Legislative Update

The North Carolina General Assembly is currently in the long session. All Senate bills for the session are now filed.
The Office of Senator Kirk deViere will remain open to assist constituents with concerns, as well as to field opinions regarding the Senator’s legislative actions.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office:
Directly: DeviereLA@ncleg.gov
Office: (919) 733-5776

NCDOT Seeks More Participation by Small, Disadvantaged Businesses; Hosting Workshop

The N.C. Department of Transportation is encouraging disadvantaged businesses to compete for state transportation contracts and will host a workshop in Fayetteville later this month.
Starting in June, NCDOT’s Division of Highways in partnership with its Office of Civil Rights will host in-person, outreach events in all 14 highway divisions to educate disadvantaged business owners, or DBEs, about how to do business with the NCDOT. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) owners include small, minority-owned and woman-owned businesses.
NCDOT awards contracts in many areas including mowing, litter pickup, landscaping, snow and ice removal, traffic control, painting, striping, and road construction.
During the outreach events, highway division staff will be on hand to discuss the types of contracts, advertisements for upcoming projects, as well as letting and award processes.
The outreach event for Division 6, which includes Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Harnett and Robeson counties, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on June 26 at on the FTCC campus, 2817 Fort Bragg Road, Room 108/113.
NCDOT is requesting that DBEs RSVP if they would like to attend the event. To RSVP for the Division 6 event, contact Allen Waddell at rawaddell@ncdot.gov or 910-642-3760.
For more information, visit the NCDOT webpage devoted to this initiative and watch a video about contract opportunities.

More Info: https://www.ncdot.gov/divisions/highways/Pages/highways-dbe-outreach.aspx

COVID-19 Vaccination Update

Your Shot at a Million: Gov. Cooper Announces $4 Million Summer Cash and College Tuition Drawings to Encourage COVID-19 Vaccinations
North Carolinians 18 and over who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will be automatically entered into four drawings for a chance to win a $1 million cash prize.
Youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be automatically entered into four drawings to win $125,000 towards post-secondary education. The $125,000 can be used at any post-secondary institution and is awarded in the form of a NC 529 account.
The $4 Million Summer Cash and Summer Cash 4 College Drawings will run from June 23 through Aug. 4. All North Carolina residents 12 and older who have been vaccinated with at least one dose are eligible, some restrictions may apply. Those vaccinated on or after today’s announcement, Jun10, will be entered twice for each drawing increasing the chance of winning for the newly vaccinated. Drawings will take place every other week on Wednesdays with the first drawing on June 23. New entries will close at midnight on the Sunday prior to the Wednesday drawing. Winners will be verified and then announced.
The drawings are part of the state’s Bringing Summer Back get-out-the-vaccine campaign to increase awareness of the availability and safety of COVID-19 vaccines and encourage North Carolinians to get a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as they can. The vaccines have been thoroughly tested and found to be safe and effective for anyone 12 and older.
The $4 Million Summer Cash and Summer Cash 4 College drawings will use federal Coronavirus Relief Funds to fund the program.
More info: https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/summervaxcash
A free COVID-19 vaccine will be available to all who want it.
Rest assured: you have a spot to take your shot.
  • You will likely need an appointment to get vaccinated.
  • Your local vaccine provider can help you get your shot. Because supplies are very limited right now, most doctors cannot provide vaccinations in their offices.
  • You can also call the toll-free COVID-19 Vaccine Help Center at 1-888-675-4567.
What you should know:
  • The vaccine is free everywhere in North Carolina.
  • No photo ID or insurance is needed.
  • Depending on where you get your vaccine, you may need to make an appointment.
  • U.S. citizenship is not required or checked.

Find Vaccine Location: https://myspot.nc.gov/

Need transportation to and from your vaccine provider? People who need transportation assistance to a COVID-19 vaccine appointment should reach out to their local transit agency. You can find your local transit agency online and can call the phone number listed for assistance.
As of June 10, North Carolina has administered over 8.5 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine:
Statewide:
-4,294,497 first doses
-3,926,444 second doses
-314,318 single shot doses
8,535,259 Total Doses
Cumberland County:
-89,942 partially vaccinated (27%)
-81,416 fully vaccinated (24%)
More info on Vaccines: https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard/vaccinations

In the Community

Above: Senator deViere, wife Jenny and son Greyson attend the Memorial Day Ceremony in Fayetteville.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above: Senator deViere attends the swearing in of NC Highway Patrol Commander Col. Freddy Johnson, Jr.

Above: Senator deViere attends the Gray’s Creek Volunteer Fire Department #18 grand opening on Saturday June 5. Pictured here with Commissioners Toni Stewart (left) and Charles Evans (right)

Available Resources

Fayetteville/Cumberland Rental Assistance Program (RAP):
Eligible residents of Fayetteville and Cumberland County can apply for rent and utility aid through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (RAP). The RAP will help cover past, current or upcoming rent or utility payments for households experiencing economic constraints from the COVID-19 pandemic.
To be eligible, a household must be obligated to pay rent on a residential dwelling and meet the following criteria:
  • Resident of the City of Fayetteville or Cumberland County, North Carolina;
  • One or more individuals within the household has qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • One or more individuals within the household can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and
  • Household income is at or below 80% of the Area Median Income. Please note that households with an income at or below 50% will be prioritized during the first 30 days of the program to ensure funding is made available to our most vulnerable populations. Households not in this priority group are still encouraged to apply at this time and should be aware of potential delays in application review and processing.
Landlords may begin an application and invite tenants to request assistance for rental arrears.
More info and application: https://iem-preregistration.com/cumberland-nc
New Broadband Affordability Program
The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that provides a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills for qualifying low-income households.
If your household is eligible, you can receive:
  • Up to a $50/month discount on your broadband service and associated equipment rentals
  • Up to a $75/month discount if your household is on qualifying Tribal lands
  • A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50)
Only one monthly service discount and one device discount is allowed per household.
More info and application: https://getemergencybroadband.org/
For Those Facing Eviction
On March 30, Governor Cooper extended North Carolina’s eviction moratorium until June 30, 2021.
To help constituents during this time, our office has this resource page that will continue to update as new information and resources are available.

More info: http://www.senatorkirkdeviere.com/eviction