Republicans’ leadership taking shape for 2011 General Assembly

The anticipated president pro tem of the N.C. Senate’s next session has announced his primary goals for the upcoming legislative session beginning Jan. 29.

Sen. Phil Berger, an Eden attorney who represents Guilford and Rockingham counties, was nominated on Thursday by unanimous voice vote to stand for the Senate’s top leadership post when the General Assembly convenes on Jan. 29, according to a report today in the News & Observer of Raleigh. Sen. Harry Brown of Jacksonville was also unanimously selected to be majority leader — the post held by Buncombe County’s Sen. Martin Nesbitt under this year’s Democratic majority in the Senate. Republicans achieved a 31-19 Senate majority in the November general election. With a companion 68-52 majority in the House, the N.C. General Assembly will be under the control of a Republican majority for the first time since 1898. House Republicans meet tomorrow to select their majority leader.

An outline of Berger’s goals for the upcoming session include:

1. No tax increases in the state budget, including allowing the temporary sales and income tax surcharges to expire as scheduled.

2. No delay in the state’s election schedule due to the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts.

3. Establishment of election changes to require photo identification of voters, and the change the State Board of Elections membership from three Democrats and two Republicans to an even three and three.

4. Educational changes to increase the number of charter schools, and to allow differential pay and merit pay for the state’s teachers.

5. A move to exempt North Carolina from the national health care law’s requirement that would make uninsured residents purchase health insurance, while acknowledging that such a law would be subject to the results of lawsuits testing the constitutionality of the national health care law.

Nelda Holder, freelance for Xpress

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.