A Record of Accomplishments...

Education

• Introduced the Innovative Education Act to better prepare high school students for the workforce after graduation.  The Act included the Learn-and-Earn program that allows high school students to earn an associate degree in five years, gaining marketable skills while working toward their high school diplomas.
  
• Supported legislation that reduced class size, increased teachers' salaries and added accountability to the classroom.
• Voted Vice-chair of the Southern Regional Education Board, a 16-state nonprofit organization that advises state leaders on ways to improve education
  
• Authored the character education  bill.
• Worked to secure funding for the community college system that led to the expansion of colleges and biotech programs across the state.
• Introduced legislation to allow community colleges to form public-private partnerships for construction needs and provide entrepreneurial services for start up companies.
  
• Recognized as Senator of the Year by the Community College Faculty Association.

 Economic Opportunity

• When Federal trade policies sent jobs overseas, Walter successfully worked  to bring jobs to areas that were hit hardest.
  
• Fought to support broadband internet capability in all of North Carolina.
• Co-sponsored legislation providing incentives to recruit new businesses and encourage existing businesses to expand and make workforce development and training a top priority.

• Supported the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to provide health coverage to uninsured children.
  
• Pushed forward legislation that helped 120,000 seniors afford prescription drugs.
• Primary sponsor of a bill to give small businesses tax credit for providing health insurance to their employees.
  

• Voted to lower the property tax for seniors by increasing the homestead exemption.
• Voted to create a Health and Wellness trust fund to provide prescription drugs to seniors.
• As chair of the  Senate Appropriations  Committee, oversaw legislation that provides money to build senior centers  and fund the Senior Olympic Games.
  

Fiscal Responsibility

• Oversaw four balanced budgets- important in gaining the AAA bond rating and making N.C. one of the most fiscally responsible states in the country.
• Co-sponsored the bill to put an end to the NC marriage tax penalty.
• Voted to eliminate the sales tax on food.
• Co-sponsored the bill to reduce taxes for working families by increasing the child tax credit.
• Co-sponsored the bill to cap the gas tax. 

Environment

• Spearheaded effort to protect and preserve Chimney Rock by adding it to the state park system. 
• Cosponsored the Clean Water Act, providing for the improvement of our water and sewer system.
• Fought to preserve the South Mountain tract as gameland.
• Spearheaded the effort to enlarge Lake James State Park.
• Introduced the bill to create Hickory Nut Gorge State Park.                                  
  

• Authored the bill to increase penalties for the manufacture and the sale of methamphetamine and the bill to make the ingredients more difficult to obtain.
• Co-sponsored the bill to implement North Carolina DNA database and to use a GPS tracker system to monitor sex offenders.
• Supported the Governor’s order to send our North Carolina National Guard to the Mexican border to assist the federal government in its task.
• Supported tighter restrictions for the issuance of driver’s licenses and verification of citizenship for all state employees.