State Rep. Paul Tine spoke to members of the Old Ford Ruritan Club on March 6 to give legislative updates about what has been going on in Raleigh and how it pertains to the district.

“He (Tine) is here to tell us some of the issues that are coming up in May,” said Butch Ferguson, club member.

According to Ferguson, the Old Ford Ruritan Club is a service organization created “to inform and help our community.”

Tine, democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, represents District 6, consisting of Hyde, Dare, Washington and northern Beaufort counties. A known advocate of economic diversity and growth in North Carolina, Tine touched on several issues, including insurance and transportation.

According to Tine, a bill to bring information on insurance rates across the state is currently being pushed. The Department of Insurance would have to include who is paying what on their website. Tine stated that the 18 coastal counties are the only region in which insurance rate information for hurricanes — wind and hail — can be identified.

“Hopefully we can find better tools for finding insurance rates,” Tine added.

Tine, recently added to a Joint Transportation Oversight Committee, also discussed ferry tolls, arguing that they are part of the highway system.

“We may actually get all the ferries free,” Tine said.

Tine described that last session was much more a struggle between rural and urban communities rather than the usual struggle between Democrats and Republicans.

“Transportation was a real example of that,” Tine said. “The state took $151 million out of our region and put it in a statewide bucket.”

According to Tine, the struggle in Raleigh is one of numbers based on the number of representatives in Wake County (11) and the number of representatives from rural regions.