GOV. EASLEY ANNOUNCES PLAN TO SAVE 20,000 HOMES FROM FORECLOSURE

RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley today called on the General Assembly to give quick approval to legislation that will help thousands of homeowners with exploitive subprime mortgages avoid foreclosure.  The legislation requires that borrowers receive at least 45 days notice before foreclosure proceedings are started and directs the state Banking Commissioner to work with individual borrowers and their lenders to find ways to save their homes.

“Many subprime borrowers were placed into loans in which interest rates increased, and which they simply could not afford,” Easley said.  “This legislation will do something no other state has done; bring the expertise of the state government to help borrowers find a way to save their homes.  All it takes is a little negotiation to find the right formula of rates and payments that works for everybody.”

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Dan Blue (D-Wake), requires that lenders give borrowers with subprime loans 45 days written notice before filing foreclosure proceedings.  It also establishes the “State Foreclosure Prevention Project,” under which State Commissioner of Banks Joe Smith will help lenders and borrowers work out solutions to avoid foreclosures.  Smith will have the authority to bring the mortgage companies, housing counselors, community groups, state agencies and others together to help borrowers stay in their homes.  It also authorized the Commissioner of Banks to extend the filing date for a foreclosure for up to 30 days if there is a potential to work out terms.  There is no cost to the taxpayers.

North Carolina has been a model for the nation in protecting borrowers from unscrupulous lenders.  Legislation championed in 1999 by the governor when he was attorney general was the first to address predatory lenders.  Last year, the governor signed laws that limited the amount mortgage brokers could charge and added additional protections for borrowers from abusive adjustable-rate mortgages as well as requiring lenders to ensure that loan terms matched a borrower’s ability to pay.

Because of the state’s leading efforts at imposing strong regulation, the state has fewer sub-prime loans, ranking 45th in the nation in concentration of subprime lending.  The state has fewer adjustable rate loans, half the national average.  As a result, the state has had less mortgage fraud, ranking 33rd out of the 44 reporting states.  The foreclosure rates in North Carolina have not been as severe as in other regions of the state.  Foreclosure actions increased 9 percent in 2007 to 49,498. 

For more information on mortgages and foreclosure, visit the State Commissioner of Banks’ web site at: http://www.ncforeclosurehelp.org/.

GOV. EASLEY MARKS 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF PUBLIC SCHOOL INTEGRATION IN N.C.

RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley today honored seven surviving former students and a school administrator who helped open the doors for all North Carolinians to attend the same schools 50 years ago.  The honorees attended a reception at the Executive Mansion commemorating the 50th anniversary of the integration of public schools in North Carolina.

“It took determination and courage for these individuals to do what was right during a turbulent time in history and in the face of tremendous adversity,” said Easley.  “What could have been just another hot September school day was so much more for these children.  They had a date with destiny and today we honor their bravery.”

Josephine Boyd Bradley, Brenda Florence, Jimmy Florence, Dorothy Counts Scoggins, Girvaud Roberts Justice, Delois Huntley and Gwendolyn Bailey Coleman were among the first to integrate the Greensboro, Charlotte and Winston-Salem school systems in the 1957-58 school year.  Craig Phillips, who was superintendent of the Winston Salem schools at that time, worked with Benjamin Smith in Greensboro and Elmer Garinger in Charlotte on the plans to integrate those three school systems.  Phillips later served as superintendent of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction from 1969-1989.  Smith and Garinger are both deceased.

Easley presented each of the former students and Phillips with an Old North State Award and a proclamation recognizing the 50th anniversary of school integration.  The proclamation notes that “the path to social justice is ofttimes difficult and in constant need of individuals determined to advance its cause.”

In 1954, the US Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated schools were unconstitutional and ordered all schools to proceed to integrate “with all deliberate speed.”  At that time, segregation had a stronghold in North Carolina and throughout the South.  While the issue was debated for the next three years, no North Carolina public school integrated until Phillips, Smith and Garinger developed plans for their schools.  On September 4, 1957, the students broke the color barrier and attended schools in Greensboro, Charlotte and Winston-Salem.  All North Carolina’s public schools were not fully integrated until 1970.

GOV. EASLEY APPEARS ON “EXPLORING NORTH CAROLINA”

What makes a child explore, grow and blossom? When and where do they learn to take chances? Have they learned to fear the wrong things? Have we taught them to feel safer in gated communities and lighted shopping malls? 

Gov. Mike Easley recently appeared on UNC-TV’s “Exploring North Carolina” as the show examined American children’s need to spend more time in nature.  Click here to watch the episode, titled “Logos vs. Leaves.”

GOV. EASLEY PROCLAIMS MOUNTAINEER FOOTBALL DAY

RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley today welcomed the Appalachian State University football team to the Executive Mansion and proclaimed the day “Mountaineer Football Day” in honor of the team’s 3rd consecutive NCAA national championship.

“Appalachian State’s commitment and determination have created a football dynasty in North Carolina,” said Easley. “I congratulate the team on its 3rd NCAA championship title and look forward to cheering on the Mountaineers again this fall.”

On Dec. 14, 2007, ASU defeated the University of Delaware Fighting Blue Hens 49-21 to capture the 2007 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) in Chattanooga, Tenn.  It was the culmination of a season that included a spectacular season-opening victory over the nationally ranked University of Michigan Wolverines.

Since the football team’s inception in 1928, the Mountaineers have won 516 games. The Appalachian State Mountaineers finished the 2007 Southern Conference season with a 5-2 record as regular season co-champions.  They finished the season with an overall record of 13-2.

The team beat Northern Iowa in 2005 to achieve ASU’s 1st national football title in the school’s history and beat the University of Massachusetts in 2006 to win its 2nd straight title. 

The Appalachian State Mountaineers were unanimously ranked Number 1 in all 2007 preseason polls, including the Coach’s Poll, The Sporting News and Street & Smith magazine.

GOV. EASLEY ANNOUNCES 1,000 JOBS AT GLOBAL TRANSPARK

RALEIGH - Gov. Mike Easley announced today that Spirit AeroSystems Inc., the world’s largest independent supplier of commercial airplane assemblies and components, will open a manufacturing plant at the N.C. Global TransPark in Kinston. Plans call for investment of more than $570.5 million and the creation of 1,031 jobs during the next six years. State grants from the One North Carolina Fund and Job Development Investment Grant program and a grant from the non-profit Golden LEAF Foundation to the Global TransPark Authority helped make the project possible. 
 
”The Global TransPark was built to help this region make the transition from a tobacco-dependent economy to one that attracts knowledge-based, high-tech industries,” said Easley. ”Today’s announcement not only shows that eastern North Carolina can successfully compete in today’s global marketplace, but that North Carolina continues to be a leader in the aerospace industry more than 100 years after the Wright Brothers made their historic first flight at Kitty Hawk. As we can continue to provide the skilled workforce, this is likely just the beginning of Spirit’s potential for bringing significant jobs and investment.”
 
Wichita, Kan.-based Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE:SPR), whose customers include Airbus, Boeing, Gulfstream, Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft among others, specializes in manufacturing composites; fuselages; pylons (which hold the engine to the wing), nacelles (which are engine components) and wing structures. Spirit’s long-term plans call for the Global TransPark facility to serve as a composite manufacturing Center of Excellence, using advanced technology in its production processes. Spirit employs 14,000 workers in five locations in the United States and Europe, including approximately 10,000 at the company’s headquarters in Wichita.
 
Spirit today announced it has signed an agreement with Airbus to design and produce a major composite fuselage structure for the A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) program. Spirit will design and manufacture the Section 15 center fuselage frame section, a composite structure that will be approximately 65 feet long, 20 feet wide and weigh nearly 9,000 pounds. Accommodating this and other new work packages led to Spirit’s announced plans to expand its operations with a new facility in North Carolina.
 
While wages for the new jobs will vary by job function and responsibilities, the average wage will be about $48,000 a year not including benefits. This is more than the Lenoir County average of $27,042.
 
”The State of North Carolina met our requirements for financial incentives and this location offers a strong industrial base, a runway and port access, a growing labor force and an excellent technical training system,” said Spirit President and CEO Jeff Turner. ”Additionally, the Global TransPark facility provided what we were looking for in a site.”
 
Easley said this project was especially rewarding because of the close collaboration among state, local, public and private entities. “From the General Assembly, which provides money for incentives such as the One North Carolina Fund, and the state Community College system to the non-profit Golden LEAF Foundation and Global TransPark Authority, North Carolina economic development partners have come together to make this exceptional project a reality,” he said.
 
Spirit AeroSystems has been awarded a $5 million grant from the state’s One North Carolina Fund, which helps the state with economic recruitment and expansion by providing financial assistance through local governments to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs. Through the use of this Fund, more than 30,000 jobs and $4.5 billion in investment have been created since 2001.
 
In addition, the state’s Economic Investment Committee voted today to award a Job Development Investment Grant to Spirit. This is the 77th JDIG award announced since Easley and the General Assembly started the program in 2002, and the seventh awarded this year. Under terms of the 12-year agreement, the N.C. Department of Commerce estimates the project will:
– Generate a cumulative gross product value of $2.94 billion
– Produce a positive, cumulative net state revenue impact of $39.2 million. 
 
For each year in which the company meets the required performance targets, the state will provide a grant equal to 75 percent of the state personal income withholding taxes derived from the creation of new jobs. Should the company create the jobs called for under the agreement and sustain them for 12 years, the agreement could yield as much as $20.23 million in maximum benefits for Spirit AeroSystems.
 
Job Development Investment Grants are awarded only to new and expanding businesses and industrial projects whose benefits exceed the costs to the state and which would not be undertaken in North Carolina without the grant. Since the first grant was awarded in 2003, the program has been responsible for creating more than 28,000 jobs and $4 billion in investment in North Carolina.
 
The Golden LEAF Foundation Board also voted today to provide a $100 million grant to the GTP Authority to construct the initial buildings for the new Spirit facility. The company, in turn, plans to invest $100 million to build additional manufacturing facilities in phases during the next six years. The authority will own and lease the facilities to Spirit for a nominal amount. The agreement calls for the company’s rent payments to increase if Spirit fails to reach the targeted investment and job creation numbers.
 
Golden LEAF Chairman Tommy Bunn said the foundation’s board was impressed by Spirit’s plans for its Global TransPark operations, which he described as an “ideal match” between the aerospace company’s business strategy and the mission of the TransPark to be an economic development engine for the region.
 
Other partners who assisted with this announcement include: the N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Community College System, N.C. Department of Transportation, Global TransPark Foundation, N.C. State University, Lenoir County and City of Kinston.
 
For more information about Spirit AeroSystems, visit http://www.spiritaero.com/.

GOV. EASLEY ANNOUNCES BUDGET THAT BUILDS ON EDUCATION PROGRESS

Raleigh - Gov. Mike Easley today released his recommended budget adjustments for the 2008-09 fiscal year that provides $12.5 billion for education, improves the state’s ability to compete for jobs in the global economy, increases funding for mental health services, expands oversight of prison parolees, and helps communities better plan to deal with droughts. 
 
The budget also better prepares the state to deal with the uncertain economy by expanding the Rainy Day Fund to $848 million. Unlike most states that are facing shortfalls, North Carolina will end the current fiscal year with a $152 million surplus. The budget also includes $396 million in general fund budget cuts, nearly 2 percent of the total operating budget.
 
”As I release the 2008-09 budget proposal, the last one of my administration, I remain just as restless about improving the lives of every North Carolinian,” Easley said. ”While we have made great progress in this state, I am still not satisfied. We must build on our strengths to face the challenges of the global economy and the best way we can do this is to expand education at all levels.”
 
During the past seven years, Easley has worked with the General Assembly to create a seamless education system that provides opportunities for citizens from pre-k through the community college and university systems that is building a skilled workforce for a more diversified state economy. The budget recommends an average 7 percent pay increase for public school teachers, fulfilling the commitment the governor and the legislature made to meet the national average for teacher pay. Currently, the difference between the US and NC average for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and 15 years experience is 6.9 percent.
 
Enrollment increases for public schools, community colleges and universities are fully funded and additional money has been recommended to implement the recommendations in the university system’s Campus Safety Task Force Report, increase teacher training and recruit and retain the best teachers.
 
Easley said that to meet the state’s commitments, cutting the budget will not be enough. He is recommending a 20-cents-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax. The increase, which would total 55 cents per pack, would keep North Carolina’s cigarette tax among the lowest in the nation, about 40th. ”It takes real revenue to make real progress in education,” Easley said.
 
The budget recommends state employees receive the equivalent of a 4 percent pay increase through a 1.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment and a $1,000 one-time bonus. State employees will also receive 5 days of paid bonus leave. The budget also includes a cost of living adjustment for state and judicial system retirees.
 
More than $76 million has been designated to implement changes in the state mental health system and improve services. The additional costs will be offset by an increase in the taxes on beer, fortified wine and spirits.
 
More than $65 million is set aside for repairs to university and state buildings along with another $97 million for pay-as-you-go finance of new construction projects and borrowing for another 553 million in projects.
 
”This budget makes progress in education, human services, public safety and economic development,” Easley said. ”I look forward to working with the General Assembly to get this budget enacted before June 30.” 
 
NOTE: The budget is available online at: www.osbm.state.nc.us 

GOV. EASLEY ANNOUNCES GROUNDBREAKING HEALTH CARE INITIATIVE

New Program Will Improve Basic Patient Care And Save Millions of Dollars

RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley today announced a plan to fundamentally restructure the delivery of health care in North Carolina by standardizing the level of care and insurance coverage for the five most chronic conditions.  This unique plan will do more than any other in the nation to improve citizens’ health, help doctors deliver the quality care they strive for and save hundreds of millions of dollars in medical costs.

“This is going to be a revolutionary approach to the delivery of health care in North Carolina,” Easley said. “We have worked with the top medical experts across the state, health insurers and physicians to design a health care delivery system that fits the 21st century needs but also takes advantage of 21st century technology.” 

For more than a year, the state’s major health insurance providers, physicians and hospitals have been meeting under Easley’s leadership to design a single set of ‘best practice guidelines’ to more effectively treat five of the most widespread and costly chronic medical conditions: diabetes; asthma; hypertension; congestive heart failure; and heart attack.  Chronic diseases account for 80 percent of health care spending.

“Best-practice guidelines” for care will be implemented of each of these diseases.  These guidelines have been developed by experts in the state and the nation and agreed on by the state’s medical care providers and insurance companies. The guidelines will be the same, no matter the health coverage for the patient, to ensure consistently high quality of care for all North Carolinians.

North Carolina’s Community Care networks of physicians and the Area Health Education Centers’ physician training centers will be mobilized to provide the latest and most effective systems to doctors across the state, to assist them in delivering “best practice” care.  Every primary care physician in North Carolina will be invited to participate in this program.

Medical professionals will receive tools for patient support, so patients can play a larger role in maintaining and improving their own health.  Doctors will also receive specialized computer software that tracks individual patients, their conditions, medications, appointments and various test results.

The plan will develop and expand the availability of “care coordinators,” individuals trained in the treatment of chronic diseases who will follow patients’ progress, including help in taking appropriate medications, scheduling follow-up appointments, understanding the effect of diet and exercise and generally be available to answer patients’ questions.

Finally, a program has been developed to monitor results, so that the goal of improved health and reduced cost can be achieved throughout the state.

“By putting modern systems in place, doctors will be better able to treat chronic diseases including: diabetes, asthma, and common heart problems,” Easley said.  “With more effective treatment, many patients will be able to avoid more serious and expensive medical problems.”

Medical experts praise the program.  “This program has the potential to transform the delivery of health care in North Carolina,” said Chuck Willson, past president of the N.C. Medical Society.  “This is the first time in America that doctors, insurance companies, hospitals and others have come together to implement a system to truly improve medical care.”

“Once again, North Carolina is a national leader,” said Bill Rober, a physician and CEO of the UNC Health Care System.  “In 2007, our Community Care system was honored as the finest health care innovation in America.  This program takes us even farther down the road toward the best health care possible.”

“Having an evidence-based standard of care will mean every patient in North Carolina has the same opportunity for quality health care,” said Bob Greczyn, president of Blue Cross Blue Shield.  “It also is important for citizens to take a more active role in their own health care, through increased physical activity that will lead to greater productivity at work and healthier lives.”

All of North Carolina’s major health insurance companies, led by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and the State Employees Health Plan, have agreed to support the program.  As a result, patients across the state, regardless of who pays their doctors’ bill, can receive the same “best practice” care.  Also joining the governor in this initiative are: the N.C. Medical Society representing physicians across the state; the N.C. Hospital Association representing hospitals; the N.C. Area Health Education Centers; Community Care of N.C.; the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund; the N.C. Foundation for Advanced Health Programs; the Institute for Emerging Issues; the National Governors Association; the Center for Health Care Strategies; and the N.C. Institute of Medicine.

“By spending more time with patients, identifying medical problems before they get worse and treating these problems effectively, we will substantially reduce the cost of health care by keeping patients out of the emergency room and avoiding hospital stays,” Easley said.  “It will also result in very substantial health care cost savings, which can be used to provide more coverage for more citizens.”

National studies have found that most patients receive half the health care services recommended for their conditions.  By getting every doctor, no matter where they are, to make sure every patient receives the health care services they need, they can help patients stay more informed, know what they must do to stay healthy and avoid millions in health care costs as well as reduce lost workdays that cut productivity.

Gov. Easley Featured in New Drought PSA

Click here to watch Gov. Easley’s new water conservation PSA.

Gov. Easley Speaks at 2008 Emerging Issues Forum

Watch footage of Gov. Mike Easley’s address to the 2008 Emerging Issues Forum here. 

Gov. Easley announced the creation of the Advanced Transportation Energy Center at North Carolina State University during the 2008 Emerging Issues Forum: “North Carolina’s Energy Futures; Realizing a State of Opportunity”.  The Center will serve as a catalyst to attract innovative jobs to the state, contribute to reducing the nation’s dependence on imported oil and cut greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change.

Gov. Easley’s New Water Conservation PSA

View Gov. Easley’s new water conservation PSA here.