NC State Representative Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland) has been appointed to serve on the North Carolina Institute of Medicine. The appointment was made by Governor Beverly Perdue and is effective immediately.

The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) is an independent, quasi-state agency that was chartered by the NC General Assembly in 1983 to provide balanced, nonpartisan information on issues of relevance to the health of North Carolina’s population.

The NCIOM convenes task forces, or working groups, of knowledgeable and interested individuals to study complex health issues facing the state in order to develop workable solutions to address these issues.

Appointed by the Governor for five-year terms, the 100 active members of the Institute are drawn from government, education, business and industry, the health and legal professions, the hospital and health insurance industries, private philanthropy, the voluntary sector and the public at large. Because of its broad membership base, NC IOM serves to objectively represent the public interest in its advisory and consultative role.

As members of the Institute, citizens appointed to serve are not advocates for any particular point of view on issues under study and do not officially represent the organizations with which they are affiliated. The purpose of the NC IOM is to ensure that all aspects of complex health issues are examined and the results of these deliberations are made available to public and private sector officials with decision-making authority.

All former active members of the Institute continue to be listed as alumni members and are invited to continue their involvement in activities of the Institute.

For more information visit http://www.nciom.org/.

RALEIGH – NC State Representative Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland) has been named 2010 Legislator of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers, North Carolina Chapter.

The association membership chooses a legislator every year that represents the values, ethics, and concerns of social workers in NC.

Rep Glazier, a Democrat from Cumberland County, was the lead on several pieces of significant legislation for the

The Title Protection bill mandates that only those who hold a degree in Social Work from an accredited program of study may use the title “Social Worker”, with an exemption for those who work under the NC State Personnel Social Work Series. The School Violence Prevention Act is a law that seeks to protect all children, teachers and staff  in North Carolina’s public schools from harassment, bullying, and intimidation.

Jack Register, the association’s Legislative Director & Lobbyist, stated “Rep. Glazier is a long time friend to our profession. He understands the work we do with vulnerable people. We appreciate his efforts to strengthen our ability to serve NC’s citizens.”

The award will be presented at the association’s annual Ethics Conference March 5, 2010. For more information about NASW-NC, www.naswnc.org

RALEIGH –  NC State Representative Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland) has been appointed as Vice-Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management Recovery. The appointment was made by Speaker of the House, Joe Hackney.

The Joint Select Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management Recovery will study issues including:

• hurricane preparedness
• evacuation and response
• bioterrorism preparedness and response
• flood and natural disaster preparation and response
• public health infrastructure in place to respond to natural and non-natural disasters
• whether the state building code sufficiently addresses issues related to commercial and residential construction in hurricane and flood prone areas

The committee will also study energy security including:

• identifying the state’s energy profile
• determining the state’s essential energy facilities and their connections
• evaluating potential threats and the possible consequences of disruptive events; reviewing long-term strategies
• outlining strategies for communication to the media and public
• offering response options for each type of emergency
• identifying the response measures and options that industry and government can take; coordinating local, state, and federal level issues
• ensuring protection from cyber attack of computer control systems
• monitoring of the state’s energy supply

Representative Rick Glazier is currently serving his fourth term in the NC House of Representatives. He represents House District 45, Cumberland County.

Glazier is Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education. He serves as Chair of the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, and Co-Chair of Judiciary II. He serves as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House and Vice-Chair of Appropriations.

He also serves as a Member of the House Committees on Education, Education Subcommittee on Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Education, Health, Mental Health Reform, and Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs. Glazier is a member of the Public School Forum Board of Directors.

Glazier is the Vice-Chair of the Joint Legislative JOBS (Joining Our Businesses and Schools) Study Commission and serves as Co-Chair on the Joint Select Study Committee on the Preservation of Biological Evidence and on the Subcommittee on Public Health and Bioterrorism/Energy Security. He serves on the Joint Legislative Committees on Governmental Operations, Education Oversight, Joint Legislative Task Force on the Consolidation of Early Childhood Education and Care and Joint Select Committee on State Funded Student Financial Aid.

Representative Glazier is married to Lise Glazier, who teaches art at Hope Mills Middle School. The Glaziers have two children, Philip and Megan, who live in Washington, DC, and two mixed black Labradors, Zoe and Shadow, who live in Fayetteville. Rep. Glazier is a visiting professor at Fayetteville State University and an adjunct professor of law at Campbell University School of Law.

NC State Representative Rick Glazier joined PAX/Real Solutions to Gun Violence, North Carolina State Superintendent Dr. June St. Clair Atkinson, and Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Dr. Frank Till Friday, January 29, 11:00 at CC Schools central Services, for the launch of the SPEAK UP Campaign in Cumberland County

This two-year initiative, funded by the ESA Foundation, will provide an innovative means of keeping young people in Cumberland County safe from weapon-related violence in and outside of school.

In the 2009-2010 Session General Assembly, Rep. Glazier was a key sponsor of the School Violence Prevention Act, which provides clear guidance to teachers, administration and staff on violence prevention policies and procedure and mandates protection for all students regardless of their real or perceived differences. The measure was enacted into law

“The School Violence Prevention Act was about protecting our children when they are in school, said Rep. Glazier.  And, the SPEAK UP campaign helps to do the same thing for threats of weapon-related violence. We may never be able to walk a mile in a vulnerable child’s shoes, but we can make his or her walk easier. It seems to me that it the quintessential job of a legislator, is to make daily life easier, particularly for those students whose life might otherwise be filled with violence, hatred, and harassment”.

Research shows that students often know about weapon threats before they occur, but may not tell others because of social pressure or fear of physical retaliation.  The SPEAK UP Campaign empowers young people to report threats of weapon-related violence, either by talking to a trusted adult or by anonymously calling or texting the SPEAK UP weapon threats hotline.

The SPEAK UP campaign was created in 2002 by PAX, a non-profit organization working to prevent gun violence among children and families. The centerpiece of the campaign is the anonymous SPEAK UP hotline, which Cumberland County students can call or text to report weapon threats 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Since its inception in 2002, 1-866-SPEAK-UP has received over 35,000 calls nationwide.  The SPEAK UP Campaign also features a mass media campaign including outdoor advertising and television and radio public service announcements.

For more information about PAX/Real Solutions to Gun Violence and Speak Up!, click here.

For news coverage of this event, click here.

RALEIGH – NC State Representatives Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland) and Grier Martin (D-Wake) met yesterday with Mr. Kevin Bruch to discuss suggestions on what North Carolina can do to provide more support for families and service members.  Bruch is with the Southeast Region State Liaison Office, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Military Community and Family Policy, representing Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“Our military personnel are called to do things for our nation which are beyond our imagination, especially in high times of deployment,” said Rep. Glazier. “When our military families move into North Carolina, it is our responsibility, our honor, to help provide excellent schools, unwavering community support, and the best, continuous quality of life for them.”

Since many issues surrounding quality of life and family well-being can only be addressed by states, the USA4 Military Families Initiative, working through the Department of Defense-State Liaison Office (DSLO), was created. It is working to engage and educate state policymakers, not-for-profit associations, concerned business interests, and other state leaders about the needs of Military members and their families. By developing state-military partnerships, DoD is looking to work with the states to remove unnecessary barriers, and significantly improve the quality of life for military families.

“Many of our state leaders share our concern for the welfare of our Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve service members and their families living in North Carolina, said Rep. Martin. This meeting was a pivotal step in working towards making significant progress for their future.” Martin is a major in the Army Reserve.  Having volunteered for active duty after 9/11, he served in the war in Afghanistan in 2002-03.  His current assignment is with an airborne unit at Fort Bragg.

Ten priority issues that were addressed in the meeting. These points were identified by the Department of Defense as having a strong impact on military families at the state level:

1. Common key benefits that support Guard and Reserve members and their families
2. Ensure deployment separation does not determine child custody or visitation decisions
3. Increase access to quality, affordable childcare for military families
4. Minimize school disruption for military children during transition and deployment
5. Enhance opportunities for portable careers for military spouses
6. Expand unemployment compensation for trailing military spouses
7. Promote enforcement of the DoD predatory lending regulation
8. Improve absentee voting for military members and their families
9. Comport state laws with DoD rules on disposition
10. Satisfy foreign language requirements

The lawmakers plan to meet again to begin preparing legislation which creates even better conditions for our military families.

Representative Glazier represents House 45^th District, which includes the Ft. Bragg community. Representative Martin represents House District 34 in Wake County.