Name as it appears on the ballot: Renée Price

Age: n/a

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: ReneePrice4NC.com

Occupation & employer:  Elected Official, NC General Assembly

Years lived in North Carolina: 34

  1. What in your background qualifies you to represent the people of your North Carolina district effectively? What would you cite as your three biggest career accomplishments?

Since early in my career, I actively have engaged in building and empowering communities, particularly among BIPOC and marginalized people living in urban and rural communities. I have worked in nonprofit organizations as well as government agencies engaging in housing and neighborhood revitalization, environmental justice, small family farms, farmworker rights, sustainable forestry among minority landowners, rural development, and natural resource conservation. Being a county commissioner for ten years gave me the opportunity to advocate for criminal justice reform, sound basic education, affordable housing, climate change mitigation, universal broadband, economic development, reliable transit, and diversity and inclusion.

Determining the biggest career accomplishments is difficult because my accomplishments involve people and all people are significant. That said, among my accomplishments was my involvement in the effort to raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction in North Carolina to 18. Another was working with community members to save an historically Black school and transforming it into a community center for all people. A third accomplishment was receiving the M.H. Brock Outstanding County Commissioner Award in 2020 from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.

  1. What do you believe to be the three most pressing issues facing the next General Assembly? What steps do you believe the state should take to address them?

The next General Assembly will face a multitude of pressing issues, among them being: 1) the right to vote and the right to be represented; 2) the right for every child to receive a sound basic education in traditional public schools; and 3) the right to reproductive healthcare, maternal health and bodily autonomy. To address these issues, the state should reform the voting laws, invest in public education, and repeal laws that target and discriminate against women.

  1. To what extent do you support municipalities exerting local control over issues such as regulating greenhouse gas emissions, criminal justice reforms and police oversight, and passing development-regulating ordinances?

I support municipalities exerting local control over regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, with limitations; allowances should be made for low-wealth individuals and households unable to afford such items as electric vehicles. Criminal justice reforms should be uniform across the state, and reforms should be made with input from municipalities. Police oversight is usually community led, or established in coordination with community members and law enforcement. Municipalities should be able to manage growth within their jurisdictions, and therefore should have the authority to adopt development-regulating ordinances accordingly.

  1. Do you support raising North Carolina’s minimum wage, and if so, by how much? 

Yes, I support raising the minimum wage in North Carolina. Referencing the NC Justice Center: “An estimated 1.3 million workers in NC would benefit from raising the minimum wage to $12/hr, including 750,000 women.” The NC Justice Center adds that: “According to the Living Income Standard—a market-based assessment of what it takes to make ends meet—a family with one adult and one child needs to earn $33,700 per year (16.20/hr) in order to afford the basics.” North Carolina should move towards this goal of $16.20/hour.

  1. What, if anything, should the state legislature do to address the growing affordability crisis and support low-income families in North Carolina?

The state could help address the affordability crisis by investing in economic development projects that provide living wage jobs to area residents. In addition, the state legislature should invest in PreK-12 public education so that young adults have a good foundation for gainful employment when they begin their careers. Furthermore, a reform of the tax structure in North Carolina to one that is progressive, rather than regressive, could help low-wealth families.

  1. What is your vision for transit in North Carolina? What kind of regional transit systems should the state work to implement, and what kind of transit legislation would you support?

My vision of transit is an efficient, affordable and effective system of regional mass transit that connects people to people, people to places of work, and allows for the efficacious transport or delivery of goods and services. The state should focus on regional passenger rail, and should also support municipalities and counties in their coordinated design, planning, development and implementation of multimodal regional transit systems.

  1. Would you support an independent process for drawing new legislative and congressional districts?

Yes, I definitely support an independent and fair process for drawing new legislative and congressional districts, a process that would provide the opportunity for people to vote for individuals who will represent them.  

  1. Do you support expanding funding for Opportunity Scholarships? Do you believe the legislature has a role in ensuring that private schools don’t further raise tuition on families and taxpayers with the infusion of hundreds of millions of dollars into the private school economy?  Please explain your answer. 

No, I am against the expansion of funding for Opportunity Scholarships, and I voted against the program. The recent additional allocation will assist families with higher incomes, for example a family of four with an income of $250,000. Taxpayer dollars should be used for public schools, as opposed to religious and independent schools. Please know that I am in favor of parents sending their children to private schools, yet they should do so with their own funds or scholarships from those schools.

  1. North Carolina is one of the lowest-paying states for teachers in the nation. Schools across the state are facing shortages of educators, support staff, and other key personnel. By what percentage should the next budget raise wages for teachers and school employees? What else can the General Assembly do to improve working conditions for teachers and make the teaching profession more attractive to potential future educators?

In April 2024, Governor Cooper proposed a budget that included an average 8.5% teacher raise plus a $1,500 retention bonus for most teachers, a $745 million investment to strengthen childcare and early education for working families, a $2.5 billion school construction bond, and a 5% across-the-board salary increase for state employees and non-certified public school employees. I concur with the Governor. To make the teaching profession in NC more attractive, the General Assembly also could: 1) honor professional development with pay increases, 2) loan forgiveness on student debt, and 3) provide the requested benefits such as more family leave days for parents. 

  1. North Carolina bans abortion after 12 weeks’ gestation. Do you think abortion access in North Carolina should be expanded or further restricted, or do you support the current law? 

Abortion is a maternal healthcare or medical issue that should be decided by a woman, girl or pregnant person in consultation with their medical professional, family and/or personal guide. The government, particularly a government comprised primarily of men, has no business introducing or enacting legislation that seeks to control women or our bodies.

  1. Do you support reforming North Carolina’s marijuana laws? Do you support full legalization? Please explain your position. 

Yes, I support reforming the marijuana or cannabis laws in North Carolina, particularly for use in palliative care and for medical purposes. According to the Mayo Clinic: “The herb is typically used to treat nausea and vomiting associated with cancer treatment, loss of appetite and weight loss associated with HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, chronic pain and muscle spasms.” I am in favor of the legalization of marijuana, notably, with age restrictions due to its potential adverse impacts on brain development in children and teenagers.

  1. Do you support strengthening gun safety regulations such as expanding background checks, banning bump stocks, and raising the age to buy or otherwise regulating the sales of assault-style weapons? Please explain. 

Yes, I support strengthening of gun safety regulations as a means toward decreasing the incidences of accidental and wrongful death, as well as gun violence, in North Carolina and in the United States. I support responsible individuals owning guns for personal safety and for work or livelihood. That said, in my opinion the proliferation of guns among irresponsible individuals and/or persons with mental health issues must be curtailed. 

  1. Are there any issues this questionnaire has not addressed that you would like to address? 

Climate change is real and human activity has exacerbated the crisis. In particular, I am concerned about environmental justice and the impacts of climate change and global warming mitigation strategies on historically marginalized communities.