Expert Insight Into NC's Upcoming Legislative Session

Factory no longer is Doherty both felt good about me that you can do to this is a family policy matters weekly radio show and podcast from NC family designed to better inform listeners about the critical issues of the day and encourage you to be voices of persuasion for family values in your communities and now your host NC family Pres. John Rustin.

Welcome to family policy matters this week were pleased to bring you into one of NC families monthly cornerstone community calls the cornerstone community is the designation we have given to a special group of visionary partners who have invested deeply in the work of NC family through prayer, partnership and financial assistance as we strive to make North Carolina the most pro-life and profamily state in the nation. We invite these partners to join us for a monthly cornerstone roundtable conference call where they get the inside scoop on what's happening on important issues facing North Carolina families in January.

We were pleased to have a special guest. Join us for speaker pro tem poor of the North Carolina House of Representatives Representative Paul Skip Stamm is a state lawmaker spanning nearly 3 decades and is a leader in the house for many of those years. Skip brought a seasoned and unique perspective to our discussion about the upcoming session of the North Carolina Gen. assembly, which convened right at the end of January, facilitating the call is NC families communications director Tracy Griggs.

Skip thank you so much for joining some of the North County Gen. assembly changed since the last election of Republicans held onto majorities in both the state House and Senate lost super majority.

So how do you think this is going to affect how things are going to get done down there we go back to a little history in 95, 98, Republican majority the hell not the Senate but what happened in those years. Charter school started parental consent before abortion. In other words, you don't have to even have a majority of Republicans to that legislation in 2011, 12, was the first hundred in the 40 years that we actually had majorities about health and Senate. But it was not a vetoproof majority in the house so the fact that there is no longer a super majority in both houses does not mean that you can't do things never left. There are reduced majority so that means there are reduced opportunities for aggressive action, but it doesn't mean there are no opportunities.

Very helpful. So what's your sense of what will be the top priorities of the leadership here in general with the budget will probably be wanting to hold spending down to the what's called a worldly level that is inflation plus population growth and that'll be a big challenge because the governor want to spend more and there was been less so will be some Lotta back-and-forth talk specifics now. You were a leader in the pro-life movement in this state for over 30 years and still are, what are you hearing on that branch.

What might be coming down the line of life issues. Here's my perspective on this course, we get parental consent and pretty much did away with the state abortion fund when the Republicans did not even have majority in the Senate but starting in 11 and 12 we passed about 10 laws putting women's right to know a lot of insurance issues and they were pretty contentious. Although one of the amazing things is almost none of them had lawsuit successfully gives them except one part of the ultrasound and then currently in litigation is effectively a ending of abortions after 20 weeks. That particular provision went through with no discussion, no debate, no controversy in committee on the floor and even took Planned Parenthood a year after it went into effect even realize it was there.

It however it's been 2015. Since the assembly that's four years has been asked to actually vote on anything pro-life in 1718. There were some very good provisions put in the budget funding are pregnancy care centers for ultrasound a lot of money for ultrasounds and that kind of thing, but that was part of a hunt bureau 400 page budget and so they were not really a big issue.

It's probably time to have a couple of bills actually voted on up or down try to pass him. I think we can two things that were introduced in 2018 or 17 that they could have a chance are one a proposal to stop what's called dismemberment abortions. That is what I child is cut up in the womb after being fully formed and Bob pulled out piece by piece that gives search of surgical abortions usually get on the second trimester. 10 states now have that a couple of more litigation and it's pretty hard to vote against.

I would think the second one is to encourage a new procedure you may know that almost half of their abortions are done by pill rather than by surgery. But if after that first bill is given. If progesterone treatments are started within the first say three days, two thirds of those pregnancies can be carried safely to term and you have a ghetto baby and I would think a lot of women might have second thoughts after they've had their first thought. So I think that's one that we would have a good shot, quick clarification on the abortion pill what what would you be the women taken first abortion pill would have to be informed that they could get changed. Yes, that proposal you can't tell the doctor what to say what you can do is tell the doctor after you given a woman. The first bill is usually called RU-486 the hand or a piece of paper that says the state of North Carolina advises you that this is potentially reversible. If you're interested call this toll-free number to the reverse pill hotline there about 400 doctors nationwide who know how to do this and it it's not that difficult.

It's just injections or pills for progesterone. This basically counteracts that first pill, something we don't hear a whole lot about so that seems like some important information normally tell them, okay, you have about three days. Take this second pill which is a different thing which starts contractions go to, but if they can take this progesterone before those contractions start going about two thirds of the time they can have a successful pregnancy listening to a radio show and cast from the family. You can sign up to receive, to listen to the show online resources you need to explain anyone any website, namely 19 choice because we know that you also have worked very hard in years past remote choice North Carolina. We also know that the governor has come out against some of the funding for school choice. What projections might you have on what may happen mostly short is were trying to get the amount given for scholarships based on a percentage of what's given through through the public schools.

In one case, 80% 85% so that it goes up with inflation, rather than having the set amount and not only does it mean you wouldn't have to adjust it every few years for inflation, but it also makes it more transparent to legislators and the public that this saves money.

It doesn't cost 100% of what it costs to ghetto subsidized the child in a traditional public school will also propose. I hope a slight will slight increase in the amount of money someone can make and still qualify for some of the rest of it is sort of technical but the there's enough money there now for opportunity scholarships, but there always have a waiting list for disability scholarship and that would seem to be something that be really hard for the governor to complain about. So we are good asked for increase in the disability scholarships as will build up from about 13 million this year up about another 2 million next year. Thank you Joe Benton gambling for a moment. I know this is another issue that dear your heart you worked very hard to control that. Any thoughts on what might be coming down the pike on that yes one of the vetoes that was not overridden by the governor and thankfully the governor was right on this right at the casino nights that passed the assembly that really expanded local gambling and really was a precursor to getting all these videogames all over the state and the governor vetoed. I wouldn't surprise me if that came back up again and I would hope he would sit with the again and vetoed again, but one provision about Bill. An earlier version of the bill would have allowed for gambling casinos in individual home, not just for nonprofits and there was a very expensive version of the bill that was introduced initially and as it went through the house and the Senate got paired down a good bit and we were very appreciative of the governor's veto will not particular bill because it did help to forestall that from getting an active yes and especially new proposals for sports betting. This is been facilitated by the decision of the US Supreme Court, which basically says it's up to the states and you got ghetto chairman's of committees that are talking about regulating and taxing legalizing sports betting. I'm proud to say all I'll add that there's a huge push nationally to expand gambling. All of the country, not only the daily fantasy sports that we hear about which is handling draft kings but having national broadcast television, ESPN, and these other broadcast and cable sports channels.

The facilitators of significant sports gambling in the country and so we are really the tip of the iceberg as it relates to that we been able the last two years to the three proposals that would legalize daily fantasy sports gambling in North Carolina that is temperature setting. These efforts are definitely going to continue because there are millions and millions if not billions of dollars. You know we've been talking a lot again on our end of your mailings to people about how important state legislation has and ripple effect across the nation and how important that kind of work that we do here at family policy Council in you not only what happens in our stake but what happens and reverberates across the country.

Could you become not just a little bit about this give one example. If you rummage in the dismemberment by abortion law. If it hadn't already passed in 10 states and ineffectiveness we be less likely to be ask able to get through North Carolina because precedents are set and so some of the precedents we set in school choice. Particularly, it also our pro-life laws have been used in other states because they see it work, eugenics, compensation, North Carolina was the first nation to do it. Virginia followed a year later because they read about what we did for people that want to hear more about the things that you've written out you have a website you want to give us the yes yes Paul Stamm got it so PA UL S CAM.gif oh and go under articles about good art you been listening to a special edition of family policy matters with an inside look at one of NC families monthly cornerstone community calls with special guest and former representative Skip Stamm if you would like to find out how you can partner with and see family and become a part of the cornerstone community. Visit our website@ncfamily.org/cornerstone that's NC family.org/cornerstone to listen to the show online information resources that will help you be a voice of persuasion, family values in your community. Visit our website@ncfamily.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter