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Thom Tillis issues a warning to Republicans about overreaching

House Speaker Thom Tillis issued a warning last weekend to his fellow Repubicans about overreaching with their supermajority power.

"I was the GOP minority whip in 2009," he began in a Facebook post. "My job was to get conservative Democrats to help us defeat liberal legislation. The Democratic leaders, heavily influenced by their most liberal members and far-left groups, could not resist the pressure to move too far to fast. They did not compromise and they went too far.

"They got out of step with the citizens of NC and they lost their majority as a result. It was their lack of discipline that laid the groundwork for Republicans to have House/Senate super majorities, a GOP governor, and (lieutenant) governor," he concluded. "Our lack of discipline will lay the groundwork for their ascendency and if they succeed we will only have ourselves to blame."

What generated the post is unclear. A Tillis spokesman declined to elaborate and answer specific questions. "Speaker Tillis was simply recapping what occurred under Democratic leadership before Republicans won a majority in 2010, and pointing out that the Republican majority should learn from the mistakes of Democratic leadership of the past," spokesman Jordan Shaw said Monday.

Thom Tillis raising more campaign cash

House Speaker Thom Tillis is a lame-duck lawmaker but he's busy raising money, which surely fuels speculation that he is getting closer to a possible U.S. Senate run.

Tillis, a Republican, is holding a fundraiser May 6 at the Cardinal Club in Raleigh. Lt. Gov. Dan Forest is the special guest for the lunch-time event. Hosts are asked to donate $2,000 with individual tickets at $250, according to a copy of the invite. The money goes to the Committee to Elect Thom Tillis.

Hosts include John Kane, J. Patrick Gavaghan, Gene Minton and Harry Smith. Sponsors (at the $1,000 level) are Elbert Boyd, Dean Proctor and John Stone.

Gov. Pat McCrory helped the speaker raise money earlier this year. Tillis, whose self-imposed term limits make this his final two-year session, said he is considering a bid against Democrat Kay Hagan in 2014.

State lawmakers can raise money during session but can't accept contributions from political action committees.

Emerging from conference, bill restricts state's study of climate change

In a closed-door conference committee, Republican lawmakers appeared to add a provision to a bill that would prohibit any state agency from developing or implementing a plan to address climate change unless authorized by the legislature .

The new language appears in Senate Bill 10 -- a controversial measure that sweeps clean several key boards and commissions, wiping off Democratic appointees to make room for GOP favorites. The Senate rushed the bill through early in the session but the House balked and wrote its own version. The bill emerged from a secretive conference committee Wednesday and appears on the House calendar for action Thursday. It's not clear whether the House will consider the measure today.

McCrory: North Carolina's 'very good business climate' lured MetLife

Gov. Pat McCrory told Fox Business what lured MetLife to North Carolina: "the great quality of life, a very good business climate and a great workforce."

The message is interesting for two reasons. 1) "Good business climate" was not the mantra of McCrory's campaign, in which he repeatedly said the state's brand is tarnished and massive tax breaks are needed to revive it. 2) McCrory didn't mention the $94 million in incentives that his commerce secretary said were key to the deal.

McCrory separates himself from MetLife incentives deal

As questions persist about the governor's office negotiations with MetLife, Gov. Pat McCrory said Monday he remained at arms length in the effort to lure the insurance company's 2,600 jobs to North Carolina.

"My commerce secretary led that recruitment effort," the Republican said after an event Monday, according to a WRAL-TV video. "My first direct involvement with the company was a day or two before the announcement, where I called the CEO when they told me a basic agreement was agreed upon."

McCrory's remarks, five days after the big jobs announcement, are his first describing his role in the deal -- which is coming under scrutiny because the $94 million incentives package MetLife received was negotiated by the governor's former employer, Moore & Van Allen.

In the video, McCrory said he had no interaction with MetLife when he worked for the Charlotte law firm as a senior director of strategic initiatives. "Not all all," he said, shaking his head.

Phil Berger thinking about challenging Kay Hagan

Republican state Sen. Phil Berger is elaborating just a little more about his thought process on whether he will challenge Democrat Kay Hagan for her U.S. Senate seat in 2014. Berger, the President Pro Tem, told National Journal that he's "thought about it some."

"I've been approached by a number of folks who've suggested that that's something that I need to consider, or something that they would like for me to consider," Berger told the Journal. If it doesn't sound like much, it isn't. (But then again, Berger offered little when asked the same question earlier this year.)

Berger visited Washington on Monday to speak at an event for the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee. Ray Martin, the political director for the state Senate GOP, told National Journal that he didn't meet with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a gatekeeper in the GOP nominee process.

But Berger's quotes in the piece sure sounded straight from the national GOP playbook.

The line that Gov. McCrory left out of his State of the State address

Gov. Pat McCrory's office never released a copy of his Feb. 18 State of the State speech at the time. But it recently posted a transcript to the governor's official website.

The move not to release a copy of the address before or immediately after -- as is typical with most major political addresses, including McCrory's inauguration speech -- suggested that the governor would work loosely from notes and that no text existed. But anyone who watched saw he read much of it from a binder.

What's interesting about the newly posted transcript is that it includes a line about his legislative agenda that McCrory forgot to say in his speech.

Morning Memo: McCrory, Foxx square off as legislature takes fast track

UPDATED: IS IT MAYOR PAT OR GOVERNOR PAT? Gov. Pat McCrory told two city of Charlotte staff members this week that state money for the light-rail extension to UNC Charlotte could be at risk if the city builds a controversial streetcar, according to a memo sent Thursday. Without the N.C. Department of Transportation’s $250 million grant, the $1.1 billion Lynx Blue Line extension can’t be built. As Charlotte mayor, McCrory, a Republican, championed light rail, which was one of his signature accomplishments. But he vehemently disagrees with using city property tax dollars to build a streetcar, and used the meeting in Raleigh to relay a message to City Council, according to the memo.

FOXX 'OUTRAGED' OVER WHAT HE CALLS A THREAT: “It’s particularly alarming that he would choose to deliver messages to city staff, particularly messages that contain threats," said Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, a Democrat and potential challenger to McCrory in 2016. “He is governor of the state, and there are a host of issues – tax reform, health care. Why the governor would choose to place focus on a transit project, particularly one contained in a transit plan that he voted to implement makes no sense,” Foxx said.

***This is the Dome Morning Memo a tipsheet on N.C. politics. Click "Read More" for other headlines and news.***

House speaker says no taxpayer dollars for Panthers stadium renovation

House Speaker Thom Tillis said Tuesday that the Carolina Panthers would not get direct state taxpayer dollars for stadium renovations. "I've been clear with the Panthers organization that it is not appropriate to have state taxpayer dollars go directly into the stadium, so that is more or less a level set on our part," he said, a day after meeting with owner Jerry Richardson in Raleigh.

At the same time Tillis, a Republican from Mecklenburg County, touted the Panther's as an employer and said he would work to find local solutions that would involve taxpayer support, such as the Charlotte city council proposal to hike the food tax. "The Panthers is an employer of some 4,400 direct jobs and an estimated 1,500 indirect jobs," he said. "They are a major employer in North Carolina. And every month I probably get an opportunity two to three times to talk with major businesses in North Carolina who are considering moving somewhere else. And that is a very real possibility for the Panthers."

Josh Dobson replaces Mitch Gillespie in N.C. House

A McDowell County commissioner will replace former Rep. Mitch Gillespie, who left office to join the McCrory administration. Josh Dobson was appointed to the vacancy by the 85th House District Republican Party. “Josh will do well in Raleigh,” Gillespie said in a statement released by the House speaker's office. “I am confident that he will continue the work we’ve started in our district and in Raleigh.”

According to the speaker's office, Dobson is a McDowell County native who received a bachelor's from Gardner-Webb University and a master's degree from Appalachian State. He is married with one daughter.

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