Economy/Budget

The Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to the notion that job creation is extremely critical to facilitate economic recovery.  In a recent membership survey, the most pressing issue of concern was the economy with specific reference to job creation.  You can support economic recovery by:

• Promoting and passing legislation that encourages the creation of new jobs and the retention of existing jobs
• Maintaining NC’s competitive advantage as a right-to-work state
• Providing $15.1 million in planning funds for the new ECU Life Sciences and
• Biotechnology Building which will be pivotal to future investment and job creation
• Opposing unfunded state mandates to city and county governments
• Protecting the existing Department of Transportation equity formula to ensure future funding of local infrastructure improvements which are essential to continued growth  

Education

Pitt Community College is and has been experiencing unprecedented growth.  In order to meet the demands of an evolving workforce, the NC Community College system needs your support.  Support the NC Community College System by providing:

• $85 million for enrollment growth ($3.5 million for PCC)
• $5 million for equipment growth
• $14 million for forward funding
• $12 million for summer developmental funding

East Carolina University continues to be a major economic driver for Eastern NC.  You can continue your support of the ECU School of Dentistry and the Brody School of Medicine by providing:

• $11 million in recurring operating funds (FY 2011) for ECU School of Dentistry
• $3 million in recurring funds (FY 2011) for indigent care at the Brody School of Medicine 

In a recent membership survey, Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce members supported a restructuring of the Pitt County Board of Education.  In order to increase the school board’s effectiveness, the Chamber believes the following are necessary:

• Shorten school board terms from 6 to 4 years
• Have new school board members take office 30 days after their election as opposed to the current unnecessary gap
• Reduce the number of school board members from 12 to 9 – one (1) from each of the six (6) districts and three (3) at-large  

Immigration Reform

Immigration Reform, while largely a federal issue, is vital to expanding the American and North Carolina workforce.  The Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce endorses the North Carolina Leadership for Immigration Reform’s four principles of sufficient reform:

• The federal government should continue efforts to secure the borders
• There should be a dependable, adequate and workable guest/temporary worker documentation program
• The federal government should create a reasonable path to an earned legal status for undocumented immigrants who are already in the United States
• Every high school student who is qualified for admission should have access to higher education  

This agenda was unanimously approved by the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors on April 22, 2010.