Gov. Beverly Perdue is not alone in China and certainly not in terms of elected officials from North Carolina, since 11 legislators are also there.

Senators Malcolm Graham (right with Alfred Liu, general manager of SAS' Beijing R&D) and Bob Rucho, of Charlotte; Floyd McKissick, of Durham; Joe Sam Queen, of Waynesville and Tony Foriest, of Graham, along with Representatives Lucy Allen, of Louisburg; Bill Owens, of Elizabeth City; Joe Tolson, of Pinetops; Jane Whilden of Asheville; Margaret Dickson, of Fayetteville and Wil Neumann, of Belmont are visiting as part of a program organized by the University of North Carolina’s Center for International Understanding. All are Democrats except for Rucho and Neumann, Republicans.

Graham said no tax dollars are being used to pay for the trip. Funding comes from Duke University as well as corporate sponsors AT&T, Longistics and SAS.

The group is participating in a few events during Perdue's trade trip, such as Wednesday's visit to a middle school, but also are making their own stops, such as SAS' Beijing R&D operation. Lawmakers are aiming to learn more about a country and culture with which North Carolina must compete for jobs and business.

"We don’t live in an isolated world anymore," Graham said. "We’re not just competing with South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida. We’re competing in a worldwide economy."

The House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would give home builders a temporary reprieve from property taxes on unsold homes.

The bill allows builders to defer for up to three years the portion of property tax generated by building a new home. The builder would still have to continue to pay tax on the value of the land. The increased property taxes generated by improving the land with a home would be due when the home is sold.

The bill only applies to homes that have never been occupied. All taxes would be due in 2013.

The bill is meant to provide "temporary relief for a segment of North Carolina's economy that we all know has been hit hard," said Rep. Margaret Highsmith Dickson, a Fayetteville Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill.

Rep. Leo Daughtry, a Johnston County Republican, said his county officials told him the bill would delay payment of $1 million in taxes.

"My county commissioners asked me to give y'all a message and that is it's good to be generous and help your fellow man," Daughtry said. "They want you to do it with your own money."

The bill passed a key House vote 106-8. It needs another vote in the chamber before it can go to the Senate.

Update: The House took its final vote on the bill, which will now head to the Senate. 

A dozen members of a state inauguration committee have been named.

The N.C. Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies will oversee the swearing-in ceremonies of Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue and other members of the Council of State, the inaugural parade and an open house at the Executive Mansion that same afternoon.

Perdue appointed New Bern law firm employee Sissy Chesnutt, former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton of Lake Gaston and higher education administrator Jill Dinwiddie of Charlotte.

Gov. Mike Easley appointed Raleigh attorney Dee Becton Rozier, tourism development officer Kaye Myers of Fairview, and Wilmington attorney Linda Wilson.

Senate leader Marc Basnight appointed Sens. Katie Dorsett of Greensboro, Vern Malone of Raleigh and Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand of Fayetteville.

And House Speaker Joe Hackney appointed Reps. Linda Coleman of Knightdale, Margaret Highsmith Dickson of Fayetteville and Alice Underhill of New Bern.

Basnight, Hackney and the 10 newly elected members of the Council of State will also serve as non-voting members.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated Chesnutt's job.

Supporters argued incentives would help smaller businesses too.

Rep. Marvin Lucas, a Cumberland County Democrat whose district is home to the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant, said that the incentives will help the spin-off companies that work with them.

"The many food vendors that benefit from large operations will benefit," he said. "Yard maintenance companies will benefit. Janitorial operations will benefit. Small mechanical operations will benefit."

Rep. Margaret Highsmith Dickson, a Fayetteville Democrat, said the loss of Goodyear jobs could hurt convenience store owners, appliance salesmen and real estate agents. She noted her brother-in-law sells cars in Harnett County.

"He called me over the weekend to express his concern about what the failure to support Goodyear will mean to him and to his quality of life," she said.

Rep. Arthur Williams, a Washington Democrat, reminded his colleagues that natural rubber from Malaysia and Indonesia comes through the ports in Wilmington and Morehead City for Goodyear.

"Let's keep the jobs in North Carolina in rubber in Morehead City," he said.