With the approval of Senate Bill 1367 this year, Columbus, Green and Bertie counties will now give land to the state for the construction of more prisons. Last year, our governor signed a contract to pay hundreds of millions to build three new prisons that are under construction now, giving our state a total of 81 prisons. The money was borrowed from an out-of-state lender and the contract awarded to an out-of-state builder. Also, our governor has challenged Judge Howard Manning's constitutional court order: That our state must invest in our at-risk students. [continues 110 words]