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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