Pryor Gibson

Life science fund advances

markjohnson — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:15:26 -0400

A House committee Monday evening approved a new and unfamiliar funding mechanism to help small life science companies expand or open shop in North Carolina.

The bill would create the nonprofit N.C. Life Science Development Corp. that would use private money to make loans to, for example, pharmeceutical or medical device companies looking to expand or open new operations that would produce commercially-viable products.

What concerned some lawmakers was that the state is on the hook to investors if the companies default.

More after the jump.

Budget heads to House floor

bniolet — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:35:24 -0400

The full House will get its first look today at $18.5 billion budget proposal that slashes spending across state government, but spares several programs by including $780 million in new taxes.

The House budget bill made it through a key committee late Wednesday after a contentious debate in which Republicans franticly tried to stop Democrats from using a parliamentary maneuver designed to fend off any changes to the budget proposal.

The Democrats changed the title of the bill to an unwieldy recitation of all the taxes the budget would raise. House rules say amendments can’t be contrary to the title of a bill, which means removing the taxes would be tough.

House Republicans have stood firmly against any new taxes. Democrats have been divided over the issue with supporters saying the taxes are needed to avoid painful cuts to education and social services. The state is facing a $4 billion deficit.

"We had very egregious cuts that a lot of us on both sides of the aisle had trouble with," said Hugh Holliman, the House majority leader and a Lexington Democrat.

Rep. Paul Stam, an Apex Republican and the House minority leader, protested the Democrats’ late move to cut off substantial changes.

"It spends too much. It taxes too much. We’re in a deep recession. We shouldn’t be doing this," Stam said. "It will hurt the economy of the state."

The debate gets testy after the jump.

House debates taxes

bniolet — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:45:16 -0400

The House Finance committee began what promises to be a long day of debating whether to pass $940 million in new taxes.

"Is there any part of this bill I'm going to like?" asked Rep. Curtis Blackwood, a Matthews Republican.

"There's nothing in any of this that anybody likes," said Rep. Pryor Gibson, a Wadesboro Democrat. "This is the least painful thing that we could come up with...There's no pride in this document."

Opponents found fault with the taxes. The taxes would hurt business and state residents. The budget cuts aren't as painful as Democrats have led on, and the tax package is unfair since Republicans weren't in on the discussion, opponents said.

"You made cuts to where you know enough people would scream," said Rep. John Blust, a Greensboro Republican.

Supporters of the tax countered that the package was the only way to fend off the most hurtful cuts to education and social services.

"With this package, we restore the thigns that make North Caroilna great," said Rep. Deborah Ross, a Raleigh Democrat.

SEANC airs two more ads

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:34:35 -0400

SEANC is airing more ads against state legislators.

The State Employees Association of North Carolina is running radio ads against Reps. Ray Rapp of Madison County and Van Braxton of Lenoir County, both Democrats.

As part of an ongoing campaign, ads criticize the legislators for voting for a bill designed to keep the State Health Plan afloat.

"Legislators need to understand this issue is not going away," said Executive Director Dana Cope in a statement. "We will hold them accountable when they make bad decisions, and SEANC will educate constituents when their legislators decide to put a multi-million dollar nonprofit's interests ahead of North Carolina taxpayers."

Previous ads have targeted Senate Majority Leader Hugh Holliman and Reps. Margaret Dickson, Bruce Goforth and Pryor Gibson.

House votes for Treasurer options

bniolet — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:24:30 -0400

The House approved a bill that would give state Treasurer Janet Cowell greater flexibility in investing the state's pension fund.

The treasurer oversees the fund, a $55.9 billion pool of money, that pays retirement benefits for teachers and state and local government employees.

Cowell's office was pushing the bill. The target for return on investments in the fund is 7.25 percent. Without the bill, Cowell's office estimates a return of 6.92 percent, which would translate to a $1.3 billion annual shortfall.

Opponents said the bill would allow risky speculation.

"We need to reduce the risk," said Rep. Bill McGee, a Clemmons Republican.

Rep. Pryor Gibson, a Wadesboro Democrat who fended off multiple amendments meant to limit investment options, said the legislature should trust the Treasurer's office to make the right decisions.

"We hire professionals to do a job over there," Gibson said.

The bill must now return to the Senate before it would go to the governor.

House approves Apple bill

bniolet — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:29:34 -0400

The House gave final approval Wednesday to a tax incentive designed to lure an Apple Computer facility to the state.

The bill, which lowers the corporate tax the company would pay, must go back to the Senate since the House modified the Senate's version. The House approved the bill 80 to 34.

The House's changes limited the bill to apply only to one company. State officials won't specify who they are trying to lure, but it is widely discussed that the company is Apple, which is considering the state for a data center, essentially a giant warehouse of computer servers, likely to run company services such as the iTunes music store and the application store for its popular iPhone.

The center would bring about 50 workers, although another 250 contractors could get jobs. The facility could grow to employ more as its mission expands.

SEANC targets Gibson, Goforth

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:49:28 -0400

SEANC is running ads against two state lawmakers.

The State Employees Association of North Carolina will run radio ads criticizing Democratic Reps. Pryor Gibson of Anson County and Bruce Goforth of Buncombe County.

The ads criticize the legislators' votes for a fix to the State Health Plan that would raise costs for state workers.

"Representative Bruce Goforth voted to raise the cost of health care for the State’s working families, making North Carolina forty-ninth in its employees' family coverage, while the State had a no-bid contract with the non-profit Blue Cross Blue Shield that pays their CEO over 4 million dollars," one ad notes.

The ads are another salvo in an ongoing fight between SEANC, which represents 55,000 state workers, and the legislature during a tight budget year.

Gibson told The Insider that he is married to a state employee and could not understand the logic of the attack.

Voluntary furlough bill clears House

bniolet — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:25:52 -0400

The House voted for a bill Thursday that would let state employees volunteer for furloughs.

The bill would give the governor the ability to call for volunteers when during times of economic crisis. The bill also applies to local boards of education.

"This is something your state employees want," Rep. Pryor Gibson, a co-sponsor of the bill, told House members.

Language in the bill is sure to one day sour the atmosphere in some office. The bill allows essential employees to take up to 10 days of furlough. Nonessential employees can take 30 days.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

The NCGA Final Two

bniolet — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:50:23 -0400

Forget the NCAA for a moment.

Tonight will see the N.C. General Assembly — the NCGA? — play its own version of the March Madness sweeping college basketball.

The game will be in Columbia, S.C.

Rep. Phil Haire, a Sylva Democrat, organized this year's lineup, a bipartisan squad known more for passing bills than basketballs.

House Chaplain Jim Harry accurately summarized the pre-game mood when he called upon a higher power to be with the North Carolina squad.

"Please remind them they're not 20-year-olds running up and down the court," Harry intoned.

More after the jump.

Glazier: Racism claim 'groundless'

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:49:34 -0500

An attempt by indicted Rep. Thomas Wright's attorneys to label a House ethics committee as racist drew a strongly worded denouncement Tuesday from the committee's chairman.

Rep. Rick Glazier, the chairman, called the attempt "frivolous" and "groundless" in a speech that left the committee and its audience in stunned silence, David Ingram reports.

Glazier, a Fayetteville Democrat and widely respected legislator, spoke about his work as a civil-rights lawyer and about discrimination he has experienced because he is Jewish.

"I find equally abhorrent racism labels tossed off capriciously," Glazier said. "Charges of racism, if proven, carry an enormously stigmatizing effect."

He ruled against a motion by Wright's attorneys that he step aside from the case. The attorneys had argued that Wright is being treated harshly because he is black. They compare his ethics case to that of another legislator, Rep. Pryor Gibson, who is white.

"It is difficult to believe that the rulings of the Chair and therefore the ongoing hearing have not both been tainted," the motion reads.

Rep. Paul Stam, an Apex Republican and vice chair of the ethics committee hearing Wright's case, came to Glazier's defense.

"I don't think there's any member of the House that would put any credence in an allegation that you're racially biased," Stam said.