The N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law will consider redistricting.

The think tank will examine the constitutional and practical implications of Congressional redistricting at a May 7 program.

Former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr and N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform director Jane Pinsky will use the program to advocate for a nonpartisan independent redistricting commission.

A panel will include legislative drafting director Gerry Cohen, Southern Coalition for Social Justice director Anita Earls, UNC-Chapel Hill law professor Robert Joyce, Common Cause director Bob Phillips, and attorneys Thomas Farr and Carl Thurman III.

Recent decisions by the North Carolina and U.S. supreme courts have thrown some kinks in redistricting plans.

"A truly independent redistricting commission may be just the answer to provide constitutional districts for the future," said Orr in a statement.

The program will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Raleigh Country Club. 

Pat McCrory turned down a bottled water today.

Speaking at a gubernatorial forum sponsored by the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform, the Republican gubernatorial candidate said that he could not accept a bottle of water from the group because it has a lobbyist.

Under General Statute 163-278.13C, lobbyists cannot make contributions to political candidates.

"The bad news is I'm not allowed to eat here, or even have a drink of water according to the current legislation, and the last place I want to break the rules is at a seminar on ethics," he said.

McCrory argued that the rule, which was passed as a package of ethics reforms after the Jim Black scandal, was unnecessarily strict and focused on the wrong part of the problem.

As it turned out, McCrory was mistaken. Since legislators had been invited and the meeting was open to the public, it fell under the exemption for educational meetings in G.S. 138a-32(e)(3).

Bob Phillips, head of the N.C. chapter of Common Cause, said that he had given McCrory bad information when he arrived, and the candidate ended up eating a sandwich and having a Coke after the meeting.

Still, coalition director Jane Pinsky said she would be open to amending the law to allow gifts of less than $10, as long as it was reported promptly.

"If I buy him a cup of coffee, there's no reason I couldn't go back to my office, get on the computer and report it," she said.

Correction: It was a bottle of water, not a can of Coke as reported earlier. 

Beverly Perdue and Pat McCrory have agreed to take questions about ethics, lobbying and campaign fundraising at a forum next month sponsored by the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying Government Reform.

The forum begins 11 a.m. Sept. 16 at the Marbles Museum in downtown Raleigh. Each of the gubernatorial candidate will appear individually, give a statement and then take questions, reports Dan Kane.

Jane Pinsky, the coalition's director, said some of the issues the two candidates are likely to tackle include curbing lobbyists' roles in raising campaign money, full disclosure of major campaign fundraising, increasing the openness of government meetings and the availability of legislative documents, and preventing lawmakers from soliciting lobbyists to contribute to not-for-profits.

The ethics and lobbying reforms passed two years ago allow lobbyists to provide food and drink for lawmakers at "public events."

But the events aren't actually open to the public unless the lobbyist wants it so. Nor does the public find out about them until after they've taken place, when lobbying reports are filed, Dan Kane reports.

Legislation that passed the House this week takes a baby step forward on the issue, but the fix isn't pleasing open government advocates. The bill requires a sign be posted in front of the building if the event is open to the public.

Jane Pinsky, executive director of the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Governmental Ethics Reform, said lawmakers could follow the practices of Tennessee and Maryland, which report legislative gatherings sponsored by lobbyists at least five days before the event.

"If Tennessee can put it out, if Maryland can publish it, there's no reason North Carolina can't," she said.

The purpose of advance notice, she said, is so the public knows who is trying to persuade lawmakers at the time legislation is in play.

Rep. Rick Glazier, a Fayetteville Democrat who sponsored the legislation, said he wasn't sure Tennessee and Maryland's practices would work in North Carolina. He said he also had security concerns with advance notification of lobbyist sponsored events.

The bill, which includes other fixes to the reform laws, now moves to the Senate for consideration.

The closed-door budget negotiations have irked the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform enough to send a letter to legislative leaders and budget writers.

The letter gives lawmakers credit for increasing openness in recent years, but "the current session highlights the need for greater openness and transparency and for making additional improvements in the budget process," wrote Jane Pinsky, the coalition's director.

She listed several measures that would open up the legislature, such as giving lawmakers three days to review a budget — typically the densest, most far reaching bill they have to consider each year — to at least 24 hours advance notice of any committee or subcommittee meetings, Dan Kane reports.

"If the North Carolina General Assembly wants to continue to enjoy the confidence and support of our citizens, then it must open up this critical process and create a budget that truly belongs to the people of North Carolina," Pinsky wrote.

Last week, a News & Observer reporter was barred from attending a joint meeting of House and Senate budget negotiators. No explanation was given as to how the meeting was exempt from the state's public meetings law. Pinsky said that incident and other reports of closed negotiations prompted the letter.

The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform is surveying roughly 370 candidates for statewide and legislative office to see where they stand on several campaign finance issues, including identifying those who drive tens of thousands of dollars into election campaigns.

The nonprofit coalition plans to post the results on its Web site. So far, all but one gubernatorial candidate has responded, and about half of the legislative candidates, Dan Kane reports.

The coalition has taken a position on all five questions asked of candidates. It opposes lobbyists' soliciting campaign money for candidates and do not want lobbyists serving on their clients' political action committees.

It also says people who raise big bucks for candidates should be identified, political parties should be limited in how much they can spend on their candidates' campaigns, and elected state officials should not be soliciting money for nonprofits.

"There's just too much of a chance of a quid pro quo in all of those (situations)," said Jane Pinsky, the coalition's new director.

She estimates it will take about a week to gather up the responses and see how many candidates agree.

The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Governmental Ethics Reform has a new executive director, Jane Pinsky, who has a long history as a lobbyist.

Since coming to North Carolina in 1989, Pinsky has lobbied for a number of public and private organizations, ranging from AAA of the Carolinas to the N.C. Foundation for Nursing, reports Dan Kane.

Pinsky has also lobbied the federal government on behalf of the American Nurses Association and the National Women's Employment Project, and served as deputy director for NARAL, formerly known as the National Abortion Rights Action League.

The coalition was formed more than two years ago to push for more stringent lobbying, ethics and campaign finance laws.

Lawmakers have acted on many of the coalition's goals, partly in response to the scandals involving former House Speaker Jim Black, who is now serving a five-year prison sentence for public corruption.