Jobs & Justice
Financial stability and social justice are deeply interconnected. Today, this factor remains as true as ever. However, families have to work harder and harder to realize their American dream.
Our nation and workforce are strongest when all individuals- regardless of race or ethnicity, location, or family wealth- have the opportunity to work hard and build a productive life.
We need a plan that creates more high-paying jobs and provides the support needed for workers to have the opportunity to get ahead. And we need to help every family get ahead so they can not only make ends meet, but earn enough to save for a secure retirement.
The Jobs and Justice Agenda calls for a recommitment to our founding principles of the American Dream, working to reverse years of inequality and injustice, and leveling the playing field for all.
Today, Congressman Butterfield's Jobs & Justice Agenda focuses on four goals (click below or scroll down to read more):
- Jobs First: Preparing Today’s Workforce for Tomorrow
- GenNext: Creating Opportunities and Confronting Challenges that Face Diverse Millennials
- Healthy Communities: Improving Health & Economic Vitality
- RESPECT: Building a Stronger, Safer Community
Photos from the 2018 Jobs & Justice Tour
Click here to view photos from Congressman Butterfield's 2018 Jobs & Justice Tour.
Jobs First: Preparing Today's Workforce for Tomorrow
Congressman Butterfield is putting Jobs First on his list in fighting for the people of North Carolina’s First Congressional District. Creating job opportunities and developing the workforce is key to the future of this district.
The people of the First District deserve equal and fair access to the tools and opportunities that allow them to compete in the global workforce, earn decent wages, and have a fair shot at obtaining the American dream.
Congressman Butterfield believes in the opportunities that come with a quality education and job training. He has consistently supported projects in his district that work to increase student achievement and expand opportunities for his constituents. And as a result, Congressman Butterfield has directly influenced over $4 million of federal funds benefiting job training and special initiatives for education in his Congressional District.
Elementary and Secondary Education
Congressman Butterfield secured $2.3 million in education grants that went to nine school districts in eastern North Carolina. The funds were used for teacher development and training focused on driving student achievement in low income communities.
Congressman Butterfield helped to secure $400 million for North Carolina’s public schools by advocating the state be selected for US Department of Education Race to the Top funds. North Carolina was one of 19 states to win a combined $4 billion to improve their public education system.
During reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Congressman Butterfield supported more than $57 million in Title I funds coming to eastern North Carolina to support disadvantaged students.
Workforce Development
Congressman Butterfield also secured a grant of over $930,000 for Wilson OIC that was used to help train unemployed and dislocated workers in five ‘green’ industries: renewable electrical power, energy efficient building, construction and retrofit, recycling and waste reduction, and manufacturing.
In 2011, Congressman Butterfield worked with the US Department of Labor to secure $875,000 for Smart Choices for Youth, Inc. located in Wilson. The organization used the federal grant to prepare out-of-school youth for careers through hands-on construction training and high school completion and GED programs. Thanks to Congressman Butterfield, Smart Choices for Youth, Inc. was the only entity in North Carolina to receive federal YouthBuild dollars.
Congressman Butterfield is working to connect job seekers with positions that are available now, by focusing on the following community events:
- “Jobs First” Small Business Tour
- “Jobs First” Summit: Using Technology to Grow Your Business or Non-Profit
- They’re Hiring: Meet Companies Who are Hiring Now
GenNext: Creating Opportunities & Confronting Challenges that Face Diverse Millennials
We have to build the next generation of leaders, GenNext, right here at home. Congressman Butterfield wants to support young leaders, while encouraging young people to stay in eastern, NC to contribute to our economy and invest in the future of our communities.
- RESPECT the Resistance: A Community Conversation with Young People Leading the Way
Healthy Communities: Improving Health & Economic Vitality
Congressman Butterfield is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to affordable, quality healthcare, but also has the resources to prevent poverty and hunger.
Expanding access to health care has long been a priority of Congressman Butterfield’s. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more than 35,000 people in the First Congressional District have enrolled in new and more affordable healthcare plans.
But healthcare is only one piece of the health care agenda. Congressman Butterfield is working for better health by addressing factors such as mental health, food insecurity, and access to social support.
Health Care
Access to health care is a moral imperative and a right that should be enjoyed by everyone, not a privilege reserved for the few. Congressman Butterfield has worked to secure federal dollars to improve the health outcomes of all his constituents and to support important health care programs in his Congressional District, some of which include:
- $400,000 for East Carolina University to reduce health disparities through chronic disease management;
- A $1.4 million low-interest loan to help expand the Harvest Family Health Center in Elm City;
- A $1.3 million grant to Greene County Health Care so that vulnerable populations is Greene and Pitt counties could have access to primary health care services;
- $300,000 to Washington County for upgrades to equipment and facilities for Washington County Hospital; and
- $240,000 for Lincoln Community Health Center in Durham for upgrades to equipment and facilities.
Butterfield also worked with the US Department of Health and Human Services to bring $1.5 million to ten community health centers in his Congressional District to help enroll North Carolinians in the health insurance marketplace.
Environment
Congressman Butterfield is a strong advocate of safeguarding the environment for future generations. To protect his constituents and their access to safe and secure drinking water and North Carolina’s natural resources, he has brought more than $14 million in federal dollars to his Congressional District.
He has addressed urgent concerns from several communities around the district about aging water systems, by helping to secure grants to improve water quality. In addition, Congressman Butterfield has helped to secure:
- Over $2 million for the Town of Bethel (Pitt County);
- $3.6 million for the Vance County Water District (Vance County);
- $1 million for the City of Wilson Wastewater Infrastructure Program (Wilson County); and
- $750,000 for the Town of Ahoskie for wastewater infrastructure improvements (Hertford County).
Congressman Butterfield facilitated getting nearly $3.3 million for the operations and maintenance of the Dismal Swamp Canal, which is a significant and historic resource for the region, and $500,000 for the North Carolina Biofuels Center before the Republican-led North Carolina legislature stopped its funding.
Public Safety
Congressman Butterfield's commitment to ensuring the safety and security of his constituents is one of his top priorities. He has been a strong advocate of equipping first-responders and municipalities with the tools they need to protect their citizenry. He successfully directed over $6 million to his Congressional District to support public safety and service.
Specifically, Congressman Butterfield secured:
- $2.1 million loan and $200,000 grant for the City of Williamston that was used to renovate the public safety center housing first responders and emergency operations;
- $600,000 for the City of Greenville Emergency Operations Center; and
- More than $68,000 for Washington County’s Creswell Fire Department to modernize and retrofit its fire truck to enable first responders to provide lifesaving services.
In addition, he delivered over $330,000 to Halifax Community College to support their Nursing/Allied Health Expansion project. The funds were used to create a state-of-the-art Human Patient Simulator lab for nursing students and to equip two lecture halls with audio, visual, and distance education upgrades.
- “Healthcare is a Right” Discussion with Community Health Centers
- Our Children at Risk: Preventing Youth Suicide & Addressing Eating Disorders
- Student & Starving: Addressing Hunger for High School & College Students
RESPECT: Building a Stronger, Safer Community
Too many in our community feel that their voices are not being heard and that they do not have an equal opportunity to succeed. From feeling safe at school to ensuring that people have access to affordable housing, Congressman Butterfield is making sure his constituents’ voices are heard.
We must work hard to continue to improve public safety in our communities while also ensuring have a fair and equitable system of justice.
Voting Rights
As a former civil rights attorney and advocate of voting rights, Congressman Butterfield believes the right to vote embodies the spirit of American democracy. He works tirelessly to eliminate barriers that prevent North Carolinians from exercising their right to vote in free and fair elections. North Carolina is on the frontline of the new struggle for equality in voting, and Congressman Butterfield has fought the recent discriminatory changes to North Carolina’s election laws from the very beginning--bringing national attention to the issue. Butterfield is also a leader in Congress in restoring the voter protections contained in the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the law leaving American voters across the country vulnerable to discriminatory and suppressive election law changes.
Congressman Butterfield has led the charge against North Carolina’s suppressive voter ID laws, speaking out against them on national news stations and from the Floor of the United States House of Representatives. He has also joined in Moral Monday protests, and successfully urged the U.S. Department of Justice to file a lawsuit against the State of North Carolina under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, challenging the constitutionality of North Carolina’s voter ID law. The United States Supreme Court later struck down the law, ruling it would “target African Americans with almost surgical precision.”
2018 Community Focus
- Safe at School: Giving our Students & Teachers the RESPECT They Deserve
- Making Ends Meet: Housing Availability & Affordability in Eastern North Carolina
Butterfield Announces an Update to His Jobs & Justice Agenda
Congressman G. K. Butterfield announces his 2018 Jobs & Justice Agenda and Tour