Black's donations take a dive, but coffer is full

House Speaker Jim Black's latest campaign finance report shows a drastic drop in contributions from the same period two years ago, but his press secretary says it's only because he's already raised plenty of money.

In the first three and a half months of 2004, Black received nearly $195,000 in contributions from individuals and political action committees. This year, Black took in just over $17,000.

"It's unusual," said Bob Hall, research director for the campaign watchdog Democracy North Carolina. "It's a significant decline from the pace that he was on."

That does not mean, though, that Black lacks the political cash to win re-election or to help his colleagues. He has nearly $1 million in his campaign account, much of it raised in 2005. His press secretary, Julie Robinson, said that's far more cash in hand than what Black's campaign had at the same time in 2002 and 2004.

Black could not be reached for comment. Black, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, is under fire for campaign and legislative activities that have come to light in the past seven months.

The State Board of Elections has requested a criminal investigation into Black's making out three checks provided by fellow optometrists to former Rep. Michael Decker in early 2003. Decker switched parties before the start of the 2003 session and helped keep Black in power. Federal investigators are also looking into Black's help to Decker, along with the lobbying work of Black's former unpaid political director, Meredith Norris.

The report shows that Black's committee made contributions of $4,000 each to two House Democrats, Linda Coleman of Knightdale and Larry Bell of Clinton, during the past three months. Other candidates have announced they would not take money from Black.

The report shows that Black paid just over $29,000 to a Raleigh law firm that represented him before the State Board of Elections. It shows no funds spent on a Charlotte law firm that has also represented him in the elections board and federal investigations.

A Charlotte area businessman has started up a legal defense fund that may be paying some of those bills, but it's unclear how much money it has raised and spent. Robinson said the fund would cover the Charlotte firm's legal expenses.

Allen trial postponed

A Maryland District Court judge has agreed to postpone today's scheduled trial of former White House advisor Claude Allen. Allen, 45, faces charges of fraudulently stealing items from Target and Hecht's department stores near his Gaithersburg, Md., home.

Allen served as domestic policy advisor to President Bush until resigning in early February.

In March, Allen was arrested and accused of routinely making fake returns of department store items over a period of several months. Allen went to high school and college in North Carolina and worked on the staff of former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms in the 1980s.

Allen's attorney requested the trial delay earlier this week. A new trial date has not been set.

Bill aims for crackdown

U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, a Charlotte Republican, is introducing bills this week to prevent illegal use of Social Security numbers and crack down on North Carolina road builders who hire illegal immigrants.

"Illegal aliens who are using fraudulent social security numbers to get a job are committing a felony, and this felony is not a victimless crime," Myrick said at a news conference.

Myrick's bills would require the Social Security Administration to tell the Department of Homeland Security if more than one person is using a Social Security number, and would require Social Security to tell American citizens if someone else is using their number. Another bill would punish contractors who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Myrick's bills were inspired by articles in The Charlotte Observer that reported on highway contractors hiring workers who use false Social Security numbers to get their jobs.

She will propose that companies that knowingly hire illegal workers for projects using federal money have those contracts taken away and be barred from federal work for two years.

Berry Jenkins, a director with the Carolinas Associated General Contractors, said highway builders make "a reasonable effort to make sure documents are legal."

Employers should not have the responsibility of determining whether documents are counterfeit, Jenkins said. "I don't think it's reasonable to expect the employer to go to these extraordinary measures."

GOP brass vs. Morgan

State GOP chairman Ferrell Blount is making good on his promise to help challenger Joe Boylan beat state Rep. Richard Morgan in the May 2 Republican primary.

Today, Blount and Bill Cobey, Blount's predecessor as party leader and a former candidate for governor, will hold a campaign rally for Boylan in Moore County.

The state party has targeted Morgan, an eight-term incumbent, for defeat.