Democratic lawmakers are heading out today on a 19-city tour of the state. First stop: Raleigh.
Organized by the state Democratic Party, the "NC Forward" tour is meant to drum up support for restoring financing to public education and to sound the trumpet call of the day for both parties: jobs.
They're calling it a fact-finding tour, and the first facts will be found at the State Employees Career Transition Center in Raleigh during a meeting with Lynn Holmes, chairwoman of the N.C. Employment Security Commission.
Most of the fact-finding involves the effect of GOP cuts in the education budget, and the Dems plan to visit schools, churches, a coffee house and a park.
From Raleigh, they'll hit Rocky Mount, Greenville, New Bern and Kinston on Monday. The tour wraps up Friday with a couple stops in Charlotte and nearby Richmond. In between, they plan to hit 10 cities, including Fayetteville, Greensboro, Clyde and Cullowhee. The complete list of stops is at ncdp.org/.
The state Republican Party was quick to dub it the "Tax Me More Bus Tour."
The GOP is trying to smear all Democrats with a plan advanced by Rep. Bill Faison, who represents Orange and Caswell counties, to resume the one-cent sales tax to cover cuts to education. "Their motto for job-creation is clear, 'Read our lips: more new taxes for everyone,' " suggested Republican Party spokesman Rob Lockwood.
The Democrats haven't released any policy proposals ahead of the tour. And it's worth noting that House Democratic Leader Joe Hackney isn't among the 34 lawmakers who endorsed Faison's plan.
SEANC honors Apodaca
Sen. Tom Apodaca, Hendersonville Republican and Senate Rules Committee chairman, won the Legislator of the Year award from the State Employees Association of North Carolina's political action committee.
The group cited Apodaca's work on the changes to the state employee health plan as one of the reasons he won the Lisa B. Mitchell Award. "During this legislative session, Sen. Apodaca's door was open, and we always had a seat at his table," SEANC executive director Dana Cope said in a statement.
The N.C. Association of Educators and retirees didn't like the first versions of the health plan changes. Gov. Bev Perdue vetoed the first health plan bill that legislators passed.
The award is named for a former SEANC member who worked to build its PAC.
