|
Dear ,
Your Legislative Update for
the month of October is below. Please feel free to
forward this on to others who might find the
information useful!
|
|
Governor Bans Gifts to State Employees
The following summary from the Insider Legislative news service should be of particular interest to those of you doing business with the state.
Gov. Beverly Perdue has issued an executive order extending the state's gift ban to all employees in state agencies under her control. Perdue issued the order in response to revelations that employees at the Division of Motor Vehicles and Division of Air Quality have taken gifts from a company awarded a no-bid contract by DMV. "This executive order makes it clear - those of us who serve the people of North Carolina must be held to the highest ethical standards and act accordingly," Perdue said in a written statement. "Citizens expect and deserve nothing less."
The state's gift ban already applied to legislators, top state officials, members of policy-setting boards, and those involved in state contracting. Perdue's order applies the same ban to all employees working in cabinet-level agencies and the governor's office. The order also encourages members of the elected Council of State to adopt a similar policies within their agencies. Perdue instructed her cabinet secretaries to review the executive order and the gift ban law with employees and ordered that vendors holding state contracts be notified regarding the ban. Violating the gift ban is a misdemeanor criminal offense.
Jane Pinsky, director of the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform, said the public is clearly ready for some action to be taken. "I think it may help restore people's confidence in government a little bit," Pinsky said. "The people who took these gifts did their colleagues a disservice." About half the states have similar gift bans that extend down into state employee ranks, she said. The SBI continues to investigate the gifts to DMV employees.(THE INSIDER, 10/02/09).
|
|
|
New Projects
Gov. Beverly Perdue's office announced Thursday that the state Department of Transportation has awarded 17 new transportation contracts totaling $65.2 million. The contracts, which include eight funded with federal stimulus money, are for highway, bridge and ferry projects across the state. The bids received on all 17 projects advertised came in 21.7 percent, or about $18 million, below state estimates.(Chris Baysden, TRIANGLE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/01/09).
Transportation Stimulus Projects
State transportation officials are now reconsidering decisions to use stimulus money for projects that were planned before Congress passed the stimulus package. Click here to read full article...
Stimulus Jobs
Nearly 3,500 workers received roughly $3.3 million in payroll in August while working on projects funded with stimulus money, according to data from the state Department of Transportation. That's up from 2,170 jobs and $1.7 million in payroll in July. Stimulus payroll spending has grown steadily since April, when just $22,751 was paid out to 74 workers,
according to department data. The department has received a total of $838 million in federal stimulus funds, including $735 million for road and bridge projects. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that every $1 million spent on transportation creates 30 jobs.(Chris Baysden, TRIANGLE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/23/09).
|
Energy News
Governor Perdue Establishes Offshore Energy Advisory Panel
Gov. Bev Perdue on Monday announced the establishment of the Governor’s Scientific Advisory Panel on Offshore Energy. The panel will thoroughly examine the state’s offshore energy resources, including oil, gas, wind and other renewable resources, and will make recommendations to ensure that North Carolina’s offshore resources are used for the benefit of all its citizens. The Governor created the panel by signing Executive Order 23. Click here for full article...
Wind Power
Duke Energy is offering to pay for the wind turbines planned as part of an alternative-energy demonstration project in Pamlico Sound, but the state will let the company make the money back by passing along the cost to customers. Click here to read the full article...
Nuclear Plant Shutdown
Inspectors from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission are in North Carolina investigating the shutdown of the Brunswick Nuclear Plant. Roger Hannah, a spokesman for the commission, said the Southport plant's two nuclear reactors were shut down Sept. 20 and remained down Monday afternoon. Progress Energy had to shut down the reactors after one of its four emergency diesel generators stopped and wouldn't restart. The generator isn't needed to run the plant but is necessary if an emergency occurs. Rules require a plant to shut down if it can't find and fix a problem with a diesel generator within seven days. Hannah says the NRC team will be at the plant for about another week. The NRC will release its findings within 45 days of completing the inspection.(WILMINGTON STAR-NEWS, 9/29/09).
|
If there are questions or you need additional information, please feel free to contact me at bbailey@penc.org or phone 919-834-1144, ext. 1.
Sincerely,
Betsy Bailey
Professional Engineers of North Carolina
|
|
|
|
PENC President Appointed to JOBS Commission
PENC President, Pam Townsend, PE, a Vice President with AECOM, has been appointed by the Governor to serve on the Joining Our Business and Schools Commission, a study commission created by the legislature and led by Lt. Governor Dalton that brings together education and business leaders in an effort to link the courses taught in high schools with the economic development needs in North Carolina communities.
The Commission’s work will create themed schools that match the economic development needs in a community. Many of these will likely match with the workforce needs for the emerging, technology-based economy, including schools focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
|
Contact Us
Professional
Engineers
of North Carolina
1015 Wade Avenue, Suite A
Raleigh, NC 27605
Phone: (919) 834-1144
Fax:
(919) 834-1148
Web Site: www.penc.org
E-Mail: exec@penc.org
| |
