On Two
Critical Issues, NCCBI -- And You -- Must Speak
Up
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 Member Alert.
Your Response Requested
NCCBI's influence in
state politics -- that is, the influence of its
2,000 members that the association collective
exerts -- was acknowledged twice this week in
Raleigh's politically savvy newspaper, the News
& Observer. It's nice to get your name in the
paper, but now NCCBI and its members must show we
deserve the credit so we can go on to win on two
important issues we're advocating -- passage this
fall of the $3.1 billion bond issue for higher
education facilities and a constitutional
referendum on legislative session limits. It is
critical that you and all NCCBI members get
involved in supporting both these issues.
On the opinion page of Sunday's N&O,
Associate Editor Steve Ford said:
“Who's to complain that Phil Kirk, who wears
two 10-gallon hats as president of North Carolina
Citizens for Business and Industry and also as
chairman of the State Board of Education, will
head up the campaign to win approval of the big
university/community college bond issue this
fall? Don't look at me. The bonds need to pass,
and Kirk has the savvy and clout to make sure
they do.
“With all that horsepower behind it,”
Ford adds, “this drive to pass the largest
bond issue in Tar Heel history has the makings of
a blowout success.” That's an admittedly
optimistic view, he continues, but “victory
on the bonds would be consistent with what seems
to be a general pattern: What the business boys
want, the business boys tend to get.”
Later in the column he grudgingly admits that
what the business boys want is also what the
N&O has solidly supported over the years.
Better public schools. A nationally recognized
system of higher education. A booming economy
that lifts all boats. Efficient, effective state
government. Better teacher pay. Smart Start. The
list goes on.
Then in Friday's Under the Dome column, Raleigh's
most reliable source of hot political news, the
House and Senate leaders said it's up to NCCBI
whether the legislature passes session limits.
"I'm ready to run the session limits
bill," House Speaker Jim Black said in the
column. "That doesn't mean I'm going to try
to round up the votes to pass it. We'll run it
when N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry say
they have the votes." Black first issued
this challenge -- departing from his prepared
text to do so -- when he spoke at NCCBI's
Legislative Conference three weeks ago.
Dome said Black knew an informal head count by
NCCBI showed that 49 of 80 House members surveyed
would vote for session limits. "We're very
pleased with the positives," Kirk told Dome.
"We haven't gotten very many hard no's, but
a lot of undecideds.”
"I need to know if this is something we're
going to try to do," Black told Dome. He
said there might be -- and he emphasized
"might" -- the required 72 votes in the
House to place on the ballot a constitutional
amendment limiting the length of sessions.
Do we have the votes? We will if enough NCCBI
members contact their legislators and urge them
to support session limits. Pick up the phone.
Send a fax. Send an e-mail. Button-hole them at
the grocery story. Here are the phone, fax and
e-mail addresses of the members of the House and Senate. Tell them North Carolina
doesn't want professional politicians running a
General Assembly whose sessions run on for months
and months. We want to keep our 200-year history
of a citizen's assembly where people who have
real jobs can still serve in the legislature.
North Carolina is one of a very few states that
doesn't have any limit on the length of state
legislative sessions. Texas' legislature meets
every two years. Virginia's meets for 60 days one
year, 30 days the next. In 1998 the North
Carolina legislature convened in May and stayed
in Raleigh until Halloween.
Last year, the Senate passed a bill that would
limit the legislature to meeting no more than 135
days in even-numbered years and to 60 days in
odd-numbered years. It's now awaiting action in
the House while House Speaker Black waits to hear
from you.
Keeping our citizens' legislature. Passing the
university and community college bonds. These are
important issues. You need to get involved to
make them happen. Together, NCCBI and its members
have helped shape a better North Carolina. Let's
not rest on our laurels, though. These are
today's challenges. We hope you respond today.
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