You might remember that in December, the General Assembly replaced the separate state Board of Elections and Ethics Commission with a combined bipartisan board to streamline and perform both functions. Gov. Cooper sued to block the combined board from going into operation - and now, as a result of his lawsuit, it appears the state does not have an Ethics Commission or Board of Elections at this time. However, all state ethics and campaign finance laws remain in place.

So a week after he illegally and unethically attempted to withdraw North Carolina's voter ID case from the U.S. Supreme Court, and on the same day he appointed a former convicted felon to lead the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, Gov. Roy Cooper has brazenly defied a court order by attempting to name a chair of the State Ethics Commission that no longer exists.

Gov. Cooper's actions make clear why he sued--to block the new bipartisan board that would have replaced it and is attempting to maintain total control of ethics oversight of elected officials. We are conferring with our attorneys about appropriate options to hold him accountable for violating this court order.

This week I co-sponsored SB 145. This act works to create additional incentives, ok- some might call them penalties- for local governments that do not comply with state laws related to immigration. It prohibits UNC institutions from becoming sanctuary universities.  The bill provides for local citizens to file a form with the Attorney General's office if they have belief that the municipality, county, university or public safety department are acting as a sanctuary to illegal immigrants and instructs the Attorney General to begin an investigation within 45 days of a received form.

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After a pointless battle over its constitutionality, last week the Senate Commerce and Nominations committees unanimously voted to recommend confirmation for former Rep. Larry Hall as Secretary of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, following a thorough and transparent hearing process where senators evaluated his qualifications, possible conflicts of interest and willingness to follow the law.

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Also on Monday, the Senate passed legislation that would restore partisan elections for local judicial races, helping ensure North Carolina voters have more information about the candidates they elect.
The bill would bring the election process for Superior and District Court judges into line with the process that is already in place for state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals justices, beginning with the 2018 election cycle. It would also return to the system that was in place for decades prior to the late 1990s and early 2000s, before previous legislatures changed it to prevent voters from using party affiliation to elect judges with a conservative, strict constructionist approach to the constitution.
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If you Enjoy NC Apples, you can thank Marvin Owings. Marvin has served in Henderson County agriculture for over 30 years and he announced his retirement this week. As an apple agent, Marvin helped oversee the production of over 85% of the apples found in our great state. 

As apple agent, Marvin created the Blue Ridge Direct Farm Market Association and helped oversee the growth of the apple industry. When Marvin first started, there were only a few varieties of apples, there are now over 40. And those are just a few of the reasons he will be greatly missed! Congratulations Marvin! 

Read the full article here.

S197 Adopt Bobcat as State Cat
This one was easy and fun. A group from the Senate asked me to join them with this bill because a mounted bobcat adorns my office.

S206 Municipal Elections in Even Numbered Years
I have had many suggestions from citizens and business leaders that this act would increase voter participation. I was pleasantly surprised by the favorable responses I received when I polled many of our municipal and county leaders. This act will significantly increase voter participation and save NC municipalities hundreds of thousands of dollars.

S216 Local Firefighter Relief Fund Reporting
This bill removes some reporting bureaucracy and red tape for our Statewide Firefighters' Relief Fund and it eliminates some burdensome penalties for inadvertent filing errors.

S135 Domestic Violence Fatality Review in Buncombe County
With acts of domestic violence on the rise, and at the request of the compassionate staff and volunteers at the Buncombe County Justice center, I filed this bill that will allow information sharing between local agencies to help reduce the number of incidents and better serve victims of domestic violence.

S137 Surcharge Transparency
This act is expected to be a first step in helping reduce the total cost of insurance in NC by highlighting the surcharges we pay for reinsurance.