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Welcome to my web page and our on line community.
The 2009 Legislative Session has ended. It was a very difficult time of governing for our state. The state was faced with a shortfall of over $4.5 billion or 20% of the budget. In view of the continuing need for state services, simply cutting the state budget to make ends meet was not a feasible option. However, cuts in present spending were necessary. The final $19 billion budget is $2.3 billion less than last year’s budget and $1.8 billion, roughly 8%, below the current already reduced spending plan. It is a budget which requires all of us to share in the pain of paying for our state services. For a detailed summary of the budget and my thinking regarding it see “The Budget 2009” to your left on this page.
I want to thank the many of you who have communicated with me, participated in my on line poll on how best to solve the budget problem, attended meetings around the district and, generally, helped me make decisions on some very difficult issues in the budget. I trust you will join me in doing what we can to be supportive of our neighbors and holding steady for better times in the future.
Now, as we look ahead, we face some serious challenges as a district. My focus in moving around the counties this year will be on:
- How to recover needed good jobs in the region. Unemployment continues around 10% in our counties and shows no signs of short term recovery. I will be visiting with you and officials at the district and state level with a concern for how we might encourage the recovery of the manufacturing sector in our economy.
- How to face a likely budgetary shortfall at all levels of government over the next year. While tightening our belts is overdue, the serious challenge we face is how to do so without undermining essential services with education at the top of the list.
- How we address a health care system which does not adequately serve our families and the cost of which must be constrained for both government and families.
I will be holding Town Hall meetings and Neighborhood Office Hours around the district to invite your advice on these issues and others. Also, I invite you to use this web page to share your views with me and our on line community.
As always, please feel free to contact me to share your opinions on any issue you feel is important, and thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the Senate. For further information and comment: call me at (919) 733-5742 or send me an email at steveg@ncleg.net.
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Goss is Panelist at State Level Leadership Seminar -  |
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Senator Steve Goss, representing the 45th NC Senate District (Alexander, Ashe, Watauga and Wilkes Counties), recently served on a panel of the state wide leadership conference, Leadership North Carolina. The panel, which Goss shared with Robert L. Farmer, Chair of the State Ethics Commission, discussed Ethics in State Government. Goss is Senate Chair of the Legislative Ethics Committee. |
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Posted by Web Master
at 12:00 AM on Nov-23-2009
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| Goss to work with Governor on Ethics Reform - |
Sen. Steve Goss, a co-chairman of the Legislative Ethics Committee, said he is willing to work with Perdue next year to shepherd such a bill through the General Assembly. |
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Posted by Web Master
at 12:00 AM on Oct-02-2009
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| Goss to Amend Reports - |
Gary Bartlett, the executive director of the state board of elections, said “Normally, the correct procedure is to disclose the information during the period in which it takes place. This is an infraction. Certainly he (Goss) had the ability to loan his campaign the money and to be reimbursed at a later date. He did not provide the information during that specified campaign reporting period. “It’s my information that Senator Goss has detailed records, and there is no question it (reimbursement) is allowed under the law.” Bartlett added, “This (reporting errors among candidates) happens a lot. This involves a lot of money because it covers a longer period of time.”
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Posted by Web Master
at 12:00 AM on Sep-28-2009
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| Goss Appointed Transportation Oversight Co-Chair - |
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Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight has announced that he has appointed Senator Steve Goss as Senate Co-Chair of the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee. This powerful committee is comprised of 18 members, nine from the Senate and nine from the House of Representatives. The Committee is charged with overseeing the Department of Transportation (DOT) and all state transportation policy on behalf of the General Assembly. The Committee receives regular updates on all functions of DOT, including transportation planning, road construction, paving, rail, and mass transit. Senator Goss also serves as Co-Chair of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee. The House Co-Chair is Representative Nelson Cole of Rockingham County.
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Posted by Web Master
at 12:00 AM on Sep-24-2009
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State Senator Steve Goss, who represents Alexander, Ashe, Watauga and Wilkes County in the NC Senate, has been recognized by the watchdog group Democracy North Carolina as having filed “superior “ State Board of Elections reports disclosing details about his campaign expenses and donations. Goss is among 32 legislators receiving the award.
“Our staff and interns evaluated the reports of all 170 legislators elected in 2008 and found these 32 went well beyond the minimum of the law to give the public valuable information about where they get their campaign money and how it’s spent,” Bob Hall , the Democracy North Carolina’s Executive Director said. Award winners filed their six reports in 2007-2008 on time, in an accessible format, listed the purpose of 99% of the expenses over $50, and provided the required information on individuals who gave $50 or more to their campaign.
“Strong disclosure laws protect the public interest and help educate voters,” Hall noted The reports reveal, for example, whether a legislator gets support from a broad range of interests or is more narrowly backed by attorneys, chiropractors, developers or agribusiness.
The Sunshine Awards symbolize the increasing emphasis on openness and accountability in state government, Hall said. “You could call 2009 the ‘Transition Year for Greater Openness’. It began with the new governor adopting measures for greater disclosure and campaign reform and ended with a top aide of the old governor facing questions about his role in possible illegal activities revealed through campaign reports and emails obtained under the state’s open records law.”
Hall’s statement concluded, “The public is demanding a higher standard of ethical conduct and more accountability to voters than narrow self-interests……We’ve made real progress in North Carolina, and we have plenty of room for improvement.”
Goss acknowledged receipt of the award with the comment, “I am extremely pleased to receive this award that recognizes our desire to have complete openness in our government. An open government remains the peoples’ government, and I believe the framers of our constitutions, both national and state intended, for us to be accountable to our citizens at every level.”
For more information, go to Democracy North Carolina (www:democracy-nc.org) and Bob Hall at 919 489 1931.
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