N.C. Senator Ellie Kinnaird's Newsletter

May 19, 2010 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Ellie Kinnaird

Greetings from the North Carolina Senate,

Last week, the 2010 legislative session convened. During the “short” legislative sessions in even-numbered years, we have the responsibility of adjusting the two-year State Budget we passed last year and keeping it balanced. The budget will comprise most of our work this session.

Job creation and protecting education will be my top priorities in the Senate this year. As North Carolina continues to experience the effects of the economic downturn, our state is still taking in less money than projected, so we must cut around $800 million in spending. Still, I pledge to work to protect economic and education priorities even in the face of the economic crisis.

We will consider ways to help small businesses create and retain jobs and continue supporting initiatives in last year’s budget. Some examples of these are the “One North Carolina Small Business Fund”, which helps small businesses leverage federal grants, and the “Small Business Assistance Fund”, which will allow businesses with 100 or fewer employees stay open and preserve jobs through loans. We must protect critical job-training programs at our community colleges and do everything we can to prepare our workforce for 21st century jobs.

I have always been a strong supporter of raising teachers’ salaries. This year, we will focus on protecting teachers’ jobs first — I cannot consider laying off some teachers so that others can receive a raise. I will continue my commitment of protecting class sizes, especially in kindergarten through the third grade, and helping students succeed and graduate from high school. We must also support our community colleges and universities, which are key to our state’s economic future.

Last year, I supported a budget that cut over $2 billion in spending. With responsible budgeting, we are poised to come out of this economic crisis ahead and in much better shape than other states.

We are on track to introduce a budget this week. Please let me know your thoughts on these issues or on any other issue you feel is important to our community and our state. I look forward to hearing from you, and I appreciate the opportunity to continue serving as your state senator.

Paid for by Ellie Kinnaird for Senate • PO Box 668, Carrboro, NC 27510 • 919-929-1607 •