Rep. Adams Urges North Carolina General Assembly to Convene Special Session on Coronavirus
CHARLOTTE - Earlier today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12) sent a letter to North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger urging them to call a special session to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. A copy of the letter is available here.
"I was honored to serve the people of North Carolina in the General Assembly for twenty years," wrote Congresswoman Adams. "I have no doubt that they are resilient, and that they will rise to the challenge that this public health emergency presents. However, in my nearly four decades of public service, North Carolina has never faced a challenge as great as this, particularly if this disease is not properly managed. President Trump has called on all political leaders to engage in bipartisanship and come together to confront the coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus is a life or death crisis, not a partisan crisis."
The letter outlines proactive steps that the General Assembly can consider to mitigate the health and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, including:
- Suspending utility disconnections and reconnecting affected households.
- Suspending foreclosures and evictions and/or providing mortgage and rental assistance.
- Protecting the uninsured and expanding Medicaid.
- Providing emergency food assistance.
- Contingency planning for nursing homes and other vulnerable population centers.
"There are good ideas from both parties to address this crisis," wroteCongresswoman Adams. "We have an abundance of tools, but what we do not have is time to wait. Now is not the time for partisanship; now is the time for leadership. I look forward to working with you and members of the General Assembly to ensure the safety and health of North Carolinians during this time of great uncertainty."
General Assembly leaders can call a Special Session at the request of three-fifths of the members of both the House and the Senate. Rep. Adams served in the North Carolina House from 1994 until she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014.