Ethics will be on agenda for last week of session
By Andrew Bell
Published in News on July 23, 2006 2:04 AM
Members of the North Carolina General Assembly, which has been in a short session since May, decided to extend the session one more week before adjourning, mostly to reach a decision on ethics reform legislation, some Wayne County's representatives report.
Members could have worked through the weekend to "iron out differences" between the House and Senate bills regarding legislative ethics and lobbying reform, but they decided to give the issue another week for discussion, Rep. Louis Pate, R-Wayne, said.
"I believe Wednesday should be our last day for the session. As long as everything is done, we should be able to adjourn for the end of the session," Pate said.
House members will return to their chamber Monday, and senators will return to Raleigh Tuesday. Establishing new ethics and lobbying laws has been an issue throughout the short session, but Sen. John Kerr, D-Wayne, said he is confident the issue will be resolved before both chambers adjourn.
"We're just finishing up with this ethics issue. It's been a very tough and difficult issue, but that's all we have left on the table," Kerr said.
In both houses, local members have submitted and approved legislation that should benefit Wayne County during the two-year session.
One of the most important legislative issues for Wayne County over the last couple of years has been the work leading up to the positive results of the Base Realignment and Closure report, which kept Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, Pate said.
This year in the statehouse, an effort spearheaded by Kerr will bring the support necessary to construct a new Cherry Hospital for the region. The $145.5 million project will build a 375,000-square-foot hospital that could create as many as 1,000 jobs, Kerr said.
Of that $145.5 million, about $20 million should be available this year for site analysis and planning and design costs. Once the project begins, it should be completed in about 42 months, Kerr said.
The hospital could even see more expansion before construction begins, Kerr said.
"There's a very good chance that the area Cherry Hospital has served will expand to Johnston and Cumberland counties. I think that will be about a 15 or 20 percent increase in the amount of people seen. We're working to solidify that. That'll increase job opportunities and meet the needs of the people," Kerr said.
Wayne County officials have said they were hoping the General Assembly would take up the question this session of providing more financial support to ease the Medicaid burden facing the county and its taxpayers.
In the next year, local taxpayers will pay about $17.5 million, or about 15 cents on the tax rate, to cover Medicaid costs. North Carolina is the only state in the country that requires counties to pay for all Medicaid services, which has become a major burden on county budgets.
"Medicaid costs have gotten out of control, and there's no help coming from Washington, D.C. Maybe the state can pick up some of the costs," Kerr said.
Pate said he believes members will tackle the issue when legislators reconvene following November's general election. During the short session, legislators approved distributing about $27 million to the state's 100 counties. Residents and county officials could see more support next year, he added.
"We've taken a step toward the counties not having to pay as much on Medicaid. It's something that will save the taxpayers money, but I think we might try to look for a better solution next year," Pate said.
Another issue that could come up next year is providing affordable health insurance to small businesses, Kerr said.
"I think it costs about $500 for an emergency room visit there in Wayne County. I think we need to help out the people that need some insurance," Kerr said.