TILLIS
opposes emotionally-charged bills. Tillis says
"Good Titles, Bad Bills"
Over the past few weeks, TILLIS voted
against two bills that, based on their title, would make
some wonder. Both bills had "short titles" that
would be hard to oppose: "RACIAL JUSTICE ACT" and
"SCHOOL VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACT." Though both
bills had provisions with merit, they also contained
provisions that represented an ill-advised approach to
addressing potential problems. The bill sponsors
were unwilling to consider any amendments that would
have improved the bills and, consequently they lost
support of conservative democrats and republicans.
Below is a brief summary on why I opposed the bills, and
why they passed by slim margins.
Racial
Justice Act
The House voted by a slim margin (61-55)
to pass the Racial Justice Act (See related article
below) and it will likely be signed by the governor.
I opposed the current version of the bill for reasons I
summarized in a previous post (CLICK
this link). To listen to my
comments (9 minutes) offered in opposition to the bill,
CLICK this link.
This audio link summarizes all key reasons why I
opposed the bill.
School Violence Prevention Act
The House voted by a slim margin (58-57)
to pass the the School Violence Prevention Act.
The conflict among members varied but the key areas of
contention related to the scope of the ban (specific
classes of students were called out), and the lack of
consequences/punishment for school employees and
students who are guilty of bullying.
This session, two bills were introduced
that focused on the problem of bullying in schools:
School Violence Prevention Act
No Bullying Anyone at Public
Schools
(click the underlined text to view the
actual bill)
The School Violence Prevention Act was proposed by a
very influential Senate democrat and was co-sponsored by
15 Senate members, and was quickly forwarded through the
hearing process. The No Bullying Anyone at Public
Schools bill was sponsored by 62 House members
(republicans and democrats) and was never allowed to be
heard in a committee. I strongly believe the "No
Bullying Anyone at Public Schools" is more comprehensive
and more likely to reduce bullying in schools.
With the passage of the weaker bill, we still need to
work for legislation that will better address the real
problem of bullying in schools.
To listen to my comments (3 minutes)
offered in support of an amendment that would have
strengthened the bill,
CLICK this link.
Would you like to speak with me about
these or other votes? Whether you agree or
disagree, I am always happy to hear from you. Give
me a call at (704) 248-2980.