Join our effort to win a REPUBLICAN Majority in 2010

Democrats in Washington and Raleigh have clearly communicated their view for the future.  Bigger government, higher taxes, less freedom to enjoy the fruits of our own labor.  Please answer our call to win a majority in the North Carolina House in 2010.

CLICK this link to view the presentation.

TILLIS delivers on commitment to advance business friendly legislation

With the completion of Tillis' third year in the General Assembly, he has posted a solid track record of supporting free market/business-friendly legislation.  Over a short period of time, Tillis has emerged as vocal and productive supporter of improving the business climate in North Carolina.

Tillis says "I'm proud of my results in the 2009 session.  A lot of people talk a lot about supporting business but few actually follow through by introducing legislation that has a meaningful impact.  The bills I played an active role in passing are a testament to my "walking the talk."

Tillis was a primary sponsor on several measures that promote free markets, fair competition, and policy that makes North Carolina a more business-friendly environment.   To view a sample list of legislation sponsored by Rep. Tillis, click this link.

TILLIS opposes emotionally-charged bills.  Tillis says "Good Titles, Bad Bills"

Over the past few weeks, TILLIS voted against two bills that, based on their title, would make some wonder.  Both bills had "short titles" that would be hard to oppose:  "RACIAL JUSTICE ACT" and "SCHOOL VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACT."  Though both bills had provisions with merit, they also contained provisions that represented an ill-advised approach to addressing potential problems.  The bill sponsors were unwilling to consider any amendments that would have improved the bills and, consequently they lost support of conservative democrats and republicans.  Below is a brief summary on why I opposed the bills, and why they passed by slim margins.

Racial Justice Act

The House voted by a slim margin (61-55) to pass the Racial Justice Act (See related article below) and it will likely be signed by the governor.  I opposed the current version of the bill for reasons I summarized in a previous post (CLICK this link).  To listen to my comments (9 minutes) offered in opposition to the bill, CLICK this link.  This audio link summarizes all key reasons why I opposed the bill.

School Violence Prevention Act

The House voted by a slim margin (58-57) to pass the the School Violence Prevention Act.  The conflict among members varied but the key areas of contention related to the scope of the ban (specific classes of students were called out), and the lack of consequences/punishment for school employees and students who are guilty of bullying.

This session, two bills were introduced that focused on the problem of bullying in schools:

School Violence Prevention Act

No Bullying Anyone at Public Schools

(click the underlined text to view the actual bill)

The School Violence Prevention Act was proposed by a very influential Senate democrat and was co-sponsored by 15 Senate members, and was quickly forwarded through the hearing process.  The No Bullying Anyone at Public Schools bill was sponsored by 62 House members (republicans and democrats) and was never allowed to be heard in a committee.  I strongly believe the "No Bullying Anyone at Public Schools" is more comprehensive and more likely to reduce bullying in schools.  With the passage of the weaker bill, we still need to work for legislation that will better address the real problem of bullying in schools.

To listen to my comments (3 minutes) offered in support of an amendment that would have strengthened the bill, CLICK this link.

Would you like to speak with me about these or other votes?  Whether you agree or disagree, I am always happy to hear from you.  Give me a call at (704) 248-2980.

What do an eagle named Liberty, Davy Crockett, and the House Republican Caucus have in common?  I'm glad you asked...CLICK this link

First signs of "job-killing" due to new taxes comes before the taxes are even imposed - Amazon.com cancels affiliate relationships with some 1,000 merchants in North Carolina

While I was speaking to more than a 100 citizens who came to the Tax Town Hall Meeting last night, Amazon.com was preparing a letter to all of its affiliate merchants in North Carolina.  Sadly it was a letter to inform hundreds of businesses who sell their products through a "click through" arrangement with Amazon.com that the program has been suspended in North Carolina.  To see a copy of the letter to the affiliates, CLICK this link.

The reason?  The democrat leadership's proposal to add a tax to the click through business, which will add millions of dollars of cost to Amazon and ultimately to consumers.

The sad consequence of this action is that literally overnight businesses across North Carolina had some or all of the distribution network shut down.  For most, this affected one third to one half of their business.  For some of the affiliates they relied solely on Amazon.com.  Because of the threat of the taxes, hundreds of jobs are now hanging in the balance.

What makes this frightening is that this is a relatively small part of the huge tax increase proposed by the Governor and the democrat House and Senate leadership.  Hopefully, this tax will be taken off the table along with so many more currently proposed.  If not, you can expect the hundreds of jobs at stake with the Amazon.com issue to be followed by thousands of jobs if the broader tax package is approved.

Please help us fight this.  Answer our call to action (see left) and send a message to legislative leaders.

Proposed Budget Goes From Bad to Worse:  Democrats propose $800m in taxes and Governor wants twice that.

The House democrats brought their proposed budget to the floor for debate last week. The budget included nearly $800 million in so-called "Restoration" budget items, which is nothing more than a coordinated attempt to make certain constituents feel good about a major tax increase. House democrats and republicans debated the bill for several hours on Friday night and into the early AM hours of Saturday morning. In the end, the budget passed along party lines with all 52 Republicans voting against the budget.

I spoke against the budget during the debate. To hear my comments (about 6 minutes) click this link. I also appeared on Public TV "Legislative Week in Review" opposite the democrat senior chairman of the House Finance Committee (CLICK this link and advance video to about 28 minutes). This exchange will provide you with a better understanding of the fundamental difference between democrats and republicans on the budget.

Tillis speaks out on problems with the process with other House Republican Caucus members.  CLICK this link to view the Republican Press Conference (June 4, 2009).

Summary of Bills Sponsored by Thom Tillis

For a summary of bills I have sponsored in the 2009 session CLICK this link.   If you would like to search for a specific bill, you can use the search features on the right side of the page at the above link.