Senator Gene McLaurin
♦I recently had the opportunity to visit the Anson County Partnership for Children for a seminar to educate the community on the importance of early childhood education. The Partnership is responsible for helping to better educate our young children prior to entering Kindergarten by providing a foundation for learning. Their results are proven, with many studies showing greater school achievement in K-12 and fewer special education placements. A Duke University study showed that students who attend Pre-K programs perform better in 3rd grade than students who do not, which translates to better reading and math scores. I am so proud of the work our Pre-K programs are doing in Anson, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly, and Rowan Counties and across the state. Education lifts people out of poverty, promotes good citizenship and community involvement, and provides a better quality of life for all of us.
As the legislature winds down in the coming week and we tackle the remaining budget and other bills, I want to briefly mention a few bills recently passed in the Senate:
HB 269: Children with Disabilities Scholarship Grants – This bill’s passage will help to better equip the parents of children with disabilities to provide the very best education possible for their child. Children with severe learning disabilities need our support to enable them to reach their potential and deserve the right resources. Many of our public school students have Individualized Education Plans, to foster learning according to that child’s physical, mental, or learning disability. Our special education teachers are highly educated and trained to promote the very best outcomes for these students. There are some students, however, who need specialized resources after exhausting those available to them. House Bill 269 will allow these parents to obtain a $4,200 scholarship to be used at a private school of their choosing if additional resources are needed.
HB 857: Public Contracts/Construction Methods/Design Build/ Public Private Partnership – This bi-partisan legislation seeks to provide our communities with options for using the design-build method of construction and sets out the requirements and procedures for public-private partnership projects. This will help save local governments money, and therefore cost the taxpayer less, as well as foster private market growth.
SB 140: Financial Exploitation of Older Adults – Each of us knows someone or knows of someone who has been financially exploited by dishonest people who put their interest in generating profit above the common good. Senate Bill 140, sponsored by my friend, Senator Stan Bingham (R-Davidson), stiffens criminal penalties for those who defraud the disabled and older adults. This bill creates a tracking system for reports of this type of financial, gives Social Services and District Attorneys another tool to protect the assets of disabled and older adults, and extends the Task Force on Fraud Against Older Adults until 2015. This research-based bill is a great step in the right direction, and I was proud to support this legislation.
I want to thank you for reaching out to me to voice your thoughts on any legislation moving through the North Carolina Senate. As your state senator I am here for you. Please call on me or my Legislative Assistant, Katie Stanley anytime.
25th District: Anson, Richmond, Rowan, Scotland, and Stanly
1118 LegislativeBuilding, Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 733-5953
