NC General Assembly

From Daily Kos via Think Progress with a minor addition or two.

There's this not-quite-so-laughable proposal from North Carolina Republican Rep. Larry Pittman, a freshman House member from Cabarrus county and a pastor to boot, in an email to every member of the state's General Assembly.

"We need to make the death penalty a real deterrent again by actually carrying it out. [...] If murderers (and I would include abortionists, rapists, and kidnappers, as well) are actually executed, it will at least have the deterrent effect upon them. For my money, we should go back to public hangings, which would be more of a deterrent to others, as well."

Yeah! Let's string up doctors and hang them in the public square to deter them from practicing medicine. That'll learn 'em! Could this be the start of a successful career in NC politics for Pittman?

Bill Faison
North Carolina House of Representatives
Representative District 50 – Caswell & Orange Counties
300 N. Salisbury Street – Room 405
Legislative Office Building
Raleigh, NC 27603-5925
(919) 715-3019 Fax: (919) 832-6362
Bill.Faison@ncleg.net

December 11, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Raleigh---Representative Bill Faison calls on the Governor to immediately veto Senate Bill 9, Republican legislation that allows the death penalty to be executed without court review confirming that race was not a factor in the death sentence.

Below is the text of the statement released by Rep. Faison today:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Help Progress NC choose our 2011 Jones Street Heisman Trophy winner: see the nominees in full regalia here and visit us on Facebook to cast your vote. Like us while you're there! VOTING ENDS MONDAY, DEC. 12th AT NOON.

Bill Faison
North Carolina House of Representatives
Representative District 50 – Caswell & Orange Counties
300 N. Salisbury Street – Room 405
Legislative Office Building Raleigh, NC 27603-5925 (919) 715-3019 Fax: (919) 832-6362 Bill.Faison@ncleg.net

Raleigh, November 30, 2011 – The NC General Assembly spent another $150,000 on a three-day “mini” Special Session and achieved nothing at all worthwhile for the people of NC. Their plan is to spend $1.1 million in total on similar Special Sessions spread from July of 2011 through April of 2012. They continue to focus on radical social issues, not jobs or the economy.

As NC unemployment hits 10.4%, it is obvious we are heading in the wrong direction. A layed off state employee talks to Rep. Bill Faison about the pain. House Democrats' Business Caucus, Sept. 13, 2011. http://tinyurl.com/62caoar

And Rep. Bill Faison gives an interview about his JOBS Plan after the Obama event in Raleigh, Sept. 14, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3h9xv5q

Very happy to see that 34 Democrats are behind Rep. Faison

http://www.ncdp.org/blog/entry/guest-column-by-representative-bill-faison/

BRAVO BILL FAISON. The one penny tax is painless and we have been without it for a month, a month and in that time we see unemployment SOARING. NCGOP is cutting jobs and dashing the dreams of our future. I am glad a NC House DEMOCRAT finally stood up and provided a PLAN, a real plan with details. The rest of them need to get on board NOW.

With the state still recovering from Irene, a string of severe storms last night, and massive unemployment, these two NC GOP leaders decide it would be a great time to hold a press conference on ... gay marriage.

The latest? In case you missed as relayed via Verla Insko the pm:

Yesterday NC's GOP-controlled state legislature failed to muster the 3/5th majority to overturn Democratic Governor Perdue's veto of a Voter ID Bill. Today the GOP made a back-door procedural maneuver to circumvent yesterday's vote. A series of local bills was moved into the Rules Committee, the purpose being to replace the contents of the local bills with the Voter ID requirements overridden yesterday.

The Governor cannot veto local bills.

Yesterday the legislature moved forward SB 181. This legislation shifts the cost of cleaning up toxic spills from leaking storage tanks from the responsible party to the public (gas taxes).

Currently, clean-ups are funded by tank fees paid by underground tank owners and public gas taxes. SB 181 would allow above ground tanks to be eligible for the funds. Currently, those operators have to pay for their own clean-up. It also, does not require above ground tank operators to pay into the fund.

By expanding the universe of tank owners who could tap into the fund without requiring all sources to pay into the fund, there would be even less money available to clean up groundwater contamination. While the bill does not explicitly shift the costs to the motoring public through the gas tax, it's hard to see where else the clean-up funds would come from.

Don't cut too much or I might move back home to Massachusetts to be near my family