Thank You!
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NCGA
Getting to meet constituents and professionals in our district is one of the greatest pleasures of serving at the NCGA. The people that I serve are my top priority and I greatly value communication. My door is always open! 
I have especially enjoyed getting to know the pages that have served so far this session. They are bright, service-oriented students who have great things ahead. This is an excellent program that gives students an opportunity to learn more about state government and I encourage all who are interested to apply!
Here is the link to the House Page Program website.
Protecting Children
I am proud to have voted in favor of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (S.B. 359) to protect children in our state from post-birth abortions. This act would require healthcare practitioners to provide care to all children born, regardless of whether they were born alive despite an abortion. I support the sanctity of life and will continue to push for protections such as this. Governor Cooper's veto of this bill is unacceptable, and I will continue to defend the lives of all children in our state.
Expanding Broadband Access
This week, I participated in the broadband roundtable
with fellow leaders from our 
state to discuss the need for expanding broadband access in rural areas and my bill, H.B. 398. This bill would allocate $15 million each year to the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) program to enable job growth and economic prosperity in rural areas like our district. Expanding broadband access improves our students' education and the livelihoods of business owners in our state.
I am committed to advocating for the rural areas of our state to help them prosper.
Reducing Standardized Testing
Earlier this month, the House passed H.B. 377 to reduce standardized testing in order to streamline testing across our state. Instead of one four to five-hour exam at the end of the year, students in the 3rd-8th grades will have three shorter interim exams throughout the year. For students in the 9th-12th grades, H.B. 377 will eliminate final exam requirements and only mandate ACT and SAT testing to encourage students to pursue a college education. The House has listened to the concerns from education communities and we have acted to promote teachers and students’ interests. I will continue to support teachers and students in our state by giving them the best opportunities possible.
The SAVE Act
I am proud to sponsor H.B. 185, also known as the SAVE Act, which will expand healthcare access to the rural parts of our state, including our district. This act will lift burdensome regulations on Advanced Practiced Registered Nurses (APRNs), allowing them to provide medical care without physician supervision. APRNs are some of the most highly-skilled nurses in the field and we should allow them to practice at the level to which they trained. Lifting these regulations will increase healthcare access in rural areas by allowing APRNs to treat more people. This plan is also expected to drive down medical costs by about half a billion dollars or more each year, resulting in hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars saved and the creation of thousands of jobs. The SAVE Act is good for our state, our economy, and our citizens.
Supporting Firefighters
H.B. 466, a bill that I sponsored that will add three additional cancers to the list of recognized line of duty deaths, has passed the House Insurance committee unanimously! By adding these cancers, we can further the line of duty death benefits for firefighter families and support those who consistently risk their lives to protect us. I am proud to stand up for first responders in our state and to sponsor this bill.
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