AAUW-Brevard Voter Guide Questionnaire

Candidates for North Carolina House and Senate

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QUALIFICATIONS

1.	What are your strongest qualifications for this position?

HEALTH

In North Carolina, the number of people without health insurance
continues to grow, now at over 18% in Transylvania County. The cost of
Medicaid has been increasing more than any other portion of the state
budget over the last several years. At the same time the US Congress
has reduced Medicaid funding to states.
2.	Policy changes may be required to deal with rising Medicaid costs. From the list below, please indicate the IMPORTANCE (Not, Somewhat or Very) you assign to the following proposed changes:
A.	Adjust benefits and require cost sharing by recipients:

Not	Somewhat	Very

B.	Control prescription drug costs:

Not	Somewhat	Very

C.	Address inappropriate or excessive payments:

Not	Somewhat	Very

D.	Examine how federal and state Medicaid funding is	shared:

Not	Somewhat	Very

2A.	What would you propose to address your choices?

3.	Nineteen state legislatures considered proposals to expand health
coverage in 2005. Would you support some form of statewide public
health insurance for North Carolina residents?

Support	Oppose

3A.	Please comment below:

MENTAL HEALTH

By many accounts, the North Carolina mental health reforms begun
five years ago are seriously under funded, lack sufficient
accountability, and have resulted in a failure to provide critical services to families in need.
4.	What would you propose to improve the way the state provides mental health services to its citizens?

ENVIRONMENT

Although North Carolina has addressed many environmental issues, the
state still ranks 37th in the US in clean air and 38th in clean
drinking water. Our state is listed as one of the ten top states for
mercury “hot spots,” with 60% of the mercury emissions in NC
estimated to be from coal-fired power plants.

5.	What would you propose to address air quality problems in Western
North Carolina?

6.	Would you support requiring that North Carolina’s coal-fired power
plants install pollution control equipment to reduce mercury emissions
significantly in the near future?

Support Oppose

6A.	Please explain your response.

IMMIGRATION

The federal government has the sole authority to govern immigration.
However, the responsibility for providing support, such as schools,
health care and law enforcement, to undocumented immigrants, rests with
state and local governments. Recent estimates are that North Carolina
is home to about 250,000 undocumented immigrants, and this number
is expected to continue to grow.
7.	What options are available to the State Legislature to address the
impacts of large numbers of undocumented immigrants on our communities?

EDUCATION

Two areas of primary concern in education for North Carolina are a
looming teacher shortage and the recent increase in our school
dropouts. Within five years, approximately 40% of current teachers are
expected to leave the profession. Colleges and universities project a
shortfall in graduates for the teaching profession. In 2004, after four
years of decline, NC’s high school dropout rate increased. Both of
these issues threaten our state’s ability to prepare its young people
to participate as productive adult citizens in our society. Threatened
also is the state’s ability to offer a well-educated workforce to
employers.
8.	What would you propose to increase and retain a pool of qualified
teachers in North Carolina?

9.	What legislation would you propose to assure that all students
graduate from high school?

ECONOMY - MINIMUM WAGE

The present federal minimum wage has remained at $5.15 per hour for
more than eight years. At that rate, a full-time worker would earn just
over $10,000 a year, barely over the poverty level for one person.
Estimates place the average “living” wage in North Carolina at $12.32
an hour for a full-time, year-round worker. Sixteen states have already
set a minimum wage higher than the federal rate.
10.	Would you support raising the North Carolina minimum wage above the current federal level?

Support Oppose

10A.	Please explain your response.

ECONOMY – JOBS

Western North Carolina continues to lose manufacturing jobs in a US
economy that is increasingly composed of professional, technical and
other service industries. This has resulted in job loss, loss of
benefits and lower incomes for many in our region.

11.	What would you propose to build the economy of Western North
Carolina?

Thank you for completing the form. Your responses will be posted on our Voter Guide Page of our Web Site: www.aauwbrevardnc.org shortly.

If you are using MS Word to complete this form, (1) go to File, (2) Select “Send to” and (3) and then click on “Mail recipient (as Attachment)” and (4) Paste harriethutch@citcom.net in the “To” line of the e-mail and Send.

Name of Candidate:

Name of Respondent: Date: 3/1/2006

NC House and Senate Questionnaire Page 8 of 8

AAUW-Brevard Voter Guide Questionnaire

2006-03-02