Senator Ralph Hise. Legislative Update 47 th District, North Carolina Senate

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1 Legislative Update 47 th District, North Carolina Senate 312 Legislative Office Building, Raleigh, NC Phone: Volume 7, Issue 7 March 17, 2017 Responding to State of the State Address Sen. Phil Berger delivered the Republican response to Gov. Roy Cooper s State of the State address Monday. It is the second time Republicans have had the privilege to respond to a Democratic governor s State of the State and just as before Speaker Tim Moore and President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, together with my fellow House and Senate Republicans, won t allow North Carolina to move backwards. We will continue to trust the citizens of North Carolina not government to make the best choices for your family. And we will continue to be guided by the principle: That government is best which governs least. Please click the photo below to watch Sen. Berger s full response. Proposing $1 Billion Tax Cut for Middle Class Families and Job-Creating Businesses

2 The chairmen of the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday unveiled a roughly $1 billion tax cut proposal that would provide relief to the overwhelming majority of North Carolinians with the most dramatic reductions going to middle class, working families, and job-creating small businesses. The Billion Dollar Middle Class Tax Cut Act, would continue Republican-led efforts to reform, simplify and cut state taxes making our tax climate the most competitive in the region and among the most competitive in the nation. This proposal brings the total to more than $4.5 billion in tax relief since Please click here for the tax plan s full details. Senate Passes Bill to Put Constitutional Amendment to Keep Income Taxes Low on Ballot The North Carolina Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would let voters choose whether to amend the North Carolina Constitution to keep income taxes low. If the bill becomes law, voters will consider a constitutional amendment on the November 2018 ballot to lower the maximum personal income tax rate in North Carolina from 10 percent to 5.5 percent. The amendment does not limit the growth of state government spending based on changes in population and inflation a provision erroneously described by critics as TABOR. North Carolina suffered from the some of the highest taxes in the Southeast during Gov. Roy Cooper s days in the General Assembly, and since he says he doesn t want to raise taxes, he should enthusiastically support this proposal. But if not, it will reinforce why this amendment is needed to keep spendthrift politicians from returning to the days of high taxes and multi-billion dollar deficits. Confirming Secretaries of the Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety On Thursday, the Senate unanimously confirmed James Trogdon as Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Erik Hooks as Secretary of the Department of

3 Public Safety. Leading the agencies responsible for keeping North Carolinians safe and building the roads and bridges needed to connect them to their jobs and families are critically important roles. I appreciate Secretary Hooks and Secretary Trogdon for committing to serve our state honorably, and for participating in this confirmation process. Responding to Governor s Veto On Thursday, Governor Cooper vetoed legislation that would restore partisan elections for local judicial races, helping ensure North Carolina voters have more information about the candidates they elect. If the governor believes partisan politics has no place on the judges bench, he should stop suing the legislature when he loses political battles. In the 2016 election, almost 800,000 fewer North Carolinians voted in the Supreme Court race than in the presidential race because they did not have enough information about the judicial candidates. Surely, Gov. Cooper does not wish to suppress voter turnout in our judicial races. I hope the governor will stop playing politics and focus on the needs of the state moving forward. N.C. Economic Development Update Sen. Berger received the Legislator of the Year Award with Speaker Tim Moore from the N.C. Economic Development Association on Wednesday. This accomplishment is the result of my fellow Republican members of the House and Senate and our tireless work to solve some of our state s biggest challenges over the past six years. Call me biased, but North Carolina is blessed with some of the most abundant natural resources, the finest research universities, and the most creative and hardworking people in the entire country. We should all be proud of our state.

4 And no matter how many people try to claim that just because of one divisive social issue the sky is falling or North Carolina doesn t have one of the most competitive economies in the nation, the facts speak for themselves. Here are just a few of our recent national rankings: Most dramatic improvement in the Business Tax Climate Index s history from 44th to 15th in one year (Tax Foundation 2015) No. 1 Most Competitive State (Site Selection 2015) No. 2 Best Business Climate (Site Selection 2015) No. 2 Best State for Business (Forbes 2016 ) No. 3 Best State for Business (Chief Executive 2016) No. 3 Lowest State & Local Tax Burden on Business (E&Y/COST 2015) No. 4 Best Regulatory Environment (Forbes 2015) No. 5 Lowest Business Costs (Forbes 2015) No. 5 America's Top States for Business (CNBC 2016) Winner of Site Selection s 2016 Prosperity Cup (Site Selection 2016) Top 12 Destinations for World Travel Raleigh, NC (Forbes 2017) As always, please feel free to contact my office at any time with your concerns or questions. Thank you for the opportunity to continue representing you in the North Carolina Senate. Best regards, 47th District Please forward this information to your family, friends, and neighbors. To unsubscribe, please click here.

5 Need help? If you need assistance in any state government-related matter, please contact me.