NC's Congressional profile

Editorial by Greenville Daily Reflector, January 8, 2015.

As Republicans took control of both houses of Congress on Tuesday, North Carolina’s profile began rising with at least three members of Congress — one of them a Democrat.

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield was sworn in on Tuesday as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus; Sen. Richard Burr became chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee; and despite his freshman status, newly elected Sen. Thom Tillis is expected to be a prominent figure in the 114th Congress.

Butterfield, a Wilson County Democrat representing the 1st Congressional District, said criminal justice reform and the war on poverty would be his primary objectives as chairman of the largest black caucus in history — with 42 returning Democrats and three new Democrats. He said the caucus’ first priority will be sponsoring legislation to combat questionable police shootings in minority communities.

Such legislation, he said, might require patrol officers to have body cameras. Butterfield said Congress also needs to address the role that prosecutorial misconduct may play in police shootings.

With regard to poverty, Butterfield is proposing a plan that would require government departments to allocate 10 percent of their budgets for programs in the nation’s 384 counties that have poverty levels of 20 percent or more that have persisted for more than 30 years. Ten of those counties are in North Carolina, including Pitt.

Burr takes the helm of the Senate Intelligence Committee after moving to 31st in seniority during his 10th year as a U.S. senator. He has indicated that Iran’s potential as a nuclear threat is at the top of his priority list.

Burr has called the Obama administration’s efforts at diplomacy with Iran a failure. He recently challenged the conclusions of the so-called torture report released by Intelligence Committee Democrats.

Although Tillis is going to Washington for the first time as a member of Congress, he brings with him a national prominence developed during his high-profile defeat of former Sen. Kay Hagan. As a key player in the Senate takeover orchestrated by Republicans, Tillis likely will attract more of the national spotlight in the months to come.

All three of these leaders, in fact, will draw much national attention in the coming months. They will do so at a time when most Americans hold a very low opinion of Congress. How wonderful it would be for North Carolina if opinions were to improve under the leadership skills of Butterfield, Burr and Tillis.

http://www.reflector.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-ncs-congressional-profile-2764969