11 February 2013

legislative correspondance to Senator Neal Hunt


UNSUBSCRIBE & personal note Re: Neal Hunt News
1 message
Crystal J. De la Cruz <delacruz.hopper@gmail.com>Mon, Feb 11, 2013 at 12:46 PM
To: "Sen. Neal Hunt" <Neal.Hunt@ncleg.net>



 Dear Senator Hunt,

As your constituent, I met with you last year for a brief half hour regarding critical concerns as a parent for the Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled recipients caught in the middle of North Carolina's Medicaid reform "bru-haha." You were very kind and attentive though by your own admission, you were unfamiliar with the Health and Human Services programs that serve and help support children and adults like my daughter. I left you with quite a bit of paperwork. I never received any feedback, though perhaps I should have been more proactive in following up; I can only imagine however that you are as busy as I am.

I am writing to request that you please unsubscribe me from your mailings. 

I am not interested in political finger-pointing regarding who did why and for how much when current NC House and Senate cannot even be bothered to understand not only the Medicaid budget but the irresponsible dynamics behind the shortfalls and more importantly, the devastating repercussions to our state's most vulnerable citizens. In my humble opinion, we as a state will never be able to move ahead until we ALL begin to recognize our commonalities and work together with the very best of intentions for every one, not just those of like minds. 

Regarding the Medicaid reform, there are still very real issues endangering the livelihood of families such as mine, threatening the supports and services which allow us to work and provide for our families. 

To date, to my knowledge, no one outside of the DHHS "powers that be" and the like (MCOs and LMEs) have been permitted to speak / present to the NCGA nor even to the DWAC, unless you count the 3 minute allotment of time. Advocacy groups such as Disability Rights and The Arc of NC are accused of having an agenda (does not everyone?!!) and family members who sometimes drive hours just to speak up are most often met with condescension.

North Carolina historically is not a proactive state with regards to the welfare of the people. This issue will be no different as there are far too many egos on the line and obscene amounts of money invested in an unprecedented system of care. Meanwhile, it seems no one is interested in hearing from those who have the most to lose - the recipients and their families. Never mind those family members of recipients who are uninsured themselves. 

Our exhausted pleas continue to fall on deaf ears.

Again, I thank you for your time and as always, I invite you to contact me anytime.


Kind regards,

--
Crystal J. De la Cruz - Hopper
Mother, Advocate & Concerned Citizen

When we allow the value of human life to be determined by capital gain, when we sacrifice the well-being of the most innocent among us to compensate our own shortcomings, and when we judge the worth of our most fragile, not by their character nor intention, but rather their abilities – We Are in Crisis.


"The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life . . . the children; those who are in the twilight of life . . . the elderly; and those who are in the shadow of life . . . the sick . . . the needy . . . and the disabled."
          --Hubert H. Humphrey


On Fri, Feb 8, 2013 at 11:51 AM, Sen. Neal Hunt <Neal.Hunt@ncleg.net> wrote:



Legislative Newsletter


Legislature
309 LOB
(919)733-5850
neal.hunt@ncleg.net

February 8, 2013

Business
(919)781-3464
info@nealhunt.com


On January 30th, the General Assembly convened to begin the work of the long session. The pomp and circumstance of opening day is over and it is now time to begin solving our state’s major issues. I’m confident that the Senate will foster solutions to help alleviate our state’s fiscal problems and get us back on the road to prosperity.

The NC Senate leadership will focus on common sense, business-friendly approaches to our state’s fiscal issues. In addition, we will block federal mandates that we know will put North Carolina further into debt. Here is a summary of what we hope to accomplish this session:

1.    The Budget – I have the pleasure of serving as one of the three chairs to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Our state government needs to run a budget like any North Carolina family or business. When the leadership took office in January 2011, we inherited an approximately $3 billion budget shortfall from the previous leadership. This shortfall was created by excessive government spending, termination of federal stimulus dollars, and loss of revenue due to the recession. Last session, we created a balanced budget that cut wasteful spending, lowered taxes, and created more funding for teachers. We will face many challenges due to Medicaid funding and other federal mandates, but rest assured we will pass another balanced, common sense budget.

2.    Tax Reform – We need to modernize our tax system to make our state more competitive with other states and the global economy. North Carolina’s top personal income tax rate is the highest in the South and the 11th highest in the nation. The lowest personal income tax rate is higher than or the same as the highest rate in all but two southern states. Our corporate tax rate of 6.9% is also the highest in the southeast. We must reform our system to promote business productivity and lower our unemployment rate of 9%. Some proposals being discussed that we will explore include:
·         Lower or eliminate the personal income tax
·         Lower or eliminate the corporate tax
·         Broaden and increase our state sales tax to include services (legal fees, haircuts, movie tickets, etc.).
·         Implement a reasonable flat corporate business fee instead of a corporate tax
·         Implement a real estate transfer tax small enough to make sure we don’t stifle transactions.
·         Eliminate taxes on business to business transactions, and
·         It will be revenue neutral.
We also need to address how the poor and elderly will be affected by adding sales tax to
food.  I believe a tax rebate will probably be offered in the event the personal and corporate
income taxes are eliminated. I look forward to debating these proposals as we make sure we
have the best tax reform solution. Our goal is to produce a tax system that is transparent,
simple, and promotes economic growth and prosperity for all.  It is about 50 years overdue as
we transitioned from a manufacturing economy to a service oriented one.
.
3.    Unemployment Insurance Reform – Currently, North Carolina has the most generous unemployment insurance in the southeast. The state is required to repay $2.57 billion to the federal government that was borrowed to pay unemployment benefits after unemployment soared during the recession. This is a heavy burden on our budget, and our businesses that pay for all federal unemployment insurance (FUTA). As long as the money is owed, the federal unemployment taxes that employers pay will increase $21 per employee each year. Our economic situation has left thousands of North Carolinians unemployed and looking for work. We believe we have to provide adequate unemployment insurance to our state’s unemployed, but still remain conscious about our state’s business environment by providing an atmosphere for business and employment expansion.

4.    Election Reform – This session will bring many changes to our election laws, including:
·         Voter ID - Providing photo identification to vote is necessary to combat voter fraud in our state. I have no doubt that a voter ID bill will pass both chambers and that Governor McCrory will sign it into law.
·         Early Voting - I expect we will see an effort to shorten the time period of early voting. This attempt to generate more voters during an election is costly to local government, confusing to voters and has not increased voter turnout.
·         Partisan Judicial Races - I am cosponsoring Senate Bill 39, which will make judicial elections partisan. Voters should not be blind to judicial candidates’ views.
·         Publically Financed Political Campaigns – I believe we will see an effort to eliminate tax payer funding of judicial campaigns.

5.    Medicaid Expansion – In the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), the court exempted states from the federal mandate to expand Medicaid eligibility. I do not support expanding Medicaid given the tremendous budgetary burden of an expansion. Just last year, the General Assembly was forced to fill a surprise Medicaid shortfall that totaled more than $500 million. An expansion of the program would add hundreds of millions of dollars in additional state costs to our Medicaid budget through 2019. I am focused on identifying solutions that meet the challenges facing our state and fostering a health care system that offers more accessible and affordable care to North Carolinians.
6.    Obamacare – I have cosponsored Senate Bill 4, a bill that would prevent the establishment of a North Carolina health benefit exchange as provided by the Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare). Senate Bill 4 passed the Senate on February 5th(32-17) and now moves to the House. Obamacare specifies that each state must have in place a health exchange where individuals and small businesses can purchase health care coverage. Implementing a federally mandated, state-run exchange or a state-federal partnership would have serious unintended consequences for NC.  A state-run program will only force our taxpayers to foot a massive bill for administrative, infrastructure, and operational expenses. Obamacare was a federal bill that I and many others believe was a serious mistake.  The states should not be forced to shoulder the burden of funding and implementing it.

We have many great new policy ideas for North Carolina. These policies will lead to private sector job growth, generate a new business-friendly environment and reinvigorate the private sector economy.

As always, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve you in the Senate. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact my office; your comments and thoughts are always welcome.

Sincerely,

Neal Hunt


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