Press Release: Rep. Jon Hardister Files "Honest Lottery" Act

February 26, 2015

For Immediate Release

Raleigh, NC - This week Rep. Jon Hardister (R-Guilford) filed HB 109 - Lottery Act Clarified - along with Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake) and Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland). The bill would require state lottery ads to be more clear and promote transparency in lottery operations.

The highlights of the bill are as follows:

• Requires lottery advertising to list the value of the lowest prize and the odds of winning the largest prize.

• Prohibits lottery advertising at high school events.

• Requires state agencies to disclose receipts and usage of lottery proceeds.

• Requires the state legislature to approve gaming techniques that are not scratch-off or draw-style games.

"The purpose of this bill is to ensure that the lottery is authentic and transparent in how it operates," Hardister said. "If we are going to have a state lottery, then we have a duty to ensure that it is operated responsibly. This bill would help to accomplish that goal."

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Happy Holidays Update

Please accept my best wishes for a Happy Holiday Season and a prosperous New Year. I hope you have plans to spend time with family and friends as we observe the holidays. Be safe if you travel and enjoy the season.

In the words of Charles Dickens, "I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

Swearing-in Ceremony

There will be a swearing-in ceremony for members of the Guilford County Legislative Delegation on January 7th, which I will be participating in. It will be held at 6:00 PM at Blandwood Mansion in Greensboro. Please feel free to join us for the occasion; the event is open to the public.

2015 Legislative Schedule

The NC General Assembly will convene for "Opening Day" on January 14th. This is the day in which we will officially elect our legislative leadership; adopt the rules of the legislature; and all members of the NC General Assembly will be sworn-in to office. We will then recess and reconvene to begin work on January 28th.

Looking Ahead

Our goals in the 2015 Legislative Session will be to continuing improving our economic climate; strengthen public education; increase government efficiency; and ensure that tax dollars are spent responsibly. We will work to accomplish these goals in a bipartisan fashion. Securing a brighter future for North Carolina is not a partisan issue; it is a matter of doing what is in the best interest of our citizens.

My Door Is Open

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments or concerns about public policy. I greatly value any input that you may have to offer on issues related to our state government.

Quote to Remember

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."

- President Calvin Coolidge

Thanksgiving Holiday Update

As we pause to observe the Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to take a moment to provide a legislative update.

NC House Leadership

The NC House Republican Caucus recently met to select our leadership for the 2015-16 legislative session. Here is the new leadership team that we selected:

Speaker of the House: Tim Moore
Speaker Pro Tem: Skip Stam
Majority Leader: Mike Hager
Majority Whip: John Bell
Conference Leader: Charles Jeter
Deputy Majority Leader: Marilyn Avila
Joint Caucus Leader: Pat Hurley

These nominations will be made official when the NC House convenes on January 14th for the Opening Day of the 2015-16 legislative session.

Republicans Retain Majority

Republicans were able to defend the legislative majority in both the NC House and Senate in the 2014 elections cycle. In the NC House, Republicans had a net loss of three seats, resulting in a 74-46 majority. In the NC Senate, Republicans gained one seat, resulting in a 34-16 majority.

Lottery Oversight Committee

Earlier this month I was appointed by NC House Speaker Thom Tillis to serve as an advisory member of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on the NC Lottery. I am honored to receive this appointment. My goal on this committee will be to ensure that the advertising practices of the lottery are non-deceptive, and that the generated revenue is allocated exclusively to public education.

Economy Shows Improvement

The latest jobs report shows that North Carolina's unemployment rate has dropped to 6.3 percent in October, which is down from 6.7 percent in September. Approximately 17,000 new jobs were added in that time period. There is still work to do, but the data suggests that we are moving in the right direction in terms of job creation.

Honored to Serve

Recently I received a certificate from the Guilford County Board of Elections certifying my reelection to the NC House. It is an honor to serve as the Representative for NC House District 59. I am grateful for every person who supported my campaign, and I appreciate each vote that was cast in favor of my reelection. I will continue to do this job to the best of my ability.

Legislative Schedule

The NC General Assembly will convene for Opening Day on January 14th, 2015, which is when we will officially elect our leadership and adopt the rules of the legislature. This is also the day in which each member of the legislature will take the oath of office. We will then recess and reconvene on January 28th, when we will begin work for the 2015-16 legislative session.

Immigration Reform

President Obama overstepped his bounds when he issued an executive order to reform our immigration system. Domestic policy of this nature should not be dictated by the executive branch; it should originate in the U.S. Congress. The newly-elected Republican majority in the U.S. House and Senate (which will be seated in January 2015) should be given a chance to take office and offer an immigration reform plan.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a matter of enforcing our laws and establishing an immigration system that is fair and efficient.

Christmas Parades

There are two Christmas Parades that I will be participating in this year:

Pleasant Garden Christmas Parade
Sunday, December 7th
3:00 PM

Gibsonville Christmas Parade
Saturday, December 13th
2:00 PM

As always, I am looking forward to participating in these parades. I will be driving my red Ford Mustang, which will be decorated for the occasion.

Happy Thanksgiving

Best wishes to you and your family for a happy Thanksgiving. I hope that you will join me in giving thanks for the blessing of freedom that we enjoy in America. Be safe if you travel and have a great holiday!

Quote to Remember

"All across America, we gather this week with the people we love to give thanks to God for the blessings in our lives. We are grateful for our freedom, grateful for our families and friends, and grateful for the many gifts of America."

President George W. Bush
2004 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Rhino Times Endorsement

It is an honor to receive the endorsement of the Rhino Times. Below is the editorial written by John Hammer endorsing our reelection campaign. It was published on Thursday, October 30th.

NC House - District 59

Republican District 59 state Rep. Jon Hardister is being challenged by Democrat Scott Jones and Libertarian Paul Meinhart.

Hardister lost his first race for the state House in 2010 to Pricey Harrison. In 2012, he won election for his first term and had a successful first session. He introduced an unusual number of bills for a first term representative and successfully shepherded them through the process to become laws. He received a 100 percent rating by the American Conservative Union and 82 percent from Civitas Action, and a 0 percent rating from the American Civil Liberties Union, which should give you a good idea of his politics.

Hardister is a popular fellow in Raleigh. At a recent fundraiser for his campaign, Gov. Pat McCrory was the main speaker, and five fellow state representatives attended from across the state to show their support.

Jones likes to run for office. He ran for governor in 2012 and sheriff of Guilford County in 2010, and this time he is running for the state House. If elected, Jones says that he will take money from the North Carolina Department of Transportation and use it to create jobs in agriculture, which is just weird.

Meinhart, as a Libertarian, has very little chance of winning, and he has some odd beliefs for someone who is supposed to be in favor of less government. He favors increasing the minimum wage and increasing Medicaid coverage.

Hardister is the best choice in this race. He has worked with the Republicans to bring about much needed reform in state government including raising education funding and raising teacher salaries. He’s also on his way to being a leader in the Republican caucus. Hardister, at 32, is one of the younger, but not the youngest member of the state House. He represents the future of the Republican Party in North Carolina, and as a native of Greensboro that’s good for our area.

Guilford County Sales Tax Referendum

The following is an op-ed that was published in the Greensboro News & Record on Sunday, October 2014 concerning the quarter cent sales tax referendum that will be on the ballot in Guilford County. I was given the opportunity to write this op-ed to explain why I believe that raising taxes is not in the best long-term interest of our community.

VOTE NO: We need to spend wiser and grow the economy

There has been much debate lately on whether Guilford County voters should approve a referendum to increase our local sales tax by a quarter-cent. It is implied that additional revenue generated by this tax increase would be directed to our local school system.

Not many of us would argue against the virtue of having more revenue to spend on public education. Where there is disagreement, however, is on how to best generate additional tax revenue. There is also disagreement on whether the government is spending tax dollars as efficiently as possible.

It is easy to advocate for higher taxes, but taking such action could have negative long-term consequences. This is because high taxes slow economic growth, reduce job creation and shrink the tax base. Therefore, we should focus on growing the economy and putting more people back to work. We should increase revenue by having more people gainfully employed.

Our property tax rate in Guilford County is among the highest in North Carolina. If we raise our sales tax, we would tie 26 other counties for the highest sales tax in the state. If we were to further increase our tax burden, we would make our county less economically competitive.

Another concern with increasing our sales tax is that any additional revenue would not be lawfully dedicated to our school system. Additional tax revenue would go to the county’s general fund, and the commissioners would be responsible for determining how to spend it. While I have little doubt that the current board of commissioners would direct additional funds to public schools, there is nothing that would bind future boards to do so.

It is important to make clear that the education budget has not been cut in recent years, as some claim. At the state level, education spending has increased by nearly $1 billion since 2011. The education budget in Guilford County has increased by more than $30 million during that same time. This is not to argue that we don’t need more funding, but it disproves the claim that education funding has decreased.

Earlier this year, the state legislature created the “Education Endowment Fund,” which allows individuals and businesses to make voluntary contributions to supplement teacher pay. This is a concept that we could explore in Guilford County. It would be a creative way to help provide additional revenue to support our school system.

Moving forward, we should refrain from increasing our tax burden and focus on making our region more economically competitive. Doing this would result in more stable budget revenue for years to come. We should also work to ensure that existing tax dollars are being spent as efficiently as possible.

It is important that we provide children with the strongest, most innovative education system possible. If we focus on growing the economy, we will be able to better support the necessary funding for our school system. As a legislator, I will continue to advocate for government efficiency, economic growth and funding our schools the best way possible.

Jon Hardister is a Republican state representative from Greensboro.

2014 State Budget Update

The NC General Assembly has passed a $21 billion dollar state budget for the current fiscal year. It was recently signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory. I believe this is an overall good budget, and I felt comfortable voting for it.

Crafting a state budget is a tedious process that involves ample debate between the two legislative chambers. For that reason there is no such thing as a perfect budget that everyone will be completely satisfied with. Having said that, I do believe this is a responsible budget that will do a lot of good for our state.

Much of the debate on the budget was focused on teacher pay increases and funding for teacher assistants. We ultimately agreed on a plan that provides teachers with an average 7 percent pay increase, and retains funding for all teacher assistants. Longevity pay for teachers has been rolled into base pay, and we have restored teacher pay steps, which were frozen in 2009.

One of our top goals this year was to provide teachers with a meaningful pay increase. That goal has been accomplished, and it was done without raising taxes. In terms of percentages, this is the largest teacher pay increase in over nine years. In sheer dollar amounts, this is the largest teacher pay increase in our state's history.

Under this plan North Carolina has moved from 45th to 32nd in the national average of teacher pay. Within the Southeast region of the United States, we have moved from 9th to 4th in average teacher pay. This is a significant step in the right direction, and we will continue working to increase teacher compensation in future budget cycles.

Here are highlights of the state budget:

• Increases pay for teachers an average of 7 percent.

• Provides most other state employees an average $1,000 pay increase and five extra vacation days. 

• Retains funding for teacher assistant positions in early grade levels.

• Provides Highway Patrol officers with a 5-6 percent pay increase.

• Establishes an education endowment fund that allows individuals and businesses to donate money to supplement teacher pay.

• Allocates funding to help reduce class sizes in kindergarten and first grade.

• Makes the SBI an independent agency with its director appointed by the governor.

• Hires three investigators who will research possible voter fraud for the NC Board of Elections

• Creates a “First in Freedom” license plate to honor early North Carolina leaders who advocated for American independence.

• Allocates $186 million for Medicaid contingency. (Working to ensure the efficient operation of Medicaid will be an ongoing endeavor.)

• Bans individuals and government agencies from using drones to conduct surveillance without permission. 

• Allocates $3 million to repair the hull of the USS North Carolina Battleship in Wilmington.

• Provides financial assistance for veterans to attend community college and UNC-system schools.

• Provides $2 million in funding for University Square in Greensboro. This is a nursing school that is being facilitated as a joint effort between UNCG, A&T, GTCC, and Cone Health.

It was with careful thought and consideration that I chose to vote in favor of this budget. It is balanced in a responsible fashion; it funds the core services of government; and it provides a much-needed pay increase for teachers. And it does all of this without raises taxes on any of our hardworking citizens.

Teacher Pay Charts

Below are three charts that help to explain the teacher pay increases that have been established in our current state budget. 

Chart 1 - Teacher Salary Schedule

This chart shows the pay increase that teachers will receive, which is based on how many years they have been in the profession. There are boxes and arrows indicating how the pay step system will be implemented. All teachers will be receiving a pay increase, although those toward the beginning of their career (particularly those from year 0-12) will receive the highest percentage pay increase. Also, note that longevity pay for teachers has not been eliminated; it has been rolled into base pay, which is received monthly rather than in an annual lump sum.

Chart 2 - Teacher Salary Schedule Comparison

This chart compares past base pay for teachers, with and without longevity pay (green and red lines), with how much teachers will earn under the new pay scale (blue line). 

Chart 3 - Average Annual Salary of Teachers by State

Finally, this chart details where North Carolina stands in the national average of teacher pay, before and after the pay increases. Note that our state has moved from 46th to 32nd in the national average, and from 9th to 4th among states in the Southeast. This is a significant move in the right direction, and we will continue working to provide pay increases as revenue allows. 

              

Short Session Continues

Although we have finished the process of passing a state budget adjustment, the 2014 legislative session is still underway. There are a few bills that we may try to take up before adjournment. We will likely adjourn in the next week or two.

Quote to Remember

"There can be no liberty unless there is economic liberty."

- Margaret Thatcher

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns related to any legislative topic.

Happy 4th of July

Celebrating our Independence Day is an occasion in which all Americans can take pride. It is a time for us to celebrate the freedom that was secured by our forefathers, which was expressed in the Declaration of Independence. This holiday reminds us that freedom is what made our country great.

This year I will be participating in two 4th of July parades:

Greensboro Fun Fourth Parade -- Downtown Greensboro, starting at 9:30 AM

Historic Kirkwood Parade -- Independence Road in Greensboro, starting at 5:00 PM

As usual, I will be driving my red Ford Mustang, which will be decorated for the occasion.

Best wishes to you and your family for a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!

More Updates Coming Soon

The 2014 legislative session, which began on May 14th, is still underway. There is no set date for session to end, but it appears likely that we will adjourn by the end of July. I will be releasing a legislative overview at the conclusion of this year's session. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact me if there are any legislative issues you would like to discuss.

Hurricane Arthur

Please keep North Carolina's coastal residents in your thoughts as Hurricane Arthur makes its way to the shoreline. If you live at or are visiting the coast, please be safe and exercise caution. Let's also pray for the safety of the emergency response personnel who will be working to protect our citizens.

Quote to Remember

"Where liberty dwells, there is my country."
- Benjamin Franklin