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ECONOMY

North Carolina’s economy should work for everyone, not just large corporations and the wealthy.

 

The cost of living has rapidly increased in recent years, and working families are feeling the squeeze. Currently, the tax burden from public infrastructure and community resources falls disproportionately on working families and long-time residents, while large corporations and the ultra-wealthy benefit from public systems without paying their fair share of taxes.

 

The state legislature should build fair tax structures that ensure large corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share of taxes to support infrastructure, transportation, and other public services. We also need to ensure that homeowners, seniors, and those on fixed incomes can continue to live comfortably in their communities without being pushed out by high taxes.

 

North Carolina’s minimum wage should reflect the value that our workers bring to the state’s economy. The state’s minimum wage has remained at $7.25 per hour since 2009, but estimates show that a single adult in New Hanover County must earn $18.90 per hour to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the General Assembly has voted to eliminate the corporate income tax entirely by 2030, a tax cut that primarily benefits corporations headquartered out-of-state. We must raise the minimum wage and expand assistance for small businesses to support workers and entrepreneurs and increase the flow of money through our local economies.

To support working families and ensure economic opportunity for all, we must:

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  • Lower taxes for working families and the middle class

  • Make large corporations pay their fair share of taxes

  • Protect homeowners from being priced out of their communities

  • Raise the minimum wage

  • Expand assistance programs for small businesses

EDUCATION

All North Carolinians have a constitutional right to a fully-funded, high-quality public education. 

 

For nearly 15 years, the General Assembly has promoted policies that have devastated our once-envied public school system. Our tax dollars are being siphoned from our public schools and funneled into unaccountable private schools through North Carolina’s voucher system. Taxpayers are funding $600 million in school vouchers for the 2025-2026 school year, with funding scheduled to increase by tens of millions of dollars each year. This system gives taxpayer funds to wealthy families to send their children to private schools at the expense of our public school students. State legislators have also pushed political agendas into our classrooms, limiting educators' ability to adequately prepare our students for the real world. 

 

Education is the foundation of economic opportunity. Accessing a high-quality, well-rounded public education prepares our children to not only contribute to our state’s growing economy, but also to be civically engaged and informed citizens. We need schools that give opportunity to all children. We should promote workforce training programs that connect people to meaningful careers and stable jobs. I’ll work to support collaboration between schools, higher education, and local businesses that provide students with the necessary learning opportunities and support clear pathways into the workforce.

To restore North Carolina’s strong public education system and support workforce development, we must:

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  • Ensure public dollars are going to public schools

  • Pay teachers a professional salary

  • Increase state-level funding for our public school systems

  • Remove politics from the classroom to provide students with an accurate, unbiased curriculum

  • Support workforce training programs and trade schools

ENVIRONMENT

All New Hanover County residents deserve access to clean water and air. 

 

For years, large corporations dumped forever chemicals like PFAS into the Cape Fear River, contaminating our drinking water and our communities have paid the price for the General Assembly’s inaction. 

 

Protecting our environment also means planning ahead for new risks to our community’s resources. We must consider the demands of proposed data center infrastructure and their impact on consumers and the environment. Data centers require large amounts of energy and water to operate, and utility costs are rising as providers shift the financial burden of new data centers onto community members.

 

New Hanover County is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes in the state. It is incumbent upon us to protect our water, air, and beaches for generations to come. 

To protect our environment, our health, and our communities, we must:

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  • Hold polluters accountable

  • Invest in solutions that support public health

  • Support sustainable growth in our region

  • Regulate data center infrastructure to avoid increased energy costs for ratepayers

HEALTHCARE

All New Hanover County residents should have access to affordable, comprehensive healthcare.

 

State legislative leaders have failed to adequately fund Medicaid after federal cuts took effect, putting hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians at risk of losing their health insurance. Private insurance costs are rising, rural regions of the state have inadequate access to care, and mental health and substance use treatment services remain inaccessible for many.

 

Bodily autonomy and the ability to make personal medical decisions without government interference are essential. Women in North Carolina and across the country should have access to reproductive healthcare services, including abortion and contraception. Instead, the General Assembly has rolled back reproductive rights and made it harder for women to access critical healthcare services.

 

Increasing access to healthcare benefits all North Carolinians by reducing long-term costs, improving individual outcomes, supporting workers who keep our economy running, and keeping families and communities healthy. 

To support our healthcare system and reduce costs, we must:

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  • Fully fund Medicaid

  • Hold private insurance companies accountable

  • Restore reproductive rights and prevent further bans on reproductive care

  • Increase access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment

  • Expand healthcare access in rural areas

PUBLIC SAFETY

All New Hanover County residents deserve to feel safe in their communities.

 

To protect our communities and reduce crime, we must provide local law enforcement with the resources they need to fill vacancies, train recruits, and respond to emergencies. Well-funded local law enforcement systems increase departments’ capacity to prevent crime, address emergencies, and build trust with community members. Investing in solutions to support mental health and substance abuse disorders is also critical in crime prevention and improving the health of our communities.

 

Addressing public safety at the state legislative level also means establishing common-sense gun safety measures, like background checks, to reduce gun violence while respecting responsible ownership under the 2nd Amendment. 

To keep our communities safe and secure, we must:

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  • Invest in local law enforcement and first responders

  • Support mental health and crisis intervention services

  • Implement common-sense gun safety measures

jessica bichler for nc senate logo wilmington

PO Box 3901

Wilmington, NC 28406

PAID FOR BY JESSICA BICHLER FOR NC

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