nc senate

[Originally published at BackwardNC]

Although what is illustrated next has always been evident, we found the actual data breathtaking when studying the topic of diversity in the Jones Street House of Pain. When you consider the GOP representatives and senators, about the only form of diversity you can identify is "Di more you consider dis, di verse it is".

Below the fold are the Republican and Democratic delegations of the NC House and Senate, respectively. Do you notice anything? We're not talking about the fact that there are fewer Democrats, that goes without saying. Squint your eyes and let it blur up a little bit.

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Yesterday, State Senator Thom Goolsby actually suggested to WECT reporter Ann McAdams that NC is wasting billions on public education, and asked hypothetically, "Where did all the money go?" Read the WECT story here: http://www.wect.com/story/19265770/goolsby-money-set-aside-for-education...

His comments would be laughable if this wasn't such a serious accusation. Today's Fitzsimon File lays out why Goolsby's line of thinking is dangerous, not just for our school children, but also in how traditional media covers a campaign. I couldn't agree more on Fitzsimon's conclusion, EXCEPT that Goolsby IS being challenged this fall, and by a worthy opponent, local attorney, Deb Butler.

To see how your NC House representative voted on fracking override, click here.

To see how your senator voted on the budget override, click below:

Budget

You may want to express your appreciation or your disappointment to your legislators. You may also want to thank Gov. Perdue for vetoing these bills. You can e-mail her at governor.office@nc.gov.

It's one of the most revealing chapters from this year's General Assembly session, one that perfectly illustrates the far right's misguided priorities for our state. Senate Republicans used a procedural gimmick during the state budget debate in order to dodge a vote on closing a tax loophole for NC's wealthiest residents. This $3,500 tax break was originally sold to the public as a "small business tax cut." But the tax loophole Republicans maneuvered to keep in place applies to ALL businesses that are not corporations. Millionaires qualify. Wealthy corporate lawyers qualify. Many members of the NC House and Senate qualify. Any business -- no matter how large -- qualifies if it is not a corporation. So what's the cost to North Carolina of this tax cut for millionaires? It will cost our state $336 million in 2013 alone.

Using the rules to sterilize needed legislation:

Senate Republicans say they will not vote on a plan to compensate eugenics victims because Senate Democrats included the payment plan in a failed budget amendment this week.

The House (including Speaker Tillis) must be fuming over this, after working hard to straighten out the kinks and assemble a super-majority (86-31). Especially considering that Berger could waive the damned rule anyway:

The pace of the race in NC Senate District 22 picked up steam over the weekend, when during a routine search for campaign finance disclosures, we discovered that our opponent had failed to file organizational paperwork with the State Board of Elections.

When I called Kerry Sutton on Friday to let her know of the online find, Kerry, a defense attorney who is steady and meticulous with details said, "we need to get all the facts before we release any of this."

I was ready to go ahead and tell everyone, traditional media included, just because the "The Committee to Elect Mike Woodard" documents were not on the State Board of Elections website.

From WRAL.com:
A state Senate committee is considering a proposal that would block lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies over drugs that were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Drugmakers say they need protection from frivolous lawsuits, but doctors and others say the prospect of giving the companies immunity puts profits above people.

According to new polls conducted by Public Policy Polling for Progress North Carolina, two Cumberland County legislative seats could be very competitive this fall. (These polls are part of a series of surveys designed to answer the question: “Can progressives retake the NC General Assembly?”)

In Senate District 19, incumbent Republican Sen. Wesley Meredith trails potential Democratic challenger and NC House Rep. Diane Parfitt, 37%-40%. Download the complete results for Senate District 19.

In House District 45, a potential matchup between former Republican county commissioner Diane Wheatley and Democratic school board member Kim Fisher is also close. Wheatley leads Fisher, 38%-36%. Download the complete results for House District 45.

It looks like the Legislative mini-session just ended.

During the session, the NC House voted for the gas tax cap, but the Senate said “Screw it. We’re worrying about that in May.” So it looks like the NC Senate has packed their bags and gone home after only really passing one important thing: the repeal of the Racial Justice Act, which now sits on Perdue’s desk.