“I think these recent tragedies point out the need to send a stronger message to these folks,” Moore said. “If you drive drunk in North Carolina, you will go to prison.”

The Cleveland County Republican is drafting a bill that would stiffen the penalties for motorists convicted of DWI. He’s naming it Laura’s Law in memory of Laura Fortenberry, who was killed when an accused drunken driver slammed into her car outside Dallas July 25.

Howard Pasour, 28, is charged with second-degree murder in the teen’s death. He’s been convicted of DWI three times in the past eight years.

In Shelby, 25-year-old Brian Swindle pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Tuesday for impaired driving in a wreck that killed his passenger, 18-year-old Megan Sanders, last October. He was sentenced to roughly 12 to 16 years in prison.

“As a parent myself, I just can’t imagine losing my child to anything — much less a senseless crime like DWI,” Moore said. “It’s terrible.”

Longer prison terms

Laura’s Law would increase the amount of time drunken drivers spend behind bars by making DWI convictions subject to structured sentencing, Moore explained. Currently, the crime falls under North Carolina’s Fair Sentencing Act, which can allow prison terms to be drastically reduced.

“If a judge sentences an offender to 24 months in prison, the offender should actually serve 24 months in prison,” said Moore, a Kings Mountain attorney.

State lawmakers adopted the Fair Sentencing Act in 1981 as a form of “determinate sentencing” to make prison terms for the same crimes more uniform, according to the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts. The Structured Sentencing Act followed in 1993 and set minimum and maximum sentence length for crime classifications based on prior criminal history.

More monitoring

DWI convicts who are ordered not to drink alcoholic beverages as a condition of their probation are sometimes required to wear ankle bracelets that monitor blood-alcohol levels through the skin. Moore said current law sets a maximum monitoring term of 60 days.

“I think that a judge ought to be able to require an offender to wear that device for up to two years,” he said.

Other provisions to crack down on habitual drunken drivers may be added as Moore works on the first draft of Laura’s Law. He hopes to introduce the bill when the General Assembly reconvenes in January and said he expects broad bipartisan support.

“A really strong message needs to be sent on this in the prosecution, in the judiciary and certainly in the legislative level,” Moore said. “I will do my part to help on the legislative level.”

Source: Gaston Gazette
Reach Corey Friedman at 704-669-3331.

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Creating jobs and promoting economic development are among the most important and most challenging functions of government, especially in difficult economic times. North Carolina has a strong workforce and many people willing to work; however, our outdated tax system and high income tax rates place the state at a severe disadvantage when competing for good jobs. I believe we must lower taxes in order to gain more jobs for our citizens, grow our economy, and protect our hardworking taxpayers.

Throughout my tenure in the legislature, I have never voted for a tax increase. I continue to fight for the passage of the North Carolina Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which will result in dramatic tax reductions in our state, as well as the Small Business Tax Exemption that will give small companies many of the tax advantages enjoyed by large companies. These measures will stimulate the job market in Cleveland County where small businesses provide the vast majority of jobs.

As your Representative, I have made protecting our children a top priority. In 2008, I secured the passage of the Jessica Lunsford Act for NC. This law protects our children by providing that certain criminal offenses of rape or sexual offenses committed against a child are punishable by either life imprisonment without parole or a mandatory active sentence of twenty-five years and lifetime satellite-based monitoring. The law also increases the penalties for sexual exploitation of a minor and makes the registration requirements more stringent. It is my goal to make North Carolina known for its tough laws protecting our children.

During the 2010 short session of the General Assembly, I co-sponsored legislation that made it possible to bring to fruition an announcement of over 200 jobs in Cleveland County. I believe Cleveland County’s best days are ahead. There are several exciting projects on the horizon.

I will need your continued help and support to realize our potential. I pledge to continue serving as a strong conservative voice for Cleveland County and for North Carolina. Please feel free to email me to discuss your views on the issues. If you would like to volunteer for the 2010 Campaign, I welcome you to be part of TEAM TIM MOORE! Please Volunteer Now! I appreciate the opportunity to serve as your State Representative, and I look forward to continuing to serve you in 2011!

Tim Moore

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The Governor has until midnight, Monday, August 9^th, to act on bills passed by the General Assembly. So far, the Governor has signed into law 95 bills with 101 public bills pending on her desk. The link to check the pending bills is: Public bills on the Governor’s desk.

Legislation that has gone into effect July 1, 2010 may be found at this link:

2009-10 Legislation Effective July 1, 2010

It pleases me that House Bill 1973, Various Economic Incentives, passed out of the House with a vote of 72 to 31 and is now waiting for the Governor’s signature. This economic development bill is extremely important for Cleveland County with keeping existing jobs and competing for new companies and jobs. We are competing with other states for jobs, and the other states have incentives. Our state has to offer incentives for us to stay competitive in today’s economy.

Another bill to pass the House was the DNA bill, (House Bill 1403, Collect DNA Sample on Arrest). The final vote was 83 to 21 after a much heated debate. As I stated before, this bill will provide law enforcement with a useful tool in solving crimes and protecting the public. The Governor signed this bill into law last week.

House Bill 1824, Coyote Controls, passed and will become law after the Governor signs the bill. Once signed into law, it will provide an additional method of trapping coyotes. Further explanation can be found by linking on the bill link.

Also, the ethics reform bill (House Bill 961, Gov’t Ethics and Campaign Reform Act of 2010) passed. With much controversy still surrounding the former Governor and others, more ethics reform was greatly needed. A couple of the things in the bill include political appointees to disclose fundraising activities, and the penalty is increased for exceeding campaign contribution limits. The bill overwhelmingly passed with 105 yes votes.

Several of you have asked me about what Senate Bill 897 contained regarding small businesses. The bill provides the following tax relief to small businesses:

• It extends the 5-year carryback for net operating losses sustained in 2009. (Section 31.1)
• It provides a refundable income tax credit to small business taxpayers whose gross receipts for the taxable year are less than $1,000,000. The credit amount is equal to 25% of the amount of the unemployment insurance contributions the taxpayer paid during the calendar year on wages paid to an individual. (Section 31.1A)
• It increases the sales tax threshold that determines when a retailer must prepay a portion of the next month’s anticipated sales tax collections from $10,000 to $15,000 effective October 1, 2010, and to $20,000 effective October 1, 2011. (Section 31.3)

Additionally, the bill provides administrative relief to small businesses by stipulating that the first annual report of an LLC is due April 15 following its year of organization. (Section 31.4)

The next session of the General Assembly will convene January 26, 2011.

Thank you for the honor and privilege to serve as your Representative. My legislative office remains open during the interim. Please feel free to contact us with any concerns or comments you may have. We look forward to hearing from you. You can reach us at our Raleigh number at 919-733-4838 or you can e-mail us a timm@ncleg.net or Moorela@ncleg.net.

Best Wishes,

Representative Tim Moore
Serving Cleveland County

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As a primary sponsor of House Bill 726, I am pleased to report the bill passed the House Tuesday and has gone to the Governor for her signature. The new law will close the sex offender loophole in the state sex offender registry. We want to make sure those sex offenders who are on the national sex offender registry who are living in North Carolina are also on our state sex offender registry.

Yesterday we voted on House Bill 80, Ban Electronic Sweepstakes, and the bill passed 86 to 27. The bill had a long debate, and after much discussion and consideration, I voted in favor of the bill. In 2006, video poker was banned, but this bill clears up any confusion concerning computer-based sweepstakes. The bill now awaits the Governor’s signature.

Senate Bill 20, Public Financing Changes, is on the House calendar today. I am totally opposed to this bill regarding the tax supported election of the State Treasurer. A number of you have sent me e-mails and asking me to vote no on the bill, and I will vote no.

House Bill 1403, Collect DNA Sample on Arrest, overwhelmingly passed the House. This bill was supported by law enforcement and the Conference of District Attorney’s that permits law enforcement to obtain DNA from those charged with a crime. DNA is the modern fingerprint and the bill spells out the appropriate uses and safeguards of this non-testimonial evidence, and also provides for its destruction and expungement of that date when and if charges are dismissed or there is an acquittal. The bill strikes a good balance in my opinion of protecting individual liberties while also providing law enforcement with a useful tool in solving crimes.

Jobs continue to be my focus this week, and a couple of the important bills that are to be voted on today that will benefit Cleveland County are:

Senate Bill 1171, Keeping North Carolina Competitive Act – This bill is a companion bill to my House Bill 1958. The bill is to modify eligibility for economic incentive sales and use tax exemptions; to modify eligibility for the one percent privilege tax on datacenter machinery and equipment; and to modify the circumstance under which the Department of Commerce may extend the base period for JDIG grant.

House Bill 1973, Various Economic Incentives – I am very hopeful this economic development legislation will also pass today because it means jobs and jobs for Cleveland County.

Ethics legislation has passed the House and the Senate but there are differences in the two bills. We do need stronger ethics, and I sure hope before we adjourn the differences can be worked out and the conference bill is passed.

Other bills of interest this week include:

• House Bill 1377, Safe Schools Act
• House Bill 357, School Absence for Religious Holidays
• Senate Bill 181, Drivers Licenses Change Expiration/8 Years Through 65

With the session ending, a number of important bills have not been allowed for consideration by the leadership. A few of the important issues left undone this session:

• Responsible budgeting decisions – Critical questions remain about the budget adopted last month for the upcoming fiscal year. Estimates are that next year’s structural budget deficit will exceed $3 billion. Adopting zero-based budgeting and spending priorities this year would have lessened the pain we know is coming next year.

• Jobs, Jobs, Jobs – We need regulatory relief as well as a reduction in the marginal tax rates to small businesses will have an incentive to create jobs.

• Health Care Freedom – Consideration of a bill to protect the freedom for our citizens to choose health care and health insurance. Senate and House Republicans requested action on a bill to allow individuals to continue to make their own health care choices and forgo federal mandates under the recently adopted federal health care legislation.

• Executive oversight for state employees’ health care plan – Provide accountability for the fiscal stability of the state health care plan by placing its responsibility in the Executive Branch.

• Prohibit illegal immigrants from attending NC Community Colleges.

• Marriage amendment – consideration was not allowed for a constitutional amendment to provide that marriage in NC is between one man and one woman.

• Tax fairness in education

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I will send out a final update at the end of the week once we adjourn session sine die for the year.

Please feel free to contact us with any concerns or comments you may have. We look forward to hearing from you. You can reach us at our Raleigh number at 919-733-4838 or you can e-mail us a timm@ncleg.net or Moorela@ncleg.net.

Best Wishes,

Representative Tim Moore
Serving Cleveland County

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• $177 million (1% agency cuts)
• $26.6 million cut to Medicaid provider rates
• $23.5 Million reduction in the General Fund
• $30 Million reduction to the Disaster Reserve
• $50 Million interest from other funds
• $35 million Unclaimed lottery prize money
• $37 million savings reserve reduction
• $139 million reduction to the retirement fund contribution
• Total is $518.1 million

The reduction to the State Retirement Plan worries me because according to our staff, this Plan has an $8 billion unfunded liability. State employees have worked hard, and we need to protect this Fund. Our State Treasurer, Janet Cowell, is very concerned with the reduction.

Also, $34 million in tax breaks for small businesses is only a small part of the $19 billion budget. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we need to do all we can to help them create jobs as well as maintain and keep jobs. The budget in my opinion does not go far enough in helping economic development and tax reductions.

My bill that has the sex offender loophole language, House Bill 726, passed out of the Senate yesterday and passed out of the House Judiciary II committee this afternoon. It should be up for a final vote on the House floor next week on Tuesday. This will tighten our law with respect to sex offenders and making sure they are not only on the National Registry, but also are on our NC Sex Offender Registry.

The Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform Committee took up a bill yesterday regarding tax supported election of the State Treasurer. I am totally opposed to so called “voter-owned elections” and using taxpayer money to fund any elections, and I am working to see that this proposal does not pass into law.

House Bill 1910, Shelby May Inspect Cleveland County Vehicles, that I filed passed the Senate this week and will become law after the Governor signs the bill.

Many of you contacted me last week and this week concerning House Bill 1726, Improve Child Care Nutrition/Activity Stands. There was actual debate on the amount of juice that should be allowed each child in a child care facility–4 ounces vs. 6 ounces. The 6 ounces are in juice packs, and some members wanted to see a child be limited to 4 ounces and to only drink the juice out of a cup. I voted against this bill, but in the end, the bill passed the House and went to the Senate where it may or may not be heard. The bill also talked about limiting children to what kind of milk they drink. This is what I consider the “Nanny State” when the legislature is trying to mandate what kinds of juices and milks children are allowed to drink in day care. These are choices to be made by parents and government should get out of the business of trying to tell parents how to raise their children.

Other votes on bills this week included:

• House Bill 1307, No Felon as Sheriff
• House Bill 1669, Require Use Education Value Added Assessment System in Schools
• House Bill 1757, Fitness Testing in Schools
• Senate Bill 1201, Additional Flexibility/Cooperative Innovative High Schools

We are expected to come back in full force Tuesday, and the short session is expected to end Friday or Saturday.

I hope you have a safe and happy July 4th!

Please feel free to contact us with any concerns or comments you may have. We look forward to hearing from you. You can reach us at our Raleigh number at 919-733-4838 or you can e-mail us a timm@ncleg.net or Moorela@ncleg.net.

Best Wishes,

Representative Tim Moore
Serving Cleveland County

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http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news%2Fabc11_investigates&id=7506807

I am a co-sponsor of House Bill 2079 – State Savings Fund that is sponsored by Rep. Dollar. This bill would amend the State Constitution to address future budget shortfalls by creating a State Savings Fund. If there is a downturn in state revenues during a recession, the savings fund would provide revenue. Instead of one-time budget fixes, big cuts in programs, and tax increases, the Fund would be an on-going appropriated line item in the budget. It would grow as the state’s budget grows. Also, the Savings Fund would facilitate a program to address the State’s critical infrastructure needs. To address future revenue shortfalls, this budget reform is needed.

Shelby May Inspect Cleveland County Vehicles, House Bill 1910, that I filed along with Rep. England and Rep. Burris-Floyd passed out of the House this week and will be heard in the Senate Committee on State and Local Government next week.

The budget conferees are continuing to work on the budget. We are still hearing there will be a budget vote next week although there continues to be division regarding the education budget with the budget conferees. Also, the FMAP (federal Medicaid Assistance) money of $450 to $500 million issue has not been resolved. It is my understanding the House wants to pass a budget without the FMAP money and the Senate wants to keep the money. If the money does not come from the Feds, more cuts are expected. I will keep you posted as things develop.

The General Assembly honored the Duke’s men’s basketball team today for winning the NCAA title on April 5. It was an exciting time (especially for the Duke fans).

Some of the bills we are voting on today include:

• House Bill 466, Consumer Choice and Investment Act Changes
• House Bill 1936, Remove Sunset/Private Sale Local Government Bonds
• Senate Bill 887, Amend Electronics Recycling Law
• House Bill 1804, Energy Policy Council Green Energy Study

Thank you for the opportunity and privilege of serving as your Representative.

Please feel free to contact us with any concerns or comments you may have. We look forward to hearing from you. You can reach us at our Raleigh number at 919-733-4838 or you can e-mail us a timm@ncleg.net or Moorela@ncleg.net.

Best Wishes,

Representative Tim Moore
Serving Cleveland County

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I filed three bills, House Bill 1958, Keeping NC Competitive Act, House Bill 1842, Wood Chipper Sales Tax Exemption, and House Bill 1839, Sales & Use Tax Sunset Modification. The language from these bills was inserted into the omnibus economic incentives bill above, House Bill 1973. This language will beneficially impact Cleveland County because we have data centers looking at our area, and we already have a company that makes wood chippers. Also, this bill contains the incentive language for Clearwater Paper. As you are aware, the company announced it was opening a facility in Cleveland County that will employ between 250 and 400 when opening. We are very pleased that no amendments were proposed or adopted that would have removed the items of interest to Cleveland County.

Economic development legislation is vital for our state to remain competitive and to help create and retain jobs. This bill, Keep North Carolina Competitive Act, is good and timely for our state and will help Cleveland County. Incentives may not be the best way, but it is a way to bring jobs, and they will be real jobs. This bill has taken diverse interests and put them all together. If neighboring states are offering incentives and we are not in a position to offer those incentives, then we do not get the jobs. With our county’s unemployment rate around 13.2%, my priority continues to be jobs: new jobs coming to Cleveland County as well as keeping existing jobs. A brief summary of the bill is below:

SUMMARY: This bill would do the following:

1. It would extend the sunset for Article 3J from 1/1/11 to 1/1/14, modify the definition of agrarian growth zones, modify what types of environmental events disqualified a taxpayer from qualifying for certain economic incentives, and reduce the credit for investments in business property under Article 3J.
2. It would enhance the film production tax credits.
3. It would create a new credit for producers of interactive digital media.
4. It would modify and enhance the sales and use tax benefits for datacenters and create sales and use tax benefits for certain industrial facilities
5. It would extend the sunsets for economic incentives for taxpayers that construct renewable fuel facilities, biodiesel producers, interstate passenger air carriers, and professional motorsports racing teams and sanctioning bodies.
6. It would create economic development incentives and favorable tax treatment for Eco-Industrial Parks.
7. It would exempt from sales tax certain woodchipping machinery.
8. It would provide a price-matching preference to North Carolina businesses in the purchase of goods.
9. It would establish a statutory preference for small North Carolina construction firms seeking construction contracts awarded by the State.
10. It would encourage the use of multiple award schedule contracts.

This week at the General Assembly negotiations continue on the budget with the House and Senate Conferees meeting. We are hearing the feds are probably not going to deliver on the $500 million in federal Medicaid money. This means further budget cuts will be necessary to balance our budget. There are still differences in the House and Senate versions with the Senate being more generous with University funding and not with K-12.

With the 4th of July fast approaching, folks have been inquiring about the new law that passed last session, Senate Bill 563, Pyrotechnics Safety Permitting Act. This new law is to try and prevent tragedies from occurring and requires training for individuals that discharge pyrotechnics. Training sessions have occurred across the state, but currently, there are no trainings scheduled between now and July 4th. The Department of Insurance is trying to get a bill this session (Senate 992) that will clarify changes made last year and allow the Department to grant temporary licenses to individuals who were unable to obtain a license in time for the July 4th holiday this year.

It is my understanding that the annexation issue has been put on hold for this session. I am disappointed the issue is not being voted upon because I continue to believe that we must reform and reign in involuntary annexation. Many people on both sides of the issue have been at the legislature voicing their opinions.

Several of the bills voted on yesterday included:

• House Bill 1729 –Motor Vehicles Law Changes
• House Bill 1746 – Water Infrastructure Information Needs
• House Bill 1747 – Water Supply System Capacity Planning

As always, please feel free to contact us with any concerns or comments you may have. We look forward to hearing from you. You can reach us at our Raleigh number at 919-733-4838 or you can e-mail us at timm@ncleg.net or Moorela@ncleg.net.

Best Wishes,

Representative Tim Moore
Serving Cleveland County

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It was an honor to accompany Governor Perdue flying in from the capital yesterday in attending Cleveland County’s Economic Development announcement before having to return to the NC House of Representatives session. This announcement is a great asset for Cleveland County with the 250 plus jobs that will be provided by Clearwater Paper Corporation. The company will build its facility in Shelby, and the jobs the company will provide will greatly help with our unemployment situation. The Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership and all levels of government worked together with the State in recruiting this company, and I am proud of all the efforts of everyone involved. This is a great example of public / private partnership producing real results for our region. We look forward to continuing economic development initiatives that will bring more jobs to Cleveland County and North Carolina.

As to economic development, I am a co-sponsor of House Bill 1973, Extend Various Economic Incentives Sunsets. A committee substitute was reported favorable, and the bill was re-referred to the Committee on Finance. The bill title is long, but the bill is to help businesses in our state. The title of the bill is: An Act To Enhance the Competitiveness of the Credit for Production Companies; To Expand the Types of Datacenters Eligible for Preferential Tax Treatment; To Increase the Number of Industries Eligible for Sales Tax Refunds on Building Materials for Major Industrial Facilities; To Extend and Expand Tax Credits for Growing Businesses; To Extend Sunsets on Expiring Economic Development Tax Benefits; to Provide Economic Development Benefits for Projects Located in Eco-Parks; To Provide A Sales Tax Exemption for Certain Wood Chippers; and To Make Changes to Purchasing and Contracts. This bill is directly related to recent economic development announcements in our area and some other announcements I hope are to be made in the near future.

On other items this week, an amendment was proposed this week by Rep. Blust (R- Guilford) to House Bill 1829, Economic Development and Tax Collection Changes. The amendment would have required the state to pay taxpayers interest for delays in tax refunds. The amendment failed based largely on a party line vote with all Republicans voting for it and three Democrats voting for it. I strongly supported this amendment and regret it was not adopted into law.

Yesterday there were 19 bills on our House calendar. Some of the bills voted on included: House Bill 1698, Update Long-Term Care Statutes, House Bill 1743, Department of Environment and Natural Resources/Local Government Commission Evaluate Water System Operations, House Bill 1705, Consumer Guidelines for Hearing Aid Purchases, Senate Bill 866, Retiring of State Flags, and House Bill 636, School Calendar Flexibility/inclement Weather.

You may always listen to the House and Senate sessions through your computer or check out the status of any bills, by going to our website at the General Assembly: www.ncleg.net and then look for the chamber audio link.

Thank you for the opportunity and privilege of serving as your Representative.

Please feel free to contact us with any concerns or comments you may have. We look forward to hearing from you. You can reach us at our Raleigh number at 919-733-4838 or you can e-mail us a timm@ncleg.net or Moorela@ncleg.net.

Best Wishes,

Representative Tim Moore
Serving Cleveland County

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We voted on the House budget late yesterday afternoon with the third vote after midnight this morning. The budget passed 62-55. After the second vote, House and Senate conferees were appointed to work out the differences between the Senate budget and the House budget. While there are some good things in the budget, I voted No because at the end of the day, I felt like we needed tax relief and more emphasis was needed on jobs and economic development. There is a tiny bit of tax relief for a few small businesses, but they will not create jobs. There is a $250 tax credit for certain employers who provide health insurance for their employees. I agree that is good, but I am not sure $250 will inspire someone to hire an employee. Also, there is a section for putting those unemployed back to work and the amount is $333 a year for three years, but it is contingent on a number of factors.

A concern to me in the House budget is counting on $500 million in federal Medicaid money. We do not know if the feds will deliver on this money or not and if they do not, our required balanced budget will be out of balance. An alternate plan is supposedly in the works by the House leadership.

A few things in the budget include: Saving 1,600 teacher jobs by using $126 million in lottery money, More at Four is cut 3.7%, and school districts’ administrative staff is cut 2.2%. $85 million is added to the community colleges because of the big increase in enrollment, but the administrations will take cuts. Tuition will increase at community colleges by $8 per credit hour. $139 million is cut from UNC campuses and the in-state tuition rates that go to out-of-state scholarship athletes are cut $9.4 million. The need-based financial aid that was cut last year is restored ($12 million).

We have heard from many folks regarding Personal Care Services. The Department of Health and Services wants to save in the area of Personal Care Services by making sure those who receive the care truly need it. Mental Health has $18.8 million restored from their cut last year and new investigators are being added to investigate Medicaid fraud.

I did propose an amendment which was adopted into the budget on the House floor. The House bill originally cut $100,000.00 from the North Carolina Special Olympics and I decided to fight and restore that. We were successful in getting that amendment passed and the Special Olympics funding was restored. For me that was the bright spot, knowing that those athletes and families will be able to continue participating in such a significant program.

We had a debate on the House floor on an amendment presented by Rep. Holloway to do away with end of course tests in schools in U.S. history, physical science and civics except for Algebra II and those required by No Child Left Behind. This would put testing money into classroom supplies and other school essentials. The amount saved from these tests is approximately $2.1 million. I spoke in favor of the amendment. I have talked with parents and teachers regarding this issue, and also, as a parent, I see how everyone is affected by testing. We need to get away from so much standardized testing and teaching to the test. I am pleased to report that the amendment passed.

If you would like to read the House budget, please click on the following links:

2010 Budget (SB 897 Bill Status History)

• New – Text – Senate Bill 897, 6th edition engrossed, as it passed the House of Representatives 6/4/2010
• New – Report – House Appropriations Committee Report on the Continuation, Expansion and Capital Budgets, Senate Bill 897, 6th Edition includes all House Floor Amendments adopted through June 4, 2010

Legislators were told Wednesday the State Health Plan will be $400 million to $500 million short at the end of 2011 or at the beginning of 2012. The Director talked about the increase in medical costs that have led to losses. Deductibles and co-payments have been raised for state workers along with dependent coverage having increased premiums. The news on the health plan is not good, and I remain concerned with future budget issues due to the loss of more than $1 billion in federal stimulus money next year that filled in during the budget process last year.

The Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors has announced grants to projects in Cleveland County for over $3 million. $8.5 million in grants was awarded to the entire state so Cleveland County did exceptionally well. Many in our community have worked hard on these grants, and we are grateful to all who have contributed their time, ideas, and energy. I am pleased the Golden LEAF Foundation made these grant awards to the county. This is an example of where state government is doing good things, and I am hopeful more will be coming in the near future. I am continuing to work on legislation for economic incentives grants that will be available. The approved grants are to: City of Shelby for the Foothills Commerce Center Job Ready Building ($1 million), Cleveland Community College Foundation to provide information and AV technology at the planned LeGrand Center ($1,113,500), and to Cleveland County for $1 million for an economic development project.

Thank you for the opportunity and privilege of serving as your Representative.

Please feel free to contact us with any concerns or comments you may have. We look forward to hearing from you. You can reach us at our Raleigh number at 919-733-4838 or you can e-mail us a timm@ncleg.net or moorela@ncleg.net.

Best Wishes,

Representative Tim Moore
Serving Cleveland County

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The unemployment rate for our state went down a little in April to 10.8 percent and that is good considering we had a record high of 11.2 percent in February. Jobs and more jobs for our area continue to be my focus.

I am concerned with what I am hearing regarding the education part of the budget. One of the subcommittees recommended cutting 3.3 percent ($360.5 million) in education spending. The Education subcommittee has proposed adding $90 million more in lottery funds to go to the early grades. I want to do all I can to protect our children’s teachers’ jobs and to ensure our children receive an excellent education.

Rep. Burris-Floyd and I filed House Bill 1958, Keeping North Carolina Competitive Act. This bill is an act to modify and clarify eligibility for job creation to keep North Carolina competitive. Some large companies are looking strongly at our region for location of new businesses. When we are competing against other states for new employers, we have to make certain that our tax code is in a form that will allow us to bring those jobs to North Carolina. We are working very hard on these efforts in collaboration with the county and the Department of Commerce. I am hopeful good news for Cleveland County will be around the corner in the coming weeks.

It was recently brought to my attention about a sex offender being on the national registry who lives in North Carolina, but he is not on the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry. I continue to believe that we should make our laws the toughest in the nation with respect to sex offenders. The ABC affiliate of Raleigh, WTVD, interviewed me on this last week and ran the following news story that I have pasted as a link for you to watch. We are working to correct this issue, an apparent loophole in the law which was passed back in 1995 and only recently discovered. While we tightened these laws with the passage of the Jessica Lunsford Act in 2006, we need to go back and also address this issue.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/abc11_investigates&id=7463619

We filed House Bill 2005, Sex Offender Registry/Name Changes. This act provides that a person required to register as a sex offender much indicate on the initial registration form the name under which the person was convicted for the sex offense. Also, the sex offender must notify the appropriate sheriff of any name change and the bill directs the Division of Criminal Statistics to maintain the statewide registry so that a member of the public may conduct sex offender searches using any name or alias of a registrant plus the act appropriates funds to the Department of Justice for computer and software repairs to the statewide registry computer system. I filed this bill because I was alerted to the fact that if a sex offender had changed their name, their other names may not show up on the computer. NC has some of the toughest laws with the passage of the Jessica Lunsford Act, but House Bill 2005 will assist law enforcement and the public.

A couple of the bills that I am a co-sponsor on this week include: House Bill 1989, Reduce Tax Burden on Small Businesses—-would cap the tax rate on small businesses, regardless of entity type, at six and eight-tenths percent. House Bill 1963, Speak, Read, and Write English/Driver License. An applicant for a drivers license would be able to speak or read and write English with enough proficiency that the production of multiple tests and handbooks by the Division of Motor Vehicles is not necessary; thereby, netting a cost savings to the state. If we are going to issue a drivers license to someone, they should be able to understand and speak English.

As always, please feel free to contact us with any concerns or comments you may have. We look forward to hearing from you. You can reach us at our Raleigh number at 919-733-4838 or you can e-mail us at timm@ncleg.net or Moorela@ncleg.net.

Best Wishes,

Representative Tim Moore
Serving Cleveland County

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