Jim's Legislative Agenda

Gun Safes & Locks 

All students and members of our school communities not only deserve to feel safe but to be safe. It is no secret that school shootings happen because children and teens get access to their parents guns. Safe firearm storage prevents guns from getting into the hands of children and teens, who may use them to, intentionally or unintentionally, harm themselves or others. North Carolina fire-arm related death rates have more than doubled since 2013. It’s time to act now and require gun owners to purchase gun locks and safes when there are children or teens in the house.  

Gun Insurance 

If we require car owners to carry liability insurance, we should require gun owners to carry insurance too. At least one recent study finds that 75 percent of American consumers believe gun owners should be required to hold liability insurance for their guns. Besides the obvious, it promotes responsible gun ownership which is what we want from law-abiding gun owners. 

Funding Nursing Homes 

There is a staffing crisis endangering thousands inside North Carolina nursing homes. No elderly or disabled person deserves to live in unsafe or unsanitary conditions. I, for one, understand this fully well as after my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, we had to find a home to care for her as her condition was debilitating daily. We should fully fund our nursing homes.    

Right to the Truth 

Under Article I, Section 14, of the North Carolina Constitution, it declares, “Freedom of speech and of the press are two of the great bulwarks of liberty and therefore shall never be restrained, but every person shall be held responsible for their abuse.” On its face, North Carolina recognizes the right to unencumbered free speech but if you abuse it, you are responsible for the consequences of that abuse. Lies are an abuse of free speech. It’s time to give this mandate of our state constitution some teeth.  

Minimum Living Wages Set by Economic Areas 

One size fits all isn’t the answer if we want to raise the standard of living in a way that provides our essential workers a living wage. A minimum wage that is a living wage in Raleigh or Wake County is likely not the right minimum wage (it’d be too high) in the poorer counties of the state. Through analytics and algorithms we can establish the living wages by regions that get readjusted (up or down) periodically.    

Wage Increases for Legislative Assistants  

All people in the state deserve a living wage including the Legislative Assistants to our political leaders. Legislating is a full-time job. Right now, they just sixty percent of a living wage if they live in Raleigh. Many have school loans to pay, some family to support.  

Joe John’s Pending Bills 

This is Joe John’s pending legislative agenda which I will continue to push. 

HB 68 – Reenact Nonpartisan Judicial Elections/Funding 

HB 90 – Judicial Discretion of FTA Release Conditions 

HB 91 – Create Pretrial Release Study Committee 

HB 92 – Domestic Violence Orders 

HB 288 – Remove Fee/Fire Dept. & Rescue Squad Plate 

HB 742 – Req. Implementation of Text/SMS 911 for PSAPs 

HB 778 – Prohibition on Disclosing Booking Photographs. 

HB 886 – Vehicle Headlight Brightness 

HB 1016 – Gambling Education