Rep. Wil Neumann, a Belmont Republican, plans to run for the Gaston County senate seat currently held by Sen. David Hoyle, a Democrat who lives in Dallas.

The district is Republican, but Hoyle has managed to hold the seat because of his pro-business record and ties to the business community. Neumann said he has worked well with Hoyle for several years and called him a "very good friend."

Hoyle has not said whether he will run for a 10th term.

"I’m not looking at this as a challenge to David but as it’s time for a Republican to be in that seat," Neumann said. "The community has asked me to do this."

Neumann, 47, was first elected to the House in 2006. He owns two small businesses with partners, a renewable energy company and a contractor, but said lately he has been focused on helping Republicans reclaim a majority in the House and, now, the Senate.

Kathy Harrington, the Republican candidate for Hoyle's seat last year, has not announced whether she will run again.

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."

* Employees of Verizon Business spent more than $21,000 over four years on gifts and meals for state employees, many of whom had direct oversight of a $51 million, no-bid contract given to the company.

State officials had previously disclosed they were investigating the gifts. On Tuesday, Division of Motor Vehicles commissioner Mike Robertson revealed the extent of the gift program.

The names of nearly three dozen DMV employees appear on a list of those Verizon says accepted steak dinners, spa treatments and a ticket to a Carolina Hurricanes game.

Among those listed as being among the most frequent recipients of Verizon's largess was Deborah Brewer, deputy director of DMV's License and Theft Bureau.

Brewer and her boss, bureau director Brian K. Bozard, both retired May 1, shortly after Robertson reopened an inquiry into whether the pair had accepted $900 in tickets to sit at Verizon's table during Gov. Beverly Perdue's Inaugural Ball in January.

Bozard and Brewer, neither of whom could be reached for comment Tuesday, helped oversee DMV's implementation of the eSticker program, a digital system for tracking state automotive inspections that ended the need for windshield stickers. (N&O)

* State Reps. Wil Neumann and Pearl Burris-Floyd plan to introduce a bill in the General Assembly that would block the enrollment of illegal immigrants in community colleges. The Gaston County Republicans announced their intention at a Tuesday news conference outside the Gaston County Courthouse. (Gaston Gazette)  

Attorney General Roy Cooper wants more information in the state's DNA database, and he wants it sooner.

Cooper said this morning that his office will push the General Assembly next session for laws that will allow police officers to collect DNA evidence using mouth swabs at the time of arrest. Under current law, the state only collects evidence once a person is convicted of a felony.

"I believe DNA is like a fingerprint," Cooper said. "It's information about a criminal that goes into a database that helps us keep the public safe."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation follows a similar procedure, taking mouth swabs at the time of arrest, and a number of states have followed their lead and enacted similar laws.

"We'd want to make sure we had safeguards that if a case is dropped or a person is found not guilty, he can have it removed from the database," Cooper said.

The ACLU of North Carolina said in other states, this has meant people had to ask for the sample to be removed, which puts requires extra work from the innocent.

"It puts the burden on the individual," said Sarah Preston, legislative council for the N.C. ACLU. "They are essentially guilty until proven innocent."

More after the jump.

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Several House members were disturbed, even shocked, when they saw Rep. Cary Allred embrace and kiss a teenage girl on the chamber floor, according to a report summarizing an investigation into the incident.

The report by House sergeant at arms, Bob Samuels, includes written statements from several lawmakers, including Allred. The report will be forwarded to the legislature's ethics committee, which would consider whether to take any action.

Allred, a Burlington Republican, says he was not drunk on April 27 when he hugged the page, the daughter of a neighbor and family friend.

"The page lives across the road from me and is like my granddaughter," Allred wrote. "Her parents stated...they have no problems with what I did and neither does she."

Others were concerned by what they saw that night. Rep. Paul Stam, the House Republican leader, and Rep. Thom Tillis, the House Republican whip, confronted Allred in the chamber, even before the hug because of his erratic behavior that night.

Tillis recounted that Allred said, "I am 62 years old, and I'm worth $2 million. People ought to show me respect."

Some time after that, several House members said they saw the embrace.

"Representative Allred had a female House Page in what seemed to be a never-ending embrace that resembled a gruesome bear hug," wrote Rep. Mitchell Setzer, a Catawba Republican. "When the embrace finally broke, Representative Allred stepped back for a moment and then he stepped forward and began the hugging procedure again. I have never witnessed anything as unsettling as this in the eleven years that I have been a member of the General Assembly."

More after the jump.

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A smoking ban was weakened on the House floor today.

Rep. Hugh Holliman, the Democratic majority leader and bill sponsor, took different stances on four amendments that exempted different types of businesses:

CIGAR BARS: Rep. Wil Neumann, a Gaston County Republican, proposed exempting cigar bars. Holliman did not object. Adopted 93-24.

ADULTS-ONLY: Rep. Nelson Cole, a Rockingham County Democrat, proposed exempting restaurants and bars that do not allow minors. Supporters said it would gut the bill. Adopted 70-46.

SINGLE OWNERS: Rep. Paul Stam, a Wake County Republican, proposed exempting small home-based businesses. Holliman called it "far-fetched" but did not oppose it. Adopted 113-3.

GROWERS: Rep. Thom Tillis, a Mecklenburg County Republican, proposed exempting tobacco growers, processors and dealers. Holliman did not object. Adopted 115-2.

In addition, Holliman said another amendment would likely be proposed Thursday exempting Veterans of Foreign Wars halls.

The proposed smoking ban has its first amendment.

Rep. Wil Neumann, a Gaston County Republican, proposed exempting cigar bars from the ban.

The bill's sponsor, House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman, said he had no objection to the amendment, saying people who go to cigar bars know what they're getting into.

Rep. Thom Tillis, a Mecklenburg County Republican, objected to the amendment, saying it would complicate enforcement.

The amendment passed, 93-24.

Recent House bills of note:

H.B. 338: Stimulus Funds/Contractors Must Use E-Verify, Rep. Pat McElraft

H.B. 339: Taxpayer Transparency Act, Reps. McElraft, Pat Hurley, Curtis Blackwood and Hugh Blackwell

H.B. 344: Employers Must Use E-Verify Program, Reps. Wil Neumann and George Cleveland

H.B. 351: Party Change During Early Voting, Rep. Cary Allred

H.B. 361: Defense of Marriage, Reps. David Lewis, James Crawford, Pearl Burris-Floyd and Dewey Hill

H.B. 362: Access to Higher Education, Rep. Pricey Harrison, Paul Luebke, Rick Glazier and Verla Insko

A few of the interesting new House bills:

H.B. 74: Spend 65% of School Funds in Classroom, Rep. John Blust

H.B. 75: Salary Funds/Spend Only for Salaries, Rep. Blust

H.B. 76: School Board Candidate Filing Fee, Reps. Rick Glazier, Doug Yongue

H.B. 78: Honor Jimmy Johnson, NASCAR Nextel Champ, Rep. Bill Owens

H.B. 83: Modify Out-of-State Tuition Exemption, Reps. Pricey Harrison, George Cleveland, Wil Neumann, Jennifer Weiss

Legislation that would create a referendum on a meals tax for Durham County voters squeaked through the House today.

After the 60-59 vote, Rep. Wil Neumann, a Gaston County Republican, said that he voted incorrectly in favor and wanted his vote changed, reports Dan Kane.

Speaker Joe Hackney denied the request, saying it wasn't allowed because it would affect the outcome.

Neumann then asked to have the vote taken again, which the rules allow when the request comes from someone on the prevailing side.

But before the vote could be taken, Rep. Mickey Michaux, a Durham Democrat and a bill sponsor, urged his colleagues to support the legislation, reminding them that it only gives Durham residents the right to consider the tax. He then made a motion to kill Newmann's request. It passed by a 62-56 vote.

The legislation now goes to the Senate.

If a referendum becomes law, Durham County residents could vote to add a one percent sales tax on restaurant meals in the county. The legislation states that 80 percent of the proceeds would go toward civic and cultural amenities, 10 percent for marketing, five percent for workforce training and five percent for community clean up.