The Raleigh Report
from the office of Representative Marian McLawhorn
November 6 , 2008

Next week, our nation will celebrate Veterans Day.  I know that all of us are grateful for the service of these men and women. At the state level, we have tried to show our appreciation during the past session by granting military members more educational opportunities, protecting their health, and watching over the family members they leave behind when they are deployed. We have had a great deal of success in these areas, and in the session ahead we will continue looking for ways to recognize their contributions to our state and nation.

I was honored to have been re-elected on Tuesday for a sixth term in the House of Representatives.  Thank you very much for your support, and I look forward to serving you in the session ahead. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns that I can assist with and thank you for your interest in our state.

Education

_ The state appropriated $240,000 to hire four additional school counselors for school systems near Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point Marine Corps air station and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. The counselors will help families in those counties deal with issues related to deployment and relocation. They will also be available to work with military families in adjoining counties.

_ North Carolina has joined the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The compact was created to make changing schools easier for children of military families by creating consistent enrollment, record transfer, student placement, and extracurricular activity guidelines. The new law (SB 1541) allows for the enforcement of administrative rules and uniform collection and sharing of information. It also promotes flexibility and cooperation between the schools, parents and students as these families are transferred to new posts.

_ This year’s state budget includes an additional $326,500 for scholarships and related educational materials for children of veterans killed or disabled during wartime. The total amount for the program is now nearly $9.6 million, including $6.9 million from the escheats fund.

Family

_ A new law protects the parental custody and visitation rights of deployed and active members of the military. The bill (H1634) permits expedited custody hearings for service members called into duty and hearings via telephone for service members deployed on short notice.  It also prevents a parent from citing deployment as a reason to modify or change custody arrangements.  Under the new law, any custody order issued because of deployment expires within 10 days of the soldier’s return.

_ The state allocated $420,000 to support three assistance centers that help families of deployed National Guardsmen. The centers provide the families benefit and planning services.

Health

_ Through our budget, we paid to set up a hotline that veterans returning home from war can use if they believe they need mental health care. Some veterans say they are embarrassed to seek mental health care through the military for the trauma often suffered during duty in war.

_ The General Assembly appropriated $1 million in the state budget for traumatic brain injury services and required that veterans and their families be among the target populations for the money.

Employment

_ North Carolina is experiencing the largest deployment of soldiers since World War II. Since September 11, 2001, more than 60,000 service members have been deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan or on related missions.  A new law (H1412) clarifies that veterans and their surviving spouses or dependents get preference with state departments, agencies, and institutions. We also added a veteran to the State Personnel Commission (H1413), which sets policies and establishes practices for hiring in the state. Teachers and state employees called into active duty will now receive credit for time spent in the military for retirement purposes (H1414), and they will not be denied short-term benefits because of absences for military service (H1415).

Consumer Protection

_ Service members who put their lives on the line for our nation deserve protection from people who would prey on their families while they are away or preparing to deploy. A new law (H773) helps protect members of the military from predatory life insurance policies that may not cover death in combat and predatory annuity sales. The law also prohibits false, misleading, deceptive, or unfair acts.

_ In addition, through the budget, the state has hired a consumer protection specialist within the Department of Justice to help keep service members and their families safe from scams.

Miscellaneous

_ During the past two years, the state has appropriated $2 million for morale, recreation and welfare programs on military installations. The money is being shared among all branches of the military in the state, including the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard. The legislature also allocated $1.25 million to help the North Carolina Military Business Center foster business development originating from the state’s military bases and $3 million to the Defense and Security Technology Accelerator to help build businesses tied to homeland security and national defense.

_ The General Assembly set aside $500,000 to help a nonprofit organization complete architectural plans for the Museum of the Marine, a tribute to the contributions the U.S. Marines have made to our world and nation. The museum will be in the city of Jacksonville, near Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base.

_ The state appropriated $15 million to help build the new North Carolina State Veterans Park, which includes a formal garden, a visitors center and a Freedom Trail.

Please remember that you can listen to each day’s committee meetings and press conferences on the General Assembly’s website at www.ncleg.net. Once on the site, select “audio,” and then make your selection – Appropriations Committee Room or Press Conference Room. You can also use the website to look up bills, view lawmaker biographies and access other information.