Last week in North Carolina In Review:
By Anne Blythe of the 
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to take on a Wisconsin case testing whether lawmakers across the country can go too far in drawing voting districts to minimize the influence of voters for political purposes.
The case could have sweeping implications for other states where redistricting conflicts are not yet settled in the courts, including North Carolina. The Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether a lower court was correct in its finding that a Republican-led redistricting in Wisconsin was unconstitutional. Click on headline to read more.
- “This is a preposterous act of excess on the part of the General Assembly’s police force.”
- “The logic is ridiculous and high-handed. The Legislative Building belongs to the people. If Barber and others are involved in a peaceful protest, they may be subject to charges, but to ban them from the building is almost certainly unconstitutional. “
From 
More than a month after a deadline to correct faulty campaign finance reports, N.C. Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) has yet to fully explain missing donor information and what appears to be a misappropriation of around $10,000 by Hise himself.
The campaign finance violations have drawn the ire of voter rights advocates and activists, including a billboard campaign to publicize Hise’s problems and pressure him to recuse himself from the legislature’s efforts to restructure state and local elections boards. Hise, a four-term Senator who chairs the powerful Senate Select Committee on Elections, has said little about the controversy. Click on headline to read more.
Court of Appeals denies Cooper’s latest bid to stop already merged ethics, elections board
From
Gov. Roy Cooper’s latest effort to stop the merging of the State Board of Elections and State Ethics Commission failed, as the state Court of Appeals denied his request for a temporary stay pending his appeal of the new law. 
The order, like many court orders in this case, does not state why the court denied Cooper’s request.
“The petition and motion filed in this cause by petitioner Roy A. Cooper, III, on 15 June 2017 and
designated ‘Plaintiff-Petitioner Roy A. Cooper, III’s Petition for Writ of Supersedeas and Motion for
Temporary Stay’ are decided as follows: The motion for temporary stay is denied. A ruling on the petition for writ of supersedeas will be made upon the filing of a response to the petition or the expiration of the time for a response if no response is filed.”
The order was issued Friday, the day after Cooper filed his request with the court. You can read more about the request here. Click on headline to read more.
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Democratic Women of Moore County (June 2017 Meeting)
from the 
Statement from the NC Justice Center: Trumpcare slashes pre-existing condition protections, guts Medicaid & leaves 23 million uninsured, according to new CBO analysis
RALEIGH (May 24, 2017) — Today, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its analysis of the American Health Care Act passed on May 4 by the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 217-213. The bill was amended less than 24 hours before the final vote, and the House – including nine Republican lawmakers from North Carolina’s congressional delegation – passed it without having obtained the critical analysis from the CBO about the impacts on health coverage.
The previous iteration of this bill failed to attract sufficient votes from centrists and conservatives alike. Yet the amended bill would devastate older North Carolinians, Tar Heels with lower incomes, and our neighbors living with pre-existing conditions. Overall the CBO finds that the amended Trumpcare bill would:
- Leave 23 million more Americans uninsured than the Affordable Care Act;
- Hike premiums, particularly for low-income communities and people over the age of 50;
- Eliminate affordable coverage options entirely for less healthy consumers and those with pre-existing conditions; and
- Provide tax breaks to the wealthy, insurers, and drug companies at the expense of the Medicaid program, for which it would cap federal spending and cut by $834 billion.
Today’s CBO analysis confirms what we knew all along: last-minute amendments negotiated in the middle of the night made the American Health Care Act even worse for the American people. These changes would eliminate key protections for consumers, including the ban on pricing discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions and minimum standards of coverage for plans.
Contrary to predictions recently made by Senator Thom Tillis, the CBO estimates that states would take up waivers to eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions against pricing discrimination and to allow insurance companies to sell plans that offer bare-bones coverage and minimal protection from major medical risks. In fact, according to the CBO, one-sixth of the U.S. population would see their insurance markets destabilized by the AHCA, and people with pre-existing conditions would be practically priced out of the market entirely. What’s more, 3.4 million North Carolinians with job-based coverage could once again face lifetime limits on coverage. Both this bill and its previous iteration would slash a total of $834 billion from the Medicaid program, kicking 14 million Americans off the coverage upon which they rely. As a result of these cuts, North Carolina would have to absorb $6 billion in cost shifts from the federal government to our state budget over 10 years, putting the benefits and coverage of North Carolina’s children, people with disabilities, and seniors in long-term care at risk.
In short, this bill would increase the number of uninsured in our state, make premiums and out-of-pocket costs like deductibles less affordable, reduce the quality and comprehensiveness of coverage, and deny equitable access to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.
The Senate must start from scratch with a proposal to improve the health care system in our country. In order to do that, the Senate must ensure any future proposal does not:
- Increase the uninsured rate
- End the Medicaid program as we know it through a cap on federal funding to states (such as a per capita cap or a block grant)
- Repeal the Medicaid expansion
The following members of the North Carolina delegation voted for the AHCA without waiting for today’s CBO report to analyze the impact of the bill:
- Rep. George Holding (District 2);
- Rep. Virginia Foxx (District 5);
- Rep. Mark Walker (District 6);
- Rep. David Rouzer (District 7);
- Rep. Richard Hudson (District 8);
- Rep. Robert Pittenger (District 9);
- Rep. Patrick McHenry (District 10);
- Rep. Mark Meadows (District 11); and
- Rep. Ted Budd (District 13).
Wrap up of the District Eight Convention
Greetings Moore County Democrats:
It seems that every day brings us many more reasons for us to be proud and excited to be Moore County Democrats. Saturday, many of us attended the 8th Congressional District Convention in Biscoe. As we arrived, a little before 10, we were greeted by the District Chair with the observation that, among the many people already gathered at the high school, most were from Moore County. What a great way to start our day!
Overall, our delegation had 44 people there (at our best count), 40 of whom were voting delegates. There are all or parts of 7 counties in the district, and we had, by far, the largest contingent present.
Republican Effort to Degrade Healthcare Moving Forward
On Thursday, May 4th, 2017, Congressman Richard Hudson of North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District voted “Aye” to replace the healthcare provisions afforded to many Americans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), often referred to as “ObamaCare”.
The American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA), H.R. 1628, is the House Republicans’ leading proposal to “repeal and replace” the ACA and “defund” Planned Parenthood. The AHCA removes essential healthcare protections from the most vulnerable among us. As stated by the Congressional Budget Office:
“CBO and JCT estimate that, in 2018, 14 million more people would be uninsured under the legislation than under current law. Later, following additional changes to subsidies for insurance purchased in the nongroup market and to the Medicaid program, the increase in the number of uninsured people relative to the number under current law would rise to 21 million in 2020 and then to 24 million in 2026. The reductions in insurance coverage between 2018 and 2026 would stem in large part from changes in Medicaid enrollment—because some states would discontinue their expansion of eligibility, some states that would have expanded eligibility in the future would choose not to do so, and per-enrollee spending in the program would be capped. In 2026, an estimated 52 million people would be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance that year under current law.”
Here’s What We Need You To Do Now
Now that the bill has left Congress, it’s up to the Senate to completely reject or modify it in a meaningful way before it moves to the president for final approval and signing into law. It is of the utmost importance that you continue making your voice heard by now calling the offices of Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr using the information below. Let them know that you will not stand for this railroading of North Carolinians and other Americans alike and their decision here highly influences your vote in the their next election. Then, join the discussion on the Moore County Democratic Party’s Facebook page by clicking here and plan to attend upcoming party meetings (calendar available by clicking here).
Voice Your Opinion on Facebook
Moore County Economic Snapshot
The economic picture of counties throughout North Carolina is clearer today with the release of the county-by-county snapshots by the NC Justice Center. It’s more apparent than ever that the economic reality for North Carolinians varies greatly depending on where you live and work; where you live can affect your ability to get ahead.
Recent @mooredemocrats Facebook Activity
Thanks to Spring Lake's Mayor Chris V. Rey for his opening comments during today's #BreakTheMajority training. #NC08 #MooreDems North Carolina Democratic Party
