Rep. Shelly Willingham Legislative Lane Friday July 10, 2020

LEGISLATIVE LANE – Friday July 10, 2020

The Honorable Shelly Willingham

..At YOUR Service!…..

300 N Salisbury Street

Legislative Office Building

Suite 513

Raleigh, NC 27603

shelly.willingham@ncleg.net

(919) 715-3024 (O)

(919) 754-3224 (F)



DISTRICT 23

Edgecombe & Martin

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The Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce has named, Harriet Whitehead as its new Membership Director. Harriet started her position on July 7, 2020.

Harriet is a lifelong native of Halifax County. She is a graduate of Halifax Community College with an associate degree in Applied Science in Paralegal Studies and recent graduate of North Carolina Wesleyan College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

STUDENT SCHOLARS

David Griffin Named to UA Presidents List

July 7, 2020

David Griffin, of Rocky Mount, NC, (27804), was named to The University of Alabama Presidents List for spring 2020.

A total of 16,470 students enrolled during the 2020 spring term at UA were named to the Dean’s List with an academic record of 3.5 or above or the President’s List with an academic record of 4.0 (all A’s).

The UA Dean’s and President’s lists recognize full-time undergraduate students. The lists do not apply to graduate students or to undergraduate students who take less than a full course load.

Caroline Paul Named to Dean’s List

June 29, 2020

Caroline Paul of Rocky Mount was named to the Dean’s List by Dr. Troy Shoemaker, president of Pensacola Christian College, for academic achievement during the 2020 spring semester. This was a result of earning a semester grade point average of 3.00 or higher.

Bryan Paul Named to Dean’s List

June 29, 2020

Bryan Paul of Rocky Mount was named to the Dean’s List by Dr. Troy Shoemaker, president of Pensacola Christian College, for academic achievement during the 2020 spring semester. This was a result of earning a semester grade point average of 3.00 or higher.

Pensacola Christian College is a liberal arts college enrolling students from every state in the U.S. and from around the world. The College has an enrollment of nearly 5,000 students (undergraduate, graduate, and seminary) and offers a variety of programs of study.

Ian Lutz Named to Dean’s List at Mount St. Mary’s University

Jun 24, 2020

Ian Lutz of Rocky Mount has earned Dean’s List honors for the Spring 2020 semester at Mount St. Mary’s University, achieving this accomplishment despite transitioning to online learning midway through the semester due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Aubrey Hollerman of Rocky Mount, NC, Named to Dean’s Honor List

June 22, 2020

Cedarville University student Aubrey Hollerman of Rocky Mount, NC, majoring in Accounting, was named to the Dean’s Honor List for Spring 2020. This recognition required Hollerman to maintain a 3.75 GPA and carry a minimum of 12 credit hours.

Bills to Re-Open High-Risk Activities Fail

North Carolina’s cases and hospitalizations continue to hit record-highs. Today we are over 1,000 hospitalizations for the first time.

Legislators have repeatedly tried to override Governor Cooper’s orders and the recommendations of state and national public health experts to re-open the riskiest activities. This week it was arcades, amusement parks, large public gatherings for fireworks, gyms, bowling alleys, and skating rinks.

COVID-19 continues to spread in North Carolina. Its spread threatens the public health, school re-openings in the fall, and our economy. How do we fight the virus?

1.   Wear masks.

2.   Continue to keep the riskiest activities closed, such as bars.

3.   Socially distance and Stay at Home as much as possible.

I feel tremendously for businesses that are closed and for businesses that are open, but are failing. Until the public health situation improves, consumers will not resume normal spending patterns and our businesses will suffer. We have to control the spread of COVID-19!

Controversial Bill Language on Death Record Secrecy Defeated

During a recent late-night legislative session, a bill passed that included a provision that may have made death records confidential. The language attracted widespread opposition from advocates for heightened scrutiny of death cases involving law enforcement and from advocates for more openness and transparency in government. Others argued that the language did not make the records private.

Governor Cooper vetoed the controversial bill, blocking it from becoming law. Additionally, I supported a new bill that made it crystal clear that death records need to be public.

Bill Defeated to Allow Guns on School Property in Some Circumstances

HB 652 contained a number of changes to our current gun safety laws. It expanded the number of people who can conceal carry handguns to include EMS personnel and certain law enforcement personnel. Additionally, it allowed guns to be on the premises of churches that are also used for school purposes.



HB 652 passed the General Assembly, but was vetoed by Governor Cooper and that veto was sustained this week.

I initially voted Yes on HB 652 because of my concerns for our first-responders. First-responders are highly responsible individuals who are sometimes left alone in dangerous situations. If can otherwise meet the concealed carry criteria and standards, they should be allowed a permit.

Unfortunately, the positive first responder section was paired with bad language that opens the doors to the possibility of a gun being left accidently in a church that also is used as a school. My concern over this second section led me to sustain Governor Cooper’s veto of the bill. In the future, I hope to have the opportunity to vote for a bill that does not mix in bad ideas with good ones.



“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

— Winston Churchill

STAY Home, Healthy and Hopeful!

PHASE II REMINDER: The virus is still circulating, and there’s no cure or vaccine yet, so people still need to be cautious. People should remember the 3 W’s when they leave home:

1.      Wear a face covering

2.     Wash your hands frequently for 20 seconds at a time

3.     Wait 6 feet apart from other people

Source: NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)

REMINDER TO COMPLETE CENSUS 2020

2020 House Committee Assignments

• Alcoholic Beverage Control
• Appropriations
• Appropriations-Transportation

• Congressional Redistricting

• Disaster Relief

• Economic Development & Global Engagement
• Elections and Ethics Law

• House Select Committee on COVID-19 (REMOTE ONLY with Public Access via http://www.ncleg.gov, Click Audio and Committee Room 1228 LB)



• Insurance

• Residential Planning and Permitting
• Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House

• State and Local Government

IT IS THE…

#Theydonotwanttohearthemtrues
#USAbuiltonbacksofblacks
#Fearoftheshiftabsodamnlutely
#Somethingswrong
#Timeforwaitingisover
#Sickandtiredofbeingsickandtired
#Blacklivesmatter #Iwatchedvideo
#Whereisthethreat
#Icantbreathe8minutes46seconds
#Policebrutalitymurdertheytired
#1898WilmingtonRaceRiot
#1921TulsaBlackWallStreet
#Confederatemonumentstograveyard
#Tiredofsafenegroblackfolk
#Unstablepresident
#Iamnotok #Ibeenengagedbeforenow
#Coronavirusstayfocused #Stayhome

Curmilus Butch Dancy II 2020