Tag Archive for: #terrygarrison

Terry Garrison

TownTalk: Black Leadership Caucus Endorses Candidates For Oct. 10 Municipal Election

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The following is part of continuing coverage on the upcoming Oct. 10 nonpartisan municipal elections in the City of Henderson:

 

The Henderson-Vance Black Leadership Caucus held a candidate forum recently and has announced their endorsements for the upcoming municipal elections, now just a couple of weeks away.

Terry Garrison is president of the caucus and he spoke with WIZS News about the Sept. 7 candidates’ forum; his interview was aired on Thursday’s Towntalk.

The caucus voted to endorse the following candidates:

  • Mayor: Melissa Elliott
  • Ward 1: Geraldine Champion
  • Ward 2: Janice Ward
  • Ward 3 at-large: Michael Venable
  • Ward 4 at-large Tami Walker

 

“We certainly are appreciative to each one of the candidates,” Garrison said, “and their willingness to serve.”

The endorsement process was not easy, he said. “The forum, without a doubt, was a big part of that process, but also the members’ familiarity with candidates was also a factor.”

Ultimately, Garrison said it came down to which candidate the caucus members felt best represented their interests and the interests of the city of Henderson.

“Race…was not a driving force with endorsements made by the caucus,” he said; rather, “the way the candidates responded…they were the kind of responses they wanted to hear,” Garrison noted.

“All of the candidates gave a good response, and it was not an easy decision (or) an easy choice,” he said.

According to Garrison, more than 90 percent of the candidates that the caucus has endorsed in past elections have won their contests – at least in Vance County. They may not have won the overall state or national election, but they’ve carried Vance County.

“But we have also endorsed candidates who have lost – it’s not a slam dunk,” he said.

He encouraged all the candidate to continue to “campaign hard and the best candidate will win.”

He also encouraged everyone to come to the polls and cast their ballots.

“If people don’t vote, they don’t have a voice,” he said, “because they didn’t participate in the process.”

Garrison said he is optimistic that whoever gets elected will have the best interests of the community at heart. “I have hope for America and this state,” he said. “Despite our differences, we share one thing in common – we are all human beings. Underneath the skin, the blood is the same.”

 

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Terry Garrison

TownTalk: Garrison Seeks 4th Term, Discusses Water, Sewer Projects In District 32

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Several towns in the area have recently received state and federal funding to make improvements to water and wastewater services, and N.C. Rep. Terry Garrison said it was important to him to make sure projects in his district were on the state’s “radar” to get that much-needed money.

Garrison is seeking his fourth term as a legislator representing District 32, which includes Vance, Warren and most of Granville counties. He faces challenger Frank Sossamon in the November midterm elections.

Although the General Assembly is in recess right now, Garrison told John C. Rose Tuesday that it’s less of a vacation and more of a quasi-adjournment. Legislators regularly are called back into session, not necessarily to take votes, but to hear information and discuss issues. In fact, they were called back last week. “We can pretty much expect to go back each month through December to address matters,” Garrison said.

When legislators are called back into session, you need to be ready, he said. “You never know what may occur in your absence.”

Garrison, along with colleagues, was able to secure millions of dollars in funding to help several municipalities in the district with water and water treatment projects. The city of Henderson has gotten more than $10 million from a couple of different funding streams, the legislator explained.

One $5 million allotment is for the Kerr Lake Regional Water System and a second $5.4 million comes from the American Rescue Plan and was awarded through the state’s Department of Environmental Quality.

The ARP appropriation was dedicated to address drinking water and wastewater projects, he said. “Our situation was severe enough to qualify us to receive the money,” Garrison noted.

“I yelled as loud as I could to make sure persons were aware of our critical needs,” he continued.

During the most recent long session, as it’s called, legislators made history, Garrison said. “The last session was the longest in the history” of the General Assembly. It convened in January 2021 and didn’t adjourn until March 2022. “It was extensive and it was intense,” Garrison recalled.

Then the “short session” began in May. Although the bulk of the work of the state House and Senate has been done, there are matters that are lingering, he said. “We’ll just have to see how it goes – we’re on standby.”

He said he’s hopeful about the possibility of Medicaid expansion, which had been a sticking point in getting the most recent state budget passed. “It does appear that we’re back on track to get something on Medicaid expansion,” he said, adding that the fate of the issue most likely will be determined by the November elections.

Garrison said he voted for the budget, despite its shortcomings. “We absolutely needed to have a budget,” he said.

Before heading off to Raleigh to represent House District 32, Garrison had been dean of workforce development at Vance-Granville Community College. His realty firm, Tegarris Associates has been in business for more than 40 years. Much of that time, Garrison served as a Vance County commissioner.

“I stand for democratic principles and values, and I stand for you,” he said. In addition to being a proponent of Medicaid expansion, Garrison said education, jobs that pay a liveable wage, the expansion of rural broadband internet access are other top-of-mind issues for him.

Adequate and appropriate funding for schools, teachers and for community colleges are vital to the state’s education system. And although he acknowledges that charter schools and private schools both have a place in the education system, he does not favor using public funds to pay for families to send their children to private schools.

He is an advocate for affordable housing, as well as services for veterans the elderly. In addition, he supports community development – and redevelopment efforts.

“I will always play the game fair,” he said.

Subscribe to Garrison’s monthly newsletter to stay on top of legislative updates. Email terry.garrison@ncleg.gov to learn more. And he said constituents are always welcome to phone his office at 919.733.5824.

 

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TownTalk: Garrison And Sossamon To Make Bid For NC House 32 Seat

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This post has been updated after originally posted to reflect the latest information.

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Terry Garrison

NC House Rep. Terry Garrison Provides Updates on COVID-19 Relief Bill

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy NC House Rep. Terry Garrison’s Sept. 2020 Newsletter

Terry Garrison, North Carolina House Representative for District 32, has released his latest update from the NC General Assembly.

In his September 2020 newsletter, Garrison said the North Carolina General Assembly recently approved its final round of COVID-19 relief for the year (HB 1105) unless additional funding is appropriated by the federal government.

Included in the bill:
  • $50 increase in weekly unemployment insurance compensation
  • $335 tax credit for families with children
  • $52 million in funding for public schools
  • $30 million in additional grants to expand high-speed Internet access
  • $20 million in funding to stabilize operations at North Carolina museums, zoos, and other cultural attractions
  • $6 million in direct assistance to food banks and nutritional programs
  • $14 million for personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • $13 million in assistance to farmers
  • $13 million in funding for the UNC System
  • $5 million in funding for community colleges
  • $41 million for early childhood services
  • $38 million for mental health services
  • $59 million to expand COVID-19 testing and contact tracing
  • $23 million for aging adult services
  • $3.5 million for small business grants

According to Garrison, items missing from the bill include Medicaid expansion, pay increases/bonuses for teachers and public school employees, “significant” investment in public schools, small business assistant, long-term unemployment solutions and “significant” assistance to local governments.

Garrison said he ultimately voted Yes on HB 1105, explaining, “We have a strict deadline to finish spending the federal money we received for COVID-19, and there is much in the bill that is good and badly-needed right now. However, the items we failed to do are critically important and remain on the top of my ‘Must Do’ list for when we return to Raleigh in 2021.”

NC House Rep. Terry Garrison Provides General Assembly Updates

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-Information courtesy NC House Rep. Terry Garrison’s Sept. 2019 newsletter

North Carolina House Representative for District 32 Terry Garrison has written and released his latest from the NC General Assembly. In the September 2019 newsletter, Garrison and his office released the following text:

The last couple of months have been extremely demanding and chaotic to some degree at the NC General Assembly. While some business of the legislative body was standard procedure, some was nontraditional, and one major action was downright deceitful in my view.

The various standing committees continued to do their work and bills continued to be considered at the General Assembly in August and September. A total of 93 budget bills were considered by the House and Senate during this two (2-month) period.

State government operated under a continuing budget resolution during the last couple of months. However, due to the budget veto not being considered, a piecemeal budgeting approach, or mini budgeting, began in earnest in August as an alternative to the standard procedure for approving the 2019-2020 state budget. With this piecemeal budgeting method, state employees received a 5% pay increase with the passage of HB 226. Also, State Highway Patrol Officers will receive a 2.5% increase with the passage of HB 126. Pay increases for teachers and retiree supplements were re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations through HB 426.

A three-judge panel of the State Supreme Court ruled that State Legislative District lines discriminated against Democratic voters in violation of the state constitution. The court ruling struck down the Republican-drawn maps as illegal partisan gerrymanders and gave lawmakers two weeks to draw new district lines for the 2020 Elections. Both the House and Senate have drawn new maps that have been submitted to the three-judge panel. A decision is forthcoming as to whether or not the maps will be approved or new maps drawn by a master under the direction of the judge panel.

On the morning of 9-11-2019, a vote on the Governor’s Veto Override Bill was held during what was slated to be a No Vote Session per understanding of Democrats in the House. The bill passed on a vote count of 55 Yes (Republicans) to 15 No (Democrats). The Democrats present expressed outrage and protested against a vote on the bill in absence of the majority of Democrats in the House who were not aware of a vote to be taken during that Session. Without question, Democrats had been lied too or deliberately misled so as not to be present for a vote on the bill.

A No Vote Session means that no votes will be be taken during that session. Although the Speaker of the House is not under any constitutional mandate to follow that process, it has been a longstanding practice for advance notice to be given to members for Voting Sessions. Giving advance notice of Voting Sessions provides the opportunity for the rights and interests of citizens to be represented by way of a vote on lawful matters of the state. The vote taken on the budget veto override broke a bond of trust, honor, and respect within the NC House of Representatives that may imperil efforts for times to come for the achievement of bipartisanship support on matters of great importance to citizens of the state.

The relocation of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to the Triangle North Granville Business and Industrial Park is included in the current budget bill. The Veto Override Bill has now been sent to the Senate for consideration. If the Senate also overrides the Veto Budget Bill, then DHHS will likely come to Oxford, if no changes are made to the bill. Also, the relocation of DHHS could come to Oxford by way of approval of a mini-budget for capital outlay, if the project remains in the bill as now proposed. On the other hand, if the Senate fails to override the Budget Veto Bill, then the matter will be determined during budget re-negotiations which may or may not lead to imminent relocation of DHHS to Granville County.

Medicaid Expansion is still undecided. It was not included in the budget. However, HB 655 Healthcare for Working Families Bill or Carolina Cares Bill offers a form of Medicaid Expansion. The bill has a work requirement component disliked by many Democratic legislators but may be acceptable in order that many persons without healthcare can receive it.

The Small Business Healthcare Bill (SB 86) became law in August and will provide an opportunity for many small business owners without health insurance to now get health care coverage.

Garrison Says He’ll ‘Continue Seeking Relocation of DHHS’ to Granville County

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As stated by NC House District 32 Representative Terry Garrison in his recent newsletter message:

Passing a biennium budget during a long session and odd year of the North Carolina General Assembly is the most important work that this legislative body will do while in session. During this 2019-2020 session of the General Assembly, both chambers of the NC House and NC Senate passed its version of a biennium budget in June.

The two budget versions had differences which then required them to be referred to a Conference Committee to develop a consensus budget. A consensus budget was completed and approved largely along political party lines. As Republicans hold majority memberships in both the House and Senate, they also largely comprised the Consensus Committee. As a result, the Consensus Bill, HB 966, 2019 Appropriations Act was also approved along political party lines, on June 27, 2019.

HB 966 (Appropriations Act) did not include Medicaid Expansion which was the number one budget priority for Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and the Democratic Party. Additionally, the conference budget did not allow citizens a choice on deciding whether to invest in a bond for much-needed school construction as desired by the Governor.

Further, the conference budget provides an average of 3.8% teacher pay increase as opposed to 9.1% sought by the Governor; gives all state employees a $1,000 raise as opposed to 2% or $800 raise, whichever is greater; and provides a 1% cost of living increase for state retirees as opposed to a 2% cost of living increase sought by the Governor.

A few differences between the conference committee and the Governor’s budget are shared here, but there a number of other differences between the two budgets which were objected to by Democrats in both the House and Senate as well as the Governor.

The Republicans included a number of perks within the conference bill which mainly benefited their constituents.

The relocation of the headquarters of the NC Department of Health and Human Services to Granville County was included in the conference budget by the Senate without any special conditions. However, the House changed the relocation to the Triangle North Granville Business and Industrial site in Oxford on condition of my commitment to override the Governor’s veto of the budget. While I fully support the relocation of DHHS to Granville County, and particularly to the Triangle North Granville site, I cannot in good conscience vote to override the Governor’s veto.

Governor Cooper vetoed HB 966 as expected. The state is currently operating under a continuing budget resolution, or more specifically, operating under the 2018 budget until a new biennium budget is passed. A vote on the override of the Governor’s veto is pending and has not occurred as of this time. If an override of the Governor’s veto of budget does not occur, then the budget will have to be renegotiated until a consensus budget can be achieved.

It is my plan to continue seeking relocation of DHHS to Granville County, and particularly to the Triangle North site. While the Governor is leaning toward a study bill for the relocation of DHHS, I am optimistic that Granville County will remain the target site for consideration of such project relocation.

Further, it is my goal to advocate for more jobs and related initiatives promoted by the state within Granville, Vance and Warren Counties within this upcoming biennium.

Terry Garrison

Governor Roy Cooper Shows Support for NC House Rep. Terry Garrison

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

On Sunday afternoon, Governor Roy Cooper visited Shiloh Baptist Church in Henderson and was officially welcomed by Mayor Eddie Ellington. Cooper was in town to support NC House 32 Representative Terry Garrison.

Ellington thanked Cooper for being a “friend” to the local area and praised Garrison’s support of the community. “Rep. Terry Garrison and I as well as the City Council, city manager and staff have always worked well alongside one another, when he was our county commissioner and now as our State House Representative,” said Ellington. “He has championed legislation that improves the lives of our citizens.”

Garrison, a local Democrat who represents areas in Vance, Granville and Warren County, has stood firm with the Democratic governor in not voting with Republicans to override the governor’s veto of the state budget.

Numerous carrots have been dangled in front of Garrison as incentives, including the much-ballyhooed Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) move.

In reference to recent discussions on possible jobs created by the potential DHHS move from Raleigh to Granville County, Ellington clarified, “People need to understand and get the facts. These ‘1800-2000′ jobs already exist. This is not for new jobs or positions. It’s basically moving the building. Of course, I realize some may not want to drive and may quit. But most are not, given these are state jobs with good benefits and it’s probably an easier drive to Creedmoor than downtown Raleigh.”

In recent interviews with Garrison on WIZS’ TownTalk, he said there was more at stake than just the DHHS. In fact, Medicaid expansion, which could affect approximately 19,000 people in Vance County alone, is at stake as a part of the state budget, as is additional money for education and teacher compensation.

“Representative Garrison and I have had long talks in regards to the need for Medicaid expansion and the effects that it would and can have on our community partners, Maria Parham Health and the jobs of the ones that continue to invest and work there, but also the needs and lives of our residents,” Ellington said.

“The studies have been done and accepting federal funds for Medicaid expansion would generate close to 175 jobs in Vance County, $79 million in Vance County business activity and $591 thousand in new Vance County revenue. Keep in mind these numbers are for Vance County and Henderson. Imagine what can be done for the entire state. Talk about an economic boost along with providing healthcare to those who so desperately need it.”

The reception was a timely and strong showing for Garrison. He has been under tremendous pressure, even to the point of health concerns, since this all began to unfold more than a month ago.

In the intense political arena of late, Henderson and Vance County have gotten a lot of attention, and while there has been disagreement from some locally as to Garrison not, in effect, voting against the governor, what has been firm is Garrison’s stance to continue to negotiate.

If there is any room in the final sentence or two of a news story, which has otherwise been fact, it’s this: Garrison, so far, has not been for sale. His bargaining appears to have been open and honest, and it’s very possible, despite the fact that Garrison could himself at some point benefit too, that his negotiations have already produced more tangible results than a boat full of political promises from elsewhere. Time will tell…

Terry Garrison

Rep. Terry Garrison: Still a Chance for DHHS Relocation

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Terry Garrison, local businessman and Democratic NC House representative for District 32, discussed budget negotiations and the proposed Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) relocation with WIZS News.

Garrison said all hope is not lost on the primarily Republican-backed proposal of moving DHHS’ headquarters from Raleigh to Granville County as part of an effort to revitalize rural areas in the state.

“I’m certainly going to be pushing for that chance to happen,” said Garrison.

Triangle North Granville, a business and industrial park that encompasses 527-acres in Granville and Vance counties, has been proposed as a relocation site for DHHS administrative offices.

Included in the Senate version of the budget as presented to Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, the $250 million proposal could still become a reality if the governor’s recent budget veto is overridden.

“We’ll have to see how things transpire during the negotiation process,” Garrison said. “When you look at all of the factors, it was my thinking that it was worth it for us to try to negotiate it.”

Benefits to the area would include the creation of multiple employment opportunities and potential partnerships with local educational institutions and organizations.

With no budget agreement reached by the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1, Garrison said the government will continue at current funding levels until negotiations are completed.

Terry Garrison

Terry Garrison, NC House Rep. & Local Business Owner, Talks MLK Legacy

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District 32 NC House representative and local businessman Terry Garrison was on Monday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the day’s remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Observed the third Monday of January each year since 1986, the federal holiday honors King near his actual birthday of January 15. Many churches and community organizations in the local area held celebrations and events in remembrance both today and over the weekend.

Garrison, who attended both the Granville County Human Relations Annual Fellowship at Oxford Baptist Church and an MLK remembrance celebration at Spring St. Missionary Baptist Church in Henderson early Monday morning said the messages were very similar – keeping the dream alive.

“The message focused on the efforts we need to put forward to help fulfill the dream,” said Garrison.

Garrison said he personally became aware of King around 1955 during the events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama. “King was an icon, a prophet, a Moses of the 20th century,” explained Garrison. “He is, what I consider, to be the father of the civil rights movement.”

In addition to being perhaps the most famous figure in the movement, Garrison reminded listeners that King was also a minister who preached a message of “justice, equality, peace and love.”

“King was a minister of the gospel and preached about loving God and loving your fellow man. There’s only one supreme being. There’s no man who is a supreme being, only God. Mankind was made from one clay; we all have the same blood. Once we embrace and begin to love and respect each other, we can get a lot of things done and put favoritism aside,” stated Garrison.

To do his part to help fulfill King’s dream, Garrison said he serves in leadership roles with several organizations that assist the African-American community, including the Henderson-Vance Black Leadership Caucus, where he serves as president.

“The Black Leadership Caucus focuses on helping blacks and persons of color get elected to office who are focused on helping improve the quality of life for all citizens, particularly the African-American community,” said Garrison “I take a lot of pride in working with that organization.”

Garrison also works with the NAACP and other community organizations to “to help people register to vote, feed the hungry and help those with housing issues.”

For more information on these organizations, Garrison invites you to contact him by phone at (252) 432-3577 or (252) 438-6363.

To hear the interview with Terry Garrison in its entirety, please click here. Garrison’s portion of the Town Talk segment begins at the 11:05 mark.

Terry Garrison

Terry Garrison NC House 32 December 2017 Update

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North Carolina House Representative for District 32 Terry Garrison has written and released his latest from the NC General Assembly.  In Volume 1, Issue 5 for December 2017, Garrison and his office released the following text.

Since being sworn into office of the House of Representatives for District 32 (Vance, Warren and Granville Counties) of the North Carolina General Assembly on January 11, 2017, serving as a legislator has been a tremendous learning experience. The session was action packed with a limited time for newcomers to learn the legislative process. My 28 years of experience as a Vance County Commissioner was quite helpful with trying to adjust to this level of governance.

Serving on committees was where the real work occurred on legislative bills to be considered for approval. My committee appointments included Appropriations, Appropriations-Transportation, Education-Community College, Environment, Judiciary IV, State and Local Government I, and Legislative Redistricting. Additionally, I served on House Democratic Caucus Work Groups of County, Housing, Rural and Indian Affairs. I was also selected to serve as a vice chair of the Freshman Democratic Class.

Learning how to get a bill introduced was challenging. I did, however, manage to sponsor five bills— H372-School Calendar Flexibility, H390-Counties/Internet Infrastructure, H603-Small Farms to Healthier Schools Initiative, H638 Public School Construction & Lottery Changes, and H804 Add Additional Assistant District Attorney District 9B. Also, I co-sponsored nine bills.

During this legislative session, 1,551 bills were introduced; 214 were adopted. Governor Roy Cooper vetoed 13 bills and the General Assembly overrode all of them. Some of the most egregious bills vetoed and overridden were H100-Restore Partisan Elections for Judicial System, S68 Bipartisan Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement, H239-Reduce Court of Appeals from 15 to 12, H576-Allow Aerosolization of Leachate, and 656-Electoral Freedom Act.

The legislative session this year was termed a long session because it was the year to approve and adopt the biennium budget. Approving a budget is perhaps the most important action a government can take. The NC General Assembly adopted a $23 billion biennium budget on June 28. Although the budget contained many positives, it could have provided more funding for education, particularly for K-3 grade levels to meet the legislative mandate for class size.

Legislative Redistricting remains the #1 hot button issue to be addressed for the NC General Assembly. Currently, the District 32 design contains little change. A final decision on redistricting is likely to occur in early 2018. Democrats will need to gain six seats in the House or nine seats in the Senate to prevent veto override by Republicans who currently hold super majorities in the House and Senate. Judicial Redistricting is the #2 hot button issue with final decision also likely in 2018.

It was my privilege to sponsor four youths as Legislative Pages—Ashton Murphy and Jabriel Steed of Vance County and Jordon Page and Tonia Hunter of Warren County. A Granville County high school student will be sponsored to attend the Legislative Youth Leadership Assembly in February 2018.

Several citizens within the House District 32 contacted my office during the year with questions, concerns, or requests for help with issues. I have tried to be as responsive and accommodating as possible. In particular, it has been gratifying to support various local programs, services, special occasions, and other activities where possible.

I wish to express my sincere thanks to supporters and voters for electing me as State Representative for District 32 for 2017-2018. I look forward to returning to legislative session on January 10, 2018.