordable housing could lead to a legal challenge.

The hospitality trade association specifically cited efforts in Buncombe County to fund affordable housing projects through the Legacy Investment From Tourism (LIFT) Fund, which was created by a 2022 law and will fund its first round of projects this year. The TDA is expected to decide which projects to fund at its April 24 meeting.

Link for the article

UNC System board committee approves policy gutting DEI. Students say they were kept out.

by Korie Dean, and Luciana Guinassi/N&O

Administrative positions and offices dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion are likely to be eliminated at all public universities across North Carolina following a vote Wednesday by members of the board that oversees the campuses.

The UNC System Board of Governors’ University Governance committee approved a policy that repeals the university system’s existing policy on diversity and inclusion, which requires each of the state’s 17 public campuses to employ diversity officers and work toward achieving diversity-related goals, among other requirements.

The committee passed the policy unanimously and with no discussion. The new policy would eliminate those jobs — or, if a university wishes to keep the positions, it would be forced to remove the job’s ties to diversity.

Link for the article

NCSBE quietly modifies election document after NCGOP slams ‘blatant partisanship’

by Brianna Kraemer/The Carolina Journal

The North Carolina State Board of Elections stealthily altered planning documents on Tuesday morning less than an hour after a complaint from the state Republican Party alleging the board is playing politics with modified early voting site plans schedule that show ‘blatant partisanship.’

The master election schedule for 2024 has indicated August 2 is the ‘best practice’ deadline for counties to submit early voting site plans, five weeks before absentee ballots are sent out.

However, Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the NCSBE, notified counties at the beginning of April that early voting plans are now due by May 7, a departure from the customary August deadline. The Board offered no explanation for the sudden shift of scheduling deadlines.

In a letter sent Tuesday morning, the state Republican Party slammed the three-month change as ‘highly unusual and questionable.’

Link for the article

Student suspended for using term ‘illegal alien’ in English class

by Brianna Kraemer/The Carolina Journal

16-year-old student at Central Davidson High School in Lexington, North Carolina was suspended for three days last week after using the term ‘illegal alien’ during a vocabulary assignment in his English class.

Christian McGhee’s teacher assigned vocabulary words during class last Tuesday, including the word ‘alien.’ According to his mother, Leah McGhee, Christian responded to his teacher, asking, “Like space aliens or illegal aliens without green cards?”

According to an email describing the incident, sent to local officials and shared with Carolina Journal, a young man in class took offense to Christian’s question and reportedly threatened to fight him, prompting the teacher to call in the assistant principal. Ultimately, Christian’s words were deemed by administrative staff to be offensive and disrespectful to classmates who are Hispanic.

Link for the article

House Committee report mirrors state superintendent’s A-F grading revamp

by AP Dillon/ The North State journal

The North Carolina House Select Committee on Education Reform has recommended a major overhaul of the state’s school grading system, which currently assigns letter grades to schools based primarily on standardized test scores.

The proposed changes aim to provide a more comprehensive assessment of school quality by incorporating four additional factors such as average student test score growth, student achievement on standardized tests, career and college readiness, and “opportunities” available to students.

Link for the article

2024 House Page Program

The 2024 Short Session House Page Applications will be available online beginning Monday, March 4th, 2024. The Page website can be accessed by visiting the following: https://www.ncleg.gov/House/PageProgram/.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

• Pages may only serve one time in the House.
• Each Representative is allotted up to 2 Page appointments during the 2024 Short Session.
• Sophomore, junior and senior high school students will be eligible to apply.
• Direct prospective Pages to our website for Page information, including the process and the application.
• Check the House Page website for participant eligibility requirements and available dates to serve as a House Page.
• Please note, House Pages are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
• House Page applications are accepted until all weeks are full.

Feel free to contact Sue Frederick, House Page Supervisor  Sue.frederick@ncleg.gov, 919-733-5701, with questions.

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