Political Opinion: From Sen. Jarvis' Desk - December 16, 2022
Dear Friends,
I hope everyone has had a wonderful week! We've had a busy week with District 29.
Dr. Sonja Parks received the Order of the Longleaf Pine award, the highest award for state service, at the Davidson County commissioners meeting on Monday, Dec. 12. She is the retired assistant superintendent for Rockingham County Schools, devoting 32 years of her life to education, and worked for Davidson County Schools for 24 of those years.
Thousands of Eastern North Carolinians affected by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018 have yet to receive the help they need. State lawmakers, during a hurricane response and recovery subcommittee meeting Wednesday, expressed dissatisfaction with the progress made in getting people into homes, or doing necessary repairs, and a deep concern for the lack of accountability and transparency with companies contracted for repairs and rebuilds.
Check out the WRAL documentary team investigates what happened to these hurricane victims in our latest documentary Aftermath: North Carolina Hurricane Victims Left Behind on Youtube.
The Davidson County Delegation (Senator Jarvis, Rep. Potts and Rep. Watford) were honored to be able to secure $15.2 million in state capital and infrastructure funds for Davidson-Davie Community to build a new emergency response and public health facility.
The NCGA Senate Page Program is now accepting page applications for the 2023 session. This program offers students in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades the opportunity to learn about and participate in our state's legislative process. Applications can be submitted through the NC Senate website.
Christmas is an expensive time of year! According to today’s release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.1% in November. On an annual basis, prices increased 7.1%. Though this is the smallest annual increase since December 2021, most items are still more expensive. Core inflation which excludes food and energy, is up 6.0% on an annual basis.
In the wake of the attack on Moore County’s electric substations with gunfire that left thousands of people and businesses without power for several days, North Carolina legislative leaders are seeking ways to protect the state’s infrastructure. Top leaders cautioned that they want to wait until more information is known about the damage in Moore County, which has been described by officials as an intentional act to disable the substations with gunfire, before proposing specific new laws.
The General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee adopted a final report on Tuesday with recommendations ranging from changing K-12 special-education funding to improving employee morale in the Community College System.
When the lights were turned on for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree late last month, a little bit of North Carolina was again front and center in downtown Washington, D.C. The North Carolina tree comes a year after a smaller, but equally as majestic state pine was selected to be the official White House Christmas tree. Christmas trees are an important North Carolina crop that we are proud to represent this time of year.
One of High Point's sewer plants has accumulated nearly $75,000 in state fines this year related to more than two-dozen violations. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality notified officials Monday that it had received the city’s latest penalty payment: $4,000 for carbon monoxide emissions at the Eastside Wastewater Treatment Plant on Aug. 17 that were four times higher than the state’s acceptable daily limit.
A legislative committee wants to give more school calendar flexibility instead of recommending new restrictions that would force North Carolina public schools to start after Labor Day.
Lexington and Thomasville have received state grants that will allow two local companies to renovate and expand existing buildings, creating a total of 51 new jobs in Davidson County.
Merry Christmas from my family to your! We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!
If you have concerns, or questions, you can reply to this newsletter, email, or call my office at (919) 733-5743.
I also take time each day to personally call citizens in our district to listen to their concerns. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you!
Senator Steve Jarvis,
NC District 29
