Here’s the text of Buncombe Statehouse Rep. Patsy Keever’s latest email newsletter, sent out Feb. 17:
A Page from Patsy
Fellow taxpayers, we just spent another $50,000 yesterday for an unnecessary, wasteful legislative session which lasted less than 20 minutes. Granted, we had been told that it would be a skeleton session with no votes. However, after the midnight debacle on Jan. 4 when the Republican leadership called a new session after midnight so that they could deprive NCAE (NC Association of Educators) members of the ability to have their dues automatically deducted from their paycheck, we can’t trust them to keep their word. When a session is scheduled as this one was, I had to be in Raleigh to protect my constituents from the games leadership plays.
One positive aspect of the session Thursday was the opportunity to recognize a large number of students throughout the state who were in the visitors gallery representing TRU – Tobacco Reality Unfiltered, a youth organization which opposes tobacco use by young people through education and legislative action. It was a pleasure to meet several students who were there representing Buncombe County. Thank you to Donna Storrow, their advisor from Asheville High School, for arranging their visit.
As always, the most rewarding part of serving as your representative is constituency service. Together with my legislative assistant Beth, we have been able to connect many of our citizens with the services and resources they have needed. We have helped in dealing with loss of Medicaid benefits, DMV issues, providing information regarding industrial hemp, recommended citizens for appointments, problems with exploitation of the elderly, questions regarding funding for public t.v., and a problem with the IRS threatening to garnish someone’s wages, to name just a few. As citizens, we have many needs and this office is here to help when you need it.
For many questions, you can simply go to ncleg.net and find the information you need on legislation and legislators, including how each legislator voted on every issue. Although the Legislature is scheduled for another “special session” in April, rumor is that it will be canceled. I hope so; we don’t need to spend any more tax payer dollars driving to Raleigh for a 20 minutes session! The short session is scheduled to begin on May 16 and last about six weeks. Until then, I look forward to working with you and for you here at home.
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