While North Carolina has become a more urban state in the past 20 years, small and rural communities continue to make up a large part of our population. In fact, all or parts of at least 85 counties in North Carolina are considered rural. These communities are an important part of our state and their success helps ensure success for all of us. Fittingly, we have a number of important initiatives that are either in place or expanding to help serve the people who live in rural North Carolina. I have included some information this week for you about some of these programs. I hope you find it useful.
Thank you as always for your interest in North Carolina and state government. Please contact me if I can be of any service to you.
Jobs and Economy
_ The Rural Economic Development Center has almost $24 million in grant money to help create jobs through two important programs.
_ Nearly $13 million is available through the center’s Economic Infrastructure Water and Sewer Grants Program. The grants can be used to upgrade utilities to allow for new business locations or expansions. Up to $10,000 is available for each job to be created, with a maximum grant of $1 million or half the total project cost. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
_ The General Assembly expanded the Building Reuse and Restoration Grants Program by $3 million. The $11 million program helps communities restore and renovate vacant buildings for use by new and expanding businesses. Development grants of up to $480,000 are available for projects in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties. Grants are capped at $240,000 for projects in Tier 3 counties. For most projects, at least one job must be created for each $8,000 in grant funding. The next application deadline is Sept. 3.
Since they were launched in 2004, the two programs combined have awarded more than $80 million to 378 projects, assisting 470 businesses and creating 11,200 jobs. The grants are awarded to local governments, which work with the businesses to ensure job creation.
_ The General Assembly expanded the Rural Center’s Small Business Assistance Fund from $500,000 to $1.5 million. The center is working with the Self-Help Credit Union to leverage the state’s investment into $7.5 million in small business loans. The additional $1 million in this fund is expected to result in loans to more than 150 small businesses that will create 550 jobs. The priority for these loans goes to businesses: in rural counties; owned by women or minorities; with less than 100 employees and $10 million in sales; that create new jobs that pay above their county’s average wage; and that leverage federal stimulus dollars.
_ The Rural Center received $1 million in additional money for the Family Farm Opportunity and Innovation Fund. The money will be distributed to farmers in grants of up to $20,000 to help improve energy efficiency on the farm, to develop new markets for their products and to develop new products. The total value of the fund from all sources is $18 million, including $1 million from the Tobacco Trust Fund to match the state’s contribution.
Agriculture
_ Agriculture remains the state’s top industry with an estimated annual value of $70 billion. Seventeen percent of all jobs in the state are related to agriculture or agribusiness. The industry is threatened by increasing urbanization. Since 2002, North Carolina has lost more than 6,000 farms and 600,000 acres of farmland. Legislators are trying to stem the losses through the work of the state’s Farmland Preservation Trust. The trust supports farming, forestry, and horticulture by buying agriculture and conservation easements and funding programs that help family farmers develop business and marketing plans. The General Assembly put $2 million into the trust this year.
_ The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources have been directed to help develop a plan and a report on agricultural water infrastructure needs. The new law (SL2010-149, H1748) instructs the departments to continue to work with the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, other agricultural groups, and farmers on the plan, as well as to identify and encourage voluntary water conservation and protection. The law also calls for the development of a cost-share program to help farmers and agricultural landowners who adopt best management practices for water conservation. The departments must report their findings to the Legislative Study Commission on Water and Wastewater Infrastructure by Nov. 1.
_ The state provided $250,000 for the Department of Agriculture “Got to Be NC” marketing campaign. This program promotes North Carolina farm products by helping to develop markets for North Carolina produce and products in grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets, and other establishments.
_ The Department of Agriculture received $200,000 to augment its international trade efforts. The department's International Trade Office helps connect farmers and North Carolina suppliers of agricultural commodities to international buyers. This money will help support additional international trade efforts and missions, especially in the growing export markets for pork, tobacco, and cotton to China and Central America.
Miscellaneous
_ The state Office of Rural Health has received $1 million to help small rural hospitals pay for operations and infrastructure maintenance. The office works collaboratively with the NC Hospital Association to distribute the money. Hospitals can typically request $75,000 to $125,000 for equipment or enhancements that will help improve their long-term fiscal stability.
_ A person who has been issued a permit to remove a coyote now has an additional option under legislation approved this year by the General Assembly. A new law (SL 2010 -156, H1824) allows the use of a humane, live capture collar trap. The trap works by throwing a cable loop over the animal’s head. The end of the loop is anchored in the ground. The law requires that the trap be checked daily and that a dog or any other animal not targeted by the trap be released unharmed. The law was recommended by the House Select Committee on Coyote Nuisance Control.
_ The Legislative Research Commission has been authorized to study the issue of whether the Wildlife Resources has carried out its mandate to increase its capability for studying foxes and other fur-bearing populations and then to implement plans that would produce “optimum” populations of the animals in the state. The study allows the commission to solicit input from hunters, trappers, public health authorities, agriculture officials and other interested parties. The studies bill (SL2010-152, S900) also allows for a study of the issue of adequate insurance coverage options for fresh produce growers.
Notes
_ Medicago will bring a new vaccine production facility to Durham, creating 85 jobs. The project was made possible in part by a $128,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
_ Noranda Aluminum will expand its Norandal USA plant in Salisbury. The company plans to create 25 jobs and invest $7 million. The project was made possible in part by a $108,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
Prepared with the assistance of the Speaker’s Office of Communications
From the Office of Representative Jimmy L. Love, Sr. August 5, 2010
While I have been busy in my district this week, it has also been a busy time in Raleigh with the governor signing several bills into law over the past few days. These laws will reform the state’s ethics rules, protect our coast from oil spill damage and spell out how we should dispose of our state flag, among other things. The governor also visited the National Guard Aviation Facility in Morrisville on Wednesday to sign four bills designed to assist members of our military. This week, I thought I would share some information with you about those bills, as well as some of the other ways we have tried to make North Carolina friendly to the members of the Armed Services. We are proud of our military presence and heritage in this state and I believe our record reflects that.
I also want to take this chance to remind you about the sales-tax holiday, which will run Friday through Sunday. For more information about the tax holiday, and a complete list of tax-free items, please visit the Department of Revenue’s Web site:
http://www.dor.state.nc.us/taxes/sales/salestax_holiday.html
Thank you as always for your interest in North Carolina and state government. I hope you will contact me if I can be of any service to you.
2010 Laws
_ Members of the military in North Carolina can now use the military’s emergency data form to set out their wishes for how their bodies are handled if they are killed in service. Previously, the law recognized only a will, a health care power of attorney or a document witnessed by two other adults as legally sufficient directions for how a soldier’s body should be handled after death. Some members of the military did not use these other instruments because they believed their wishes as stated to the military were sufficient. The law (SL2010-191) also officially recognizes the Honor and Remember flag as a symbol to honor and recognize fallen members of the Armed Services.
_ North Carolina built upon the significant reforms it made last year to military voting with a law that makes it easier for deployed service members to vote. The most recent change in the law (SL2010-192) considers a single application for an absentee ballot from a uniformed voter as an application for all absentee ballots for elections the voter is eligible for in that calendar year. The change is intended to make it easier for deployed soldiers to vote without having to file multiple requests for absentee ballots.
_ The courts-martial rules for the state National Guard have been updated to more closely follow the system used by United States military courts. The law (SL2010-193) will help ensure that military court proceedings are handled consistently and professionally for our National Guard members.
_ Banks and other lending institutions are now prohibited from foreclosing on the mortgage of a member of a military who is serving an active duty deployment. A new law (SL2010-190) requires the lender to give the member of the military at least 90 days after the end of the deployment before they can foreclose on the property. The exemption applies only to property purchased before the deployment. The additional time granted is intended to help members of the military find ways to save the property from foreclosure if possible.
_ Another law (SL2010-39) signed by the governor earlier this year will make it easier for veterans of Operation Desert Storm and the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to get specialty license plates noting their service.
2009 Accomplishments
_We continue to appropriate funds to the community colleges so the NC Military Business Center can continue its important work. The military business center coordinates and facilitates for small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the state seeking to win and complete federal contracts, with a focus on military-related contracts. The center has received $2.5 million over the past two years.
_The North Carolina's Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy, a quasi-military program for high school dropouts, or expellees, received $2 million over the past two budget years. The program is sponsored by the North Carolina National Guard and receives matching funds from the federal government equal to $60 for every $40 of state funds.
_ Public university students called to active duty may soon be exempted from paying tuition penalties for not completing their degree on time. The University of North Carolina Board of Governors is working to establish a policy that excuses these students from paying the charge if their active duty is the reason for the extra time needed to complete their courses of study.
_A new state law will make it easier for members of the military reserves to renew their drivers’ licenses after they receive deployment orders (H.B. 98 - S.L. 2009-274). The law allows members of the Armed Forces to renew their drivers’ licenses upon receipt of deployment orders and give them a 30-day grace period for an expired license after they are released from military duty outside of the United States.
_Legislation meant to ensure that certain special license plates that are available to military veterans are issued to the right people has been signed into law (H.B. 1094 - S.L. 2009-121). The new law is intended to prevent impostors from purchasing military license plates, including plates that indicate the recipient of a Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Cross or Bronze Star. Applicants for these military plates would have to provide proof that they qualify for the plates.
_We have helped pass a new law regarding unemployment insurance compensation for certain severely disabled veterans who have been discharged due to a service-connected disability (H.B. 1124 - S.L. 2009-101). Severely injured veterans will now receive unemployment benefits if they lose their job because of a disability incurred or aggravated during active military service or because of the veteran’s absence from work to obtain care and treatment for that disability.
_A new state law directs the state’s occupational licensing to help deployed licensees waive or delay payment of fees and continuing education requirements (H.B. 1411 - S.L. 2009-458).This new law will help reservists who are sent off to war to keep from losing the licenses they need to keep their civilian jobs.
_ North Carolina’s absentee voting laws have been improved under a new state law (S.B. 253 – S.L. 2009-537). The law is specifically intended to improve the ability of military and overseas voters to cast timely ballots. This is incredibly important because it is vital that those defending democracy have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.
_Uniformed public safety officers will now be authorized to wear military service medals during the business week prior to Veterans Day and Memorial Day, the day of Veterans Day and Memorial Day, and the business day immediately following Veterans Day and Memorial Day under a new state law (H.B. 631 - S.L. 2009-240). Employers will maintain the right to prohibit the wearing of service medals if it’s determined they pose a safety hazard to the officer or to the public.
Notes
_ Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar announced in the past week that it would add more than 825 jobs at two sites in North Carolina. The company plans to build a $426 million plant in Winston-Salem that will eventually employ more than 500 people. It also has plans for a $30 million expansion at its plant in Sanford, where it will add 325 workers. Both projects received state economic development grants.
_ Furniture maker Ethan Allen Operations Inc. plans to create 90 jobs and invest $250,000 to expand its production capacity in Old Fort. The project was made possible in part by a $270,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
_ Boral Composites Inc., a sister company to Boral Bricks in East Spencer, plans to open a plant in Rowan County to produce a new “green” product line for homebuilding. The company plans to create 25 jobs and invest $12.8 million. The project was made possible in part by a $50,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
Prepared with the assistance of the Speaker’s Office of Communications
I also want to take this chance to remind you about the sales-tax holiday, which will run Friday through Sunday. For more information about the tax holiday, and a complete list of tax-free items, please visit the Department of Revenue’s Web site:
http://www.dor.state.nc.us/taxes/sales/salestax_holiday.html
Thank you as always for your interest in North Carolina and state government. I hope you will contact me if I can be of any service to you.
2010 Laws
_ Members of the military in North Carolina can now use the military’s emergency data form to set out their wishes for how their bodies are handled if they are killed in service. Previously, the law recognized only a will, a health care power of attorney or a document witnessed by two other adults as legally sufficient directions for how a soldier’s body should be handled after death. Some members of the military did not use these other instruments because they believed their wishes as stated to the military were sufficient. The law (SL2010-191) also officially recognizes the Honor and Remember flag as a symbol to honor and recognize fallen members of the Armed Services.
_ North Carolina built upon the significant reforms it made last year to military voting with a law that makes it easier for deployed service members to vote. The most recent change in the law (SL2010-192) considers a single application for an absentee ballot from a uniformed voter as an application for all absentee ballots for elections the voter is eligible for in that calendar year. The change is intended to make it easier for deployed soldiers to vote without having to file multiple requests for absentee ballots.
_ The courts-martial rules for the state National Guard have been updated to more closely follow the system used by United States military courts. The law (SL2010-193) will help ensure that military court proceedings are handled consistently and professionally for our National Guard members.
_ Banks and other lending institutions are now prohibited from foreclosing on the mortgage of a member of a military who is serving an active duty deployment. A new law (SL2010-190) requires the lender to give the member of the military at least 90 days after the end of the deployment before they can foreclose on the property. The exemption applies only to property purchased before the deployment. The additional time granted is intended to help members of the military find ways to save the property from foreclosure if possible.
_ Another law (SL2010-39) signed by the governor earlier this year will make it easier for veterans of Operation Desert Storm and the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to get specialty license plates noting their service.
2009 Accomplishments
_We continue to appropriate funds to the community colleges so the NC Military Business Center can continue its important work. The military business center coordinates and facilitates for small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the state seeking to win and complete federal contracts, with a focus on military-related contracts. The center has received $2.5 million over the past two years.
_The North Carolina's Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy, a quasi-military program for high school dropouts, or expellees, received $2 million over the past two budget years. The program is sponsored by the North Carolina National Guard and receives matching funds from the federal government equal to $60 for every $40 of state funds.
_ Public university students called to active duty may soon be exempted from paying tuition penalties for not completing their degree on time. The University of North Carolina Board of Governors is working to establish a policy that excuses these students from paying the charge if their active duty is the reason for the extra time needed to complete their courses of study.
_A new state law will make it easier for members of the military reserves to renew their drivers’ licenses after they receive deployment orders (H.B. 98 - S.L. 2009-274). The law allows members of the Armed Forces to renew their drivers’ licenses upon receipt of deployment orders and give them a 30-day grace period for an expired license after they are released from military duty outside of the United States.
_Legislation meant to ensure that certain special license plates that are available to military veterans are issued to the right people has been signed into law (H.B. 1094 - S.L. 2009-121). The new law is intended to prevent impostors from purchasing military license plates, including plates that indicate the recipient of a Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Cross or Bronze Star. Applicants for these military plates would have to provide proof that they qualify for the plates.
_We have helped pass a new law regarding unemployment insurance compensation for certain severely disabled veterans who have been discharged due to a service-connected disability (H.B. 1124 - S.L. 2009-101). Severely injured veterans will now receive unemployment benefits if they lose their job because of a disability incurred or aggravated during active military service or because of the veteran’s absence from work to obtain care and treatment for that disability.
_A new state law directs the state’s occupational licensing to help deployed licensees waive or delay payment of fees and continuing education requirements (H.B. 1411 - S.L. 2009-458).This new law will help reservists who are sent off to war to keep from losing the licenses they need to keep their civilian jobs.
_ North Carolina’s absentee voting laws have been improved under a new state law (S.B. 253 – S.L. 2009-537). The law is specifically intended to improve the ability of military and overseas voters to cast timely ballots. This is incredibly important because it is vital that those defending democracy have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.
_Uniformed public safety officers will now be authorized to wear military service medals during the business week prior to Veterans Day and Memorial Day, the day of Veterans Day and Memorial Day, and the business day immediately following Veterans Day and Memorial Day under a new state law (H.B. 631 - S.L. 2009-240). Employers will maintain the right to prohibit the wearing of service medals if it’s determined they pose a safety hazard to the officer or to the public.
Notes
_ Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar announced in the past week that it would add more than 825 jobs at two sites in North Carolina. The company plans to build a $426 million plant in Winston-Salem that will eventually employ more than 500 people. It also has plans for a $30 million expansion at its plant in Sanford, where it will add 325 workers. Both projects received state economic development grants.
_ Furniture maker Ethan Allen Operations Inc. plans to create 90 jobs and invest $250,000 to expand its production capacity in Old Fort. The project was made possible in part by a $270,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
_ Boral Composites Inc., a sister company to Boral Bricks in East Spencer, plans to open a plant in Rowan County to produce a new “green” product line for homebuilding. The company plans to create 25 jobs and invest $12.8 million. The project was made possible in part by a $50,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
Prepared with the assistance of the Speaker’s Office of Communications
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