LEGISLATION PASSED IN NORTH CAROLINA
Dale R. Folwell
N.C. House of Representatives
District 74 -Winston-Salem
(919) 733-5787 Dale.Folwell@ncleg.net
A list of legislation I introduced & passed
into law from 2005 – 2009
Education
-
- Simplify Building Standards for Pre-K Classes– This bill saves the state and property tax payers money because Pre-K classrooms will not have to be refitted or renovated if they already meet the building standards for Kindergarten classrooms. HB 1031 was passed by the House and Senate in 2009 and signed by the Governor.
- Schools Notified of Gang Violence- This bill authorizes law enforcement agencies to publish criminal intelligence information pertaining to gang violence and activity to a principal of a school affected by gang activity, when there is imminent danger to students, personnel, or property. HB 1327 was passed by the House and Senate in 2009 and signed by the Governor.
- Every Child Ready to Learn- This bill moves the kindergarten entrance age from October 16 to August 31 to help reduce as much as a two year age span among classmates. Such a wide age span often results in significant challenges to students and teachers because of cognitive differences and children being subjected to unnecessary humiliation. North Carolina had one of the “latest” dates in the US, which put our kids at a competitive disadvantage. Elizabeth Weil of the New York Times magazine did a seven page expose’ on this issue.
- Vertical Drivers Licenses/ Under 21- This bill helps prevent sales of alcohol and tobacco to underage customers by creating a vertical driver’s license issued exclusively for new drivers under age 21. This legislation was passed in the 2008 session at NO COST TO TAXPAYERS.
- Nicholas Adkins School Bus Safety– This bill helps to ensure the safety of North Carolina’s school children and aids in reducing the number of fatalities caused each year by using video recording systems to detect and prosecute those who pass stopped school buses. HB 440 was named after Nicholas Adkins, a 16 year-old resident from Rockingham County, who was struck and killed by a driver that passed the “Stop” bus sign and hit Nicholas as he was about to board the bus. Bus Stop Arm Violation- This bill prevents any motorist who is guilty of passing a stopped school bus from receiving a Prayer for Judgment Continuance. And, according to an investigative report by CNN’s Paula Zahn, gives North Carolina the toughest stop arm law in the United States. Every school day in NC, 2,300 people pass a stopped school bus. That is over 400,000 per year.
Crime Prevention
-
- Future Volunteer Firefighters Act – This bill allows uncompensated youths between the ages of 15 and 18 to participate in training through their volunteer Fire Departments and Rescue Squads, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, or the Department of Community Colleges. This bill was enthusiastically endorsed by Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin and Assistant State Fire Marshal Tim Bradley. HB 557 was passed unanimously by the House and Senate and signed by the Governor in 2009.
- Identity Theft- This bill permits police officers to take pictures of people who are cited for not producing a license when requested. This will help protect citizens from identity theft and improve courtroom efficiency. A person who is stopped for a violation can give anyone’s name rather than their own. There has been no reliable way in the past to affirm who actually committed the violation- the guilty party or the person whose name was given. This legislation was passed in the 2007 session at no cost to taxpayers.
- Concealed Carry by Law Enforcement Officers- This bill helps law enforcement officers serve and protect the public even while off-duty, by lawfully allowing them to carry concealed firearms in public venues (as long as they are alcohol free). This signals to the police officers of NC that we trust them both on duty and off!
- Seizure of Documents and Plates- This bill enables officers to remove the tags, driver licenses and registration of motorists driving without basic liability insurance. There are 500,000 uninsured motorists on the roads today and in 2005, they were involved in 12,000 accidents and inflicted $85,000,000 in un-reimbursed property and medical damage on their victims. In the past, law enforcement could only write a citation (because the computer at DMV was not talking to Department of Insurance or police car computers) and the driver drove off (still with no insurance). I am pleased to report that this bill saves over $500,000 in postage and more importantly, your local and state law enforcement have pulled over 32,000 tags this year for lack of insurance at routine traffic stops.
Government Efficiency
- Ease in Renovating Adult Care Homes– This bill would allow for innovative, more homelike renovations for nursing homes, adult care homes, and intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded, like the conversion of semi-private to private rooms—that will improve the quality of life for North Carolina’s residents and provide jobs in the process. HB 436 was passed by the House and Senate and signed by the Governor in 2009.
- Recovering Taxpayer Money From Unpaid Ambulance Services– This bill will save taxpayers, counties, and cities thousands of dollars for unreimbursed ambulance services provided to state health plan members by requiring the state health plan to make payments for ambulance services directly or co-payable to the ambulance provider. HB 439 was passed unanimously by the House and Senate in 2009 and signed by the Governor.
- Benefits Statement for State Employees– This bill directs the Office of State Personnel to develop a comprehensive benefit statement that shows the present value of North Carolina’s future obligations for pension and healthcare to its’ employees. HB 1221 was passed unanimously by the House and Senate in 2009 and signed by the Governor.
- Increase Treasurer’s Transparency– This bill increases the membership of the State Treasurer’s Investment Advisory Committee from five to seven members, by adding two public members, and changes the experience requirements of the public members. It amplifies the role the public can serve within the Treasurer’s dealings, and expands the transparency of the office. HB 556 was rolled into Senate Bill 691 which was passed by the House and Senate and signed by the Governor in 2009.
- The Heart Prevails- This bill updates the law regarding organ donation by creating standards for organ donation as well as providing online access for citizens to change their organ donor status. The Heart Prevails legislation puts into action what most North Carolinians thought was already law; putting the heart on your driver’s license to become a donor is honored legally. This legislation was passed in the 2007 session. In 2008 the Act was amended to allow the age of consent to donate blood from 17 to 16, expanding the pool of donors so more lives can be saved. The NC Eye Bank reports that transplants have increased 56 % in 2008 due to the Heart Prevails.
- Combined Motor Vehicle Registration/ Property Tax System- The original bill combines the payment of property tax on a vehicle with the renewal of the tag. In North Carolina, $215,000,000 of vehicle property tax isn’t paid on time, and $85,000,000 is never collected. All of this money belongs to cities and counties and in some cases represents one to two cents on the entire tax rate of some counties. In addition to added collections, the State and consumers will save $7,000,000 in postage per year. We are virtually the last state to do this. This legislation was passed in the 2007 session.
- State Health Plan/ Amendment: Vesting from 5 to 20 years- Because of the plight of the NC State Health Plan and the fact that NC reported a $28.8 billion unfunded liability for retiree health care, more than four times what the state owes in ordinary debt. There are many reforms needed to bring more clarity to our State Health Plan. We must attract young people and their families to become participants and tackle the unfunded liability that exists in this program important to nearly 600,000 North Carolinians.
