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).

"Racial Justice Act":  Relief for First Degree Murderers versus Justice for Citizens

Tillis takes firm stand against the Senate Bill 461 - Racial Justice Act.  Tillis says "Even if you accept that this is the right thing to do, and I do not, it is the wrong time and the wrong way to do it.  In the name of "racial justice," we enable the worst-of-the-worst criminals in our prisons to have their capital sentences vacated, at the expense of funding for our courts.  We could see millions of dollars shifted away from prosecuting other criminals so that prisoners with as many as 9 murders and 13 rapes can use the funds to allege racial bias was a deciding factor in their capital sentence.  In this way, the Racial Justice Act is unjust to the citizens of North Carolina.

Tillis has prepared a summary of the issues with SB 461, including a detailed listing of the 163 death row inmates, with photos, and a summary of their crimes.  To view the 7 page PowerPoint Summary prepared by Rep. Tillis, CLICK this link.

Want to learn more about North Carolina's death row inmates?  To view a detailed list prepared by Rep. Tillis of North Carolina's 163 death row inmates and the devastation they have caused, CLICK this link.

Crossover Update - 600 votes since January

The legislature's "crossover" deadline was Thursday, May 14th.  Since the opening of the legislative long session on January 28th, House members have cast 600 votes on proposed legislation and related amendments.  To view a list of my votes, CLICK this link.

Most bills were noncontroversial but some prompted hours of debate on the House floor.  Look for an email update later this month for a summary of key legislation.

Committee Meetings:  Where the work gets done.

All bills must go through at least two committees, and many never make it out.  Committee meetings provide an opportunity to improve legislation and/or to kill bad legislation.  To see a list of committees I serve on, CLICK this link.  You have the option to receive committee meeting updates via email.

If you would like to view past legislative calendars, visit the General Assembly website at http://www.ncleg.net.  If you would like receive email updates of legislative calendars, CLICK this link to subscribe to the legislative list server.

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.