Strong Public Schools

Brian Farkas was educated in North Carolina’s public schools and universities. He knows firsthand that the strength of our schools are a direct reflection of our communities. In the legislature, Farkas will:

• Help recruit and retain the best and brightest for teaching careers by raising teacher pay to the national average, rewarding masters pay, and fully restoring the NC Teaching Fellows Program
• Lock up the lottery to stop politicians from getting their hands on school funding and make sure lottery money provides children with the modern facilities, textbooks, supplies, and personal attention they need
• Fight for stronger investments at East Carolina University and Pitt Community College to build a dynamic regional workforce
• Work to secure funding that covers the construction of a new Brody School of Medicine, which will allow the class size to expand, helping to recruit more physicians across eastern North Carolina

Healthy People

A community is only as healthy as the people living in it. Brian Farkas believes everyone should have access to quality health care that doesn’t break the bank, helps avoid preventable diseases, and lets North Carolinians live long and productive lives. In the State House, Farkas will:

• Support expanding Medicaid in North Carolina, which would help over 13,000 people in Pitt County get immediate access to affordable healthcare and generate over $100 million more growth in the county’s economy from 2020-2022
• Make sure chronic disease prevention is a top priority in North Carolina for policymakers, focusing on health, nutrition and physical activity, and the infrastructure needed to promote healthy communities in the region
• Help combat the opioid epidemic in North Carolina by expanding funding for harm reduction programs like the recently-piloted Office Based Opioid Treatment Project (Project OBOT)

Good Jobs + Opportunity

A thriving economy is powered by good-paying jobs, constant innovation, and equality of opportunity for all. Brian Farkas is ready to help remove obstacles to economic growth and improve shared prosperity for everyone. In the State House he will:

• Champion smart, pro-business investments in regional infrastructure, including finishing the I-587 spur, which will have positive impacts for Pitt County 
• Ensure state support of rural broadband, main street revitalization, and “buy local” programs that boost quality of life and create economic opportunities here at home
• Aggressively combat Pitt County’s high poverty rate by rebuilding problem-solving coalitions between business, public education, government, non-profit, and the faith-based community.

Protect Our Environment

Brian Farkas strongly believes in standing up for our environment and clean energy opportunities from the mountains to the coast. Keeping our state pristine is good for our people, our economy, and our future. In the State House, Farkas will:

• Support the state’s commitment to fighting climate change and champion North Carolina’s transition to a clean energy economy
• Make sure critical infrastructure (power, roads, bridges, drinking water, etc.) is prepared to withstand major natural disasters, and that disaster recovery programs are streamlined to help survivors get the resources they need as quickly as possible
• Preserve and expand funding for the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, a non-regulatory organization that focuses on protecting and restoring the State’s land and water resources

Justice for All

• Help those who were formerly incarcerated to re-enter society and become productive members of the workforce by reducing barriers to employment 
• Expand state funding to create a Mental Health Court for Pitt County, which reduces recidivism by helping repeat offenders access mental health services
• Restore funding for Drug Treatment Courts across the state, which assist offenders with substance abuse issues through court ordered treatment plans that attack root causes of dependency.
• Work with the Department of Public Safety’s Juvenile Justice Section to promote and fund alternatives to the traditional justice system, such as Teen Courts and diversion programs.

Fix Broken Government

Government is at its best when your public officials are responsive to the people – and only the people. Eliminating corruption in elections and in our government is critical to a healthy North Carolina. Brian Farkas will fight to:

• Stop politicians from any political party from picking their own voters with a new Independent Redistricting Commission that ends gerrymandering
• Reform a broken campaign finance system by getting lawmakers out of the fundraising business and back into the business of making good policy
• Increase restrictions on lobbying, making sure former elected officials and/or high-ranking political appointees can’t unfairly influence legislation once they leave office
• Make sure every eligible voter can easily cast a vote and know that they will be fairly represented