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Tues: Well, if you put it THAT way...
posted at 2009-05-26 22:03 | Last modified 2009-05-26 22:04
Apple's slice
S575, the Apple tax break bill, took an 81-31 walk through the House today after a solid hour of smart, passionate debate about the wisdom of yet another incentives package.
The measure would tinker with the state’s formula for corporate tax breaks for “any company” that makes a billion dollar investment in an NC facility. Not that they’re lining up. The bill doesn’t mention Apple by name, but it’s the only likely candidate: the computer maker is considering a Cleveland County site for a billion-dollar data center. The measure could net Apple $46M if it maintains its $1B investment for nine years.
Detractors lined up to denounce the bill, including Lincoln Republican Johnathan Rhyne:
“At least we know what our price is: one billion dollars…What this bill says is that, if somebody brings us enough money, we’ll change the law for ‘em. And I don’t think that’s why people elected us to come down here.”
House Minority Leader Skip Stam weighed in, too.
“They’re playing us. And they’re gonna keep playing us as long as you agree to be played.”
But in an unusual twist, the bill won praise from someone who’s voted against every other incentive proposal: Cary Dem Jennifer Weiss. She helped craft the House version of the bill, and she says it includes more stringent rules than past packages – wage requirements, “first-source” labor (ie. unemployed locals before out-of-state transplants), health insurance, the works. This time, Weiss says, it’s all about the jobs.
“We have the worst unemployment rate in North Carolina right now since records have even been kept. …It’s really bad for a lot of people in NC right now, and they are really hurting. When a company invests a billon dollars in an area with a high unemployment rate, I can tell you one thing – it’s gonna make a dramatic impact in that area.”
The measure is up for a final House vote Wednesday, and then it heads back to the Senate for concurrence in the House changes.
Friday afternoon surprise
State Auditor spokesman Dennis Patterson says the office was “surprised” to receive a federal subpoena at about 4:45pm on Friday afternoon before the holiday weekend. The subpoena (download it here) asks for all documents or records pertaining to any audit or probe of “the hiring of Mary Easley by North Carolina State University.”
Last fall, Patterson says, the office investigated Mary Easley’s travel expenses during a state-sponsored trip to Europe. But that’s pretty clearly not the focus of the subpoena – and he can’t say if other audits might be underway.
"We have a longstanding policy that we can’t confirm or deny any other audits or investigations are in progress or being done or even not being done. But whatever records we have, whatever information we have, interviews or whatever that would be of interest to the federal authorities, we always cooperate with them."
In fact, Patterson says, part of the surprise factor arose from the subpoena itself. In the past, he says, investigators have just called the office to get access to whatever they want to see. This time, it appears, the FBI is taking no chances.
Srsly?
Reigning Miss USA and Miss NC Kristen Dalton stopped by Jones St. today to be honored by state lawmakers. Dalton, a double major at ECU, talked about her activism against breast and ovarian cancer. She told the Senate she’d been a page there during high school, and had gone on to intern on Capitol Hill.
“Now, as Miss USA, I take on another role. I like to think of it as the ultimate leadership position for women across the country – a spokeswoman.”
For heaven’s sake, don’t anyone tell Hillary Clinton, Bev Perdue, Sally Ride, or Sonia Sotomayor they missed out. They’d be crushed. You can hear Miss USA’s Senate visit in its entirety below (8:04).
Listen Now!
Otherwise...
- Who knew House Minority Leader Paul Stam was on Twitter? Oh, wait...
- The much-debated bully bill makes it through House Education despite warnings about pedophilia and teachers in drag. Binker has the bonus audio goods.
- And House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman is recovering after having part of a lung removed this morning. Get well soon, Hugh!
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