public hearings

Hearing was better than e-mail

bniolet — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:35:00 -0400

House Speaker Joe Hackney said the budget public hearing helped bring home how state spending affects people.

"There's nothing like hearing the personal stories and how the programs we fund affect them," Hackney said as the hearing wound to a close.

He said lawmakers routinely receive e-mail messages on countless subjects. But seeing people talk about the state's spending was far better.

Hackney, the House appropriation chairs and a handful of other lawmakers stayed throughout the three-hour hearing. Rep. Darren Jackson, a freshman Democrat from Raleigh said the hearing was also helpful for the audience members across the state, who got a flavor of the many directions lawmakers are pulled by constituents.

"It's a tough year," Jackson said, of the state's budget picture.

The hearing was a well-attended event that included plenty of speakers from the usual constituent and advocacy groups. But it also featured personal stories from state residents.

More at Four worked

bniolet — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:26:17 -0400

More at Four helped Beth Palmer's twins to overcome a speech problem.

Her twin sons were hard for most people to understand. The result is that they were shy and reluctant to be with other children, Palmer, 40, told House members at a budget public hearing.

Palmer, of Raleigh, said her children got help with the speech problem in the More at Four program. The Senate has proposed cutting More at Four, part of a move to eventually merge it with the Smart Start program.

"Since being at More at Four the have blossomed into little chatter boxes," Palmer said.

Budget can help, hurt families

bniolet — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:12:45 -0400

House members heard from a Charlotte father whose son suffers from a debilitating genetic disorder.

Glen Stephens of Charlotte spoke from Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte. He described the ravaging effects his son suffered from Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome, a genetic disorder that has severe and debilitating effects on the brain.

"While most families are enjoying smiles, eye contact, first syllables and first words, my wife and I were dealing with screams, absent stares, stiffness and a complete lack of communication," Stephens said.

His son is 3, but developmentally is comparable to a 6-month old. Stephens said he and his wife are barely holding on as they try to care for their son and keep a job.

Stephens urged House members to keep benefits and programs for families who have to care for disabled children.

"My son, Gabriel and the children like him, they don't understand politics, economic downturns or budget deficits," Stephens said. "They live moment by moment and day by day."

'Public' comments came from interests

bniolet — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:41:35 -0400

Early in the House's public hearing on the budget, most of the comments came from people representing various interest groups.

Childcare advocates, the AARP, a teacher's group and the Eastern Carolina Council on Aging had representatives speak in favor of more funding for their interests.

"When you make the cuts that you must make, please be mindful of not adding to the struggles that families are facing," said Melinda Lawrence, executive director of the N.C. Justice Center.

Two people said they were representing themselves. One spoke against the 287(g) program, which allows sheriffs to file immigration charges and another spoke on behalf on mental health funding.

Budget hearing draws a crowd

bniolet — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:19:20 -0400

The House's public hearing on the state budget drew more than 200 people Tuesday night.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people showed up at the 10 community college campuses that are conected to the hearing through video conference. The crowd at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh included the usual mix of lobbyists and interest groups. But it also appeared to include a number of regular folks who wanted to talk about the state budget.

House Speaker Joe Hackney invited attendees to comment on state spending, including cuts in pay to state employees. Hackney attempted to summarize the difficult challenge facing budget writers. The spending deficit next year is likely to be more than $4 billion, a 20 percent loss to the budget.

Filling that hole won't be easy, Hackney said.

"We will continue to look for programs that have outlived their usefulness," he said. "Most of our money is spent for good programs that help people and which shoudl continue. We can't stop taking care of our roads or turn loose the people in our prisons or close our schools."

Speakers will have two minutes to comment. The House will accept comments through e-mail through midnight at town.hall@ncleg.net.