Call
or e-mail Budget and Finance Leaders TODAY.
Go
to the Covenant's
Cyberlobbying website to send an e-mail. It's easy and quick
April
tax returns fell short of expectations, which means next year’s
budget deficit is $400 million more than what was budgeted in the
House version of the budget. The Senate raised about $120 million
more in their version of the budget and restored nearly all of the
horrible cuts to children and families proposed by the House. But
even if the House were to agree with everything in the Senate budget,
this still leaves a $280 million hole to fill.
Democratic Speaker of the House Jim Black said in the Raleigh
News & Observer on Wednesday that, "You have to see
how ugly the cuts are to see how (interested) people are in the raising
of revenue."
The
cuts are already ugly. Legislative leaders must come up with
ways to fill this $280 million budget deficit without cutting more
programs for vulnerable children and families. Cuts already included
in the House budget include elimination of Medicaid for some pregnant
women and infants, elimination of Medicaid for 19 and 20 year old
foster children, cutting child care subsidies in spite of a waiting
list of 11,000 children, cutting the number of employees to monitor
adult care homes, cutting per pupil allotments for children with Limited
English Proficiency, and much more.
There
are other options. WE MUST
URGE KEY LEGISLATORS TO RAISE REVENUE TO SAVE SERVICES. The
House cuts are not acceptable, and more cuts are unthinkable. The
Covenant with NC's Children has a "Three
Year Emergency Revenue Package" that provides specific ways
legislators can raise new revenue to fill the budget deficit. Click
on the title to read the document.
| Some
revenue options include: |
| • |
Close
the Bank Tax Loophole |
| • |
Close
the “Nowhere Income” Business Tax Loophole |
| • |
Raise
the Cigarette tax |
| • |
Implement
an Emergency Surcharge on Income Tax |
| • |
Expand
the Sales Tax to Some Services |
CONTACT
KEY LEGISLATORS THIS WEEK!
TWO
WAYS TO SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO LEGISLATORS
1)Go
to the Covenant's
Cyberlobbying website.
You may
use some or all of the suggested talking points on the cyberlobbying
page. Please use your own words to personalize the message as much
as possible. The web site will automatically send your message to
the key legislators.
2)
Call or email legislators directly:
