Rep. Darren Jackson
N.C. House of Representatives
District 39
Knightdale, Wendell, Zebulon,
Garner, and Raleigh
301-N State Legislative Office
Building
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603
(919) 733-5974 (Office)
darren.jackson@ncleg.net
February 7, 2011 eNewsletter
Volume XXVIII
Leadership
With the change in control at the
Thom Tillis of Mecklenburg County has
Speaker of the House. Rep. Dale Folwell
elected Speaker Pro Tempore. I have been
General Assembly, Rep.
been elected the new
of Forsyth County was
appointed to
I look forward to serving in these roles and representing the
interest of the people of our community.
The pace of our work increased in the General Assembly this
week, with committees beginning to meet and some bills reaching
the House floor. We have also been attending briefings to
understand the depth of the budget deficit the state faces. The
governor has been asked to trim at least $400 million in
spending over the next few months to help reduce the deficit in
the coming fiscal year. We are also forced to make other cuts to
budget, but I will be fighting to make sure we cut smartly and
do the least amount of damage possible to education and job
supporting programs.
I also want to let you know that I joined with 49 other
legislators this week to oppose an effort to force North
Carolina’s
Attorney
General
to
join
pending
legislation
challenging the new federal health care reform law. It is a
waste of the state’s limited resources to join a lawsuit that is
already underway and that will bind North Carolina no matter how
the courts ultimately rule. Also, the most recent polling on the
reform effort shows that the largest percentage of those polled
in the state support strengthening reform over repeal.
Thank you for this chance to share information with you. I
am including summaries below of some of the bills filed recently
that I believe will help North Carolina and I hope you do, too.
Economic Development
-A committee looking for ways to continue promoting economic
growth and stimulating job creation would be re-established
under legislation filed in the House this week. The legislation
would authorize the Committee on Global Engagement to study: the
state’s
current
international
activity
in
the
business,
government and education sectors; barriers to international
trade that could be addressed by state legislation; options for
targeting and recruiting international business
to North
Carolina and means to increase foreign investment in the state,
among other duties. (H23)
Crime
-The state crime lab would work under the guidance of a forensic
science advisory board and an ombudsman if the General Assembly
approves legislation filed this week. The legislation is the
result of a study committee put together after complaints about
the quality and impartiality of the lab’s work. The bill (H27)
would also rename the lab, require certification of forensic
science professionals and clarify some of the state’s statutes
on forensic evidence. I served on this study committee and am a
co-sponsor of the bill
-We have asked for the 23 fully certified child advocacy centers
in North Carolina to get expanded capability to conduct forensic
interviewing for children who may have been victims of crime. We
have also asked for more resources to help these centers develop
comprehensive community responses to child abuse and to better
coordinate criminal and treatment efforts to address child
abuse. (H16)
Notes
-Capgemini, a consulting and information technology company
headquartered in Paris, will establish a delivery center in
Charlotte. The company plans to create 550 jobs over the next
three years and will invest $4.2 million.
-Red Hat, a North Carolina based software developer and the
world's leading provider of open source software, will expand
its headquarters in Wake County. The company will add 540 jobs
and invest $109 million.
My office number is 733-5974 and my email address is
darren.jackson@ncleg.net.
I look forward to hearing from and
working with you. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve.
As always, please contact me if I can be of service to you.
______________________________________________________________________
**Note: You are receiving this newsletter because you have either provided me with
your email address or sent my office an email over the last several months. If you do
not wish to receive future eNewsletters, please reply “unsubscribe.”