As legislature adjourns, NC Senators give unanimous support to Stein’s cabinet secretaries ...Middle East

Reid Wilson now has the full title of Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality. (Photo: NCGA)

Governor Josh Stein’s key cabinet members have been on the job since January but required confirmation from the state Senate under a 2016 law to check the governor’s appointment powers. And after months of multiple committee hearings, the state Senate on Thursday gave its blessing to Stein’s final three cabinet secretaries for the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Adult Correction, and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Reid Wilson, who has spent the last four years leading the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, now has the full title of Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality.

The confirmation hearing for Wilson encountered a brief hiccup Wednesday from an angry constituent. Nelson Paul of Beaufort said the Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) recently contacted his wife and other recreational fishing license holders to encourage them to support a ban on inland shrimp trawling.

“This is a blatant political act to put the thumb on the scale to ensure shrimp trawling ban come into effect. I want to know what Mr. Wilson is doing about this? We need to know who’s responsible and what is being done to discipline that employee,” said Paul.

But the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) is a separate state agency, distinct from NCWRC.

“Are you commenting on the nominee or are you pontificating on your stand on a particular issue?” interjected Sen. Bill Rabon.

“I have difficulty hiring blatantly environmentally proponent…people who have no business experience, just somebody who is an environmental advocate who just has no understanding of the business in the state,” Paul responded.

Rabon thanked Paul for his remarks but noted everybody on the Select Committee on Nominations was comfortable moving forward with Wilson.

For his part, Wilson has pledged to help Western North Carolina communities recover and rebuild from Hurricane Helene.

“Whether it is water infrastructure or waste cleanup or dam inspections or debris cleanup, we’re involved in many, many ways and we’re going to be at it until the job is done,” Wilson testified.

Wilson said his second top priority is trying to reduce PFAS pollution, also known as “forever chemicals” in the state’s waterways.

About a third of the people in North Carolina drink water with PFAS levels above what will be the EPA’s health standard, according to Wilson.

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Leslie Dismukes told lawmakers it has been an honor to serve the past six months as the interim Secretary of the Department of Adult Correction (DAC).

Previously working as the Criminal Bureau Chief at the North Carolina Department of Justice, Dismukes wore many hats, including supervising the legal work of NCDAC.

During her confirmation hearing in May, Dismukes said that the state was faced with a 40% vacancy rate for correctional officers.

This week, she indicated the department was making some headway.

“We’ve streamlined our HR processes, added additional resources to HR in recruitment, and expanded our basic training offerings to decrease the time from offer to post. This has resulted in 250 people in basic training right now and a 1% decrease in our vacancy rates since January,” said Dismukes.

In addition to recruitment, the DAC Secretary reminded legislators that the fire suppression systems at nearly two dozen prisons remain outdated or completely inoperable.

“I’ve raised the alarm, no pun intended, regarding the 23 prisons we currently have on fire watch and the more than $90 million that it will take to avoid grave disaster,” Dismukes warned.

Dismukes said she’s also empowered a new chief medical officer to move forward with critical process improvements to streamline services that achieve cost savings while maintaining the standard of care.

This fiscal year, the department is projected to spend $425 million on health care.

Dismukes’ reality check comes as the North Carolina House and Senate have been unable to agree to a comprehensive budget plan with the fiscal year that starts July 1.

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Also winning Senate confirmation Thursday was Jocelyn Mallette as Secretary of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Mallette served on active duty for ten years in the United States Air Force, as an admissions advisor at the Academy, an intelligence officer, and finally as a prosecutor in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps.

Mallette pledged in her new role to make the transition from military life into the civilian workforce as smoother one.

“DMVA should be leading the way to retain North Carolina’s transitioning service members and families, and also to attract those who get out of the military and other states,” said Mallette. “All of us on the federal, state, and local level need to work together to support them during the year that is referred to as “the deadly gap.”

The period during which a servicemember transitions out of active duty to civilian life can present many major life challenges. It’s also a period in which the veteran suicide rate is 2.5 times higher than the rate for active-duty military.

Mallette said North Carolina DMVA is actively partnering with entities like the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Labor, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, and nonprofits like Blue Star Families and Veterans Bridge Home to establish initiatives that more quickly connect transitioning service members to benefits, jobs, and housing upon the end of their service.

More than 615,000 military veterans call North Carolina home.

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