pricey harrison

Via Binker

First, she'll be a co-chair on the Environmental Review Commission. ERC is a joint House-Senate committee that works between legislative sessions hearing reports and crafting recommended environmental laws to the General Assembly.

[She'll also co-chair] a standing committee that vets legislation on its way to the House floor. She'll share that post with Reps. Alice Graham Underhill and Cullie Tarleton.

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Given how much emphases [sic] there has been on the short session handling "non-controversial" matters, I don't know that Harrison will have the opportunity to push the environmental agenda one way or the other.

"I'm happy I'll be there because I'll get to influence the agenda," Harrison said. And as important as moving new legislation is, Harrison said her part may be to put the brakes on what the green community sees as counter-productive bills.

Kudos go to Rep. Pricey Harrison for leading the charge and to the 19 other legislators who asked for an investigation. From this morning AP wire it is clear that the Attorney General is pursuing the investigation.

Blue Cross calls, mailers get lawmakers' notice

The state Attorney General's office confirmed Tuesday it was investigating North Carolina's largest health insurer for prerecorded calls that started late last month. Based on a preliminary review, some calls linked to the company appear to have violated the law, according to a letter from a state attorney.

At a time when budgets are being cut to the bone and beyond, tone-deaf leaders in the NC Senate are sticking to their guns on the Great Tuition Giveaway for out of state athletes. Pricey Harrison explained the situation.

"We're proposing to lay off thousands of teachers, we're cutting vital programs to the neediest," said Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, a longtime exemption critic. "It's hard to rationalize spending (millions) to subsidize booster clubs so that they can bring in out-of-state athletes and academic scholarship programs."

Two hours ago I had never heard the name Pricey Harrison. It just so happened that I emailed every sponsor and co-sponsor of HB726, a bill that would expunge the criminal records of those who committed a misdemeanor before the age of 18 and had a clean record for two years after.

My expectations were of a few form letters over the next few weeks. Instead, around midnight, I get a personal email from Ms. Harrison sent via her iPhone. And did I mention that I do not even live in her district??!

This is the kind of Representative we need in North Carolina and across the country. I ask my fellow BlueNCers to promote this diary and, if you can afford it, throw a few bucks to Ms. Harrison's campaign.

While we all bemoan the current inaction, we should also reward action.

After this morning's North Carolina Delegation breakfast, I caught up with NC Rep. Pricey Harrison. Pricey has been a great ally on two issues that are important to me: engaging young people and immigration. I started out by asking her about those issues.

This was the first vlog I taped. The audio quality is pretty poor because of the location. But it's going to be tough to find quiet spots this week!

A lot of the vehicles in North Carolina's motor pool are diesel fueled. Also, NC will continue to purchase new vehicles as older ones head to the scrap heap. With gasoline prices at four dollars a gallon, wouldn't it make sense for North Carolina to move to alternative fuels and purchase only the most fuel efficient vehicles? It would save NC taxpayers untold amounts of money to have our motor fleet be as efficient as possible.

Grier Martin (D), Pricey Harrison (D), and Charles Thomas (R) have submitted legislation to do just that. HB 2720 - Energy‑Efficient State Motor Vehicle Fleets - has two components:

Shouldn't $1.6 million dollars of your hard earned North Carolina tax money give you the right to know and refuse exposure to hazardous pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals? If Governor Easley can spend $1.6 million tax payer dollars on a pesticide plan to protect farmworkers shouldn't the plan also include protecting the citizens of North Carolina as well. The plan should be comprehensive and not discriminate between industries, companies, workers, and citizens. Tell the Director of the State Office of Rural Health and Community Care, Mr. John Price to implement a plan that protects everyone's right to know when being exposed to hazardous pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals.

Not the war you're thinking about. Our state is taking steps in the battle against greenhouse gases. Granted, they are baby steps. Finally, it appears our state won't be trailing behind the rest of intelligent life on at least one issue.

According to Margaret Lillard of the AP via The Charlotte Observer:

As governments around the world look for ways to fight global warming, North Carolina lawmakers are eyeing a simple set of green guidelines that supporters hope will be the first steps in a successful war against greenhouse gases.

A blue-ribbon panel that has spent the past year discussing climate change is to meet Thursday to draw up an interim report for state lawmakers on possible actions North Carolina can take to address global warming.

According to the article, most of the measures will include actions that can be taken by energy consumers and providers.

I guess none of us is surprised to see this happen. I didn't think the pileup would start this quickly, though. The second Democrat in the N.C. House has called for Jim Black to resign.

Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Democrat from Greensboro does have a slightly different take on the situation. He thinks Black should temporarily step down from his leadership position. Maybe this keeps him from the vulture-circling-the-body category, but it is unmistakably a sign that Democrats in the NC legislature are losing confidence in Jim Black's ability to lead effectively while he is dealing with his legal issues.

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