Barry Smith - In the Loop


Insider's view of the state capital

Archive for the 'Economy' Category

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Appointments to JOBS Commission announced

October 13th, 2009, 5:51 pm by

Sen. Harry Brown, R-Onslow, Sen. Tony Foriest, D-Alamance, and Rep. Van Braxton, D-Lenoir, are among the lawmakers appointed to the Joint Legislative Joining Our Business and Schools (JOBS) Study Commission, which is to look at ways the state can do a better job at creating programs to prepare students for the needs of the job market.

 

Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton of Rutherford County will chair the commission. State Board of Education Chairman Bill Harrison and former Chairman Howard Lee will also serve on the committee.

 

Sen. A.B. Swindell, D-Nash, and Reps. Rick Glazier, D-Cumberland, and Doug Yongue, D-Scotland, have also been selected to serve on the commission.

 

Public members include Robert J. Beichner, Swadesh B. Chatterjee, Mike Murphy, Sheri Strickland, Felicia Gray Watson, Laura Carpenter Bingham, Joseph D. Crocker, Grant Godwin, Caroline Watts McCullen and Susan R. Purser.

Posted in: Economy • Education • General Assembly • State government | Post a Comment »

Recession boosts attendance at N.C. state parks

September 29th, 2009, 10:17 am by

I was going through my email and found this one. Attendance at state parks in North Carolina is up 14 percent for the first eight months of the year. It appears that when times get rough, North Carolinians look for a bargain in ways to spend their leisure time.

 

“Citizens in North Carolina traditionally have turned to state parks for affordable family recreation during difficult economic times, and these attendance numbers reflect that,” said Lewis Ledford, state parks director.

 

Attendance is up 25 percent at Fort Macon State Park and a whopping 78 percent at Crowders Mountain State Park. Other strong increases were reported at Stone Mountain, 23 percent; Pilot Mountain, 31 percent; Cliffs of the Neuse, 40 percent; Lake Waccamas, 35 percent; Raven Rock, 50 percent; Falls Lake, 24 percent; and Jordan Lake, 52 percent.

 

With the weather turning cooler, it might be time to break out my tent and take my dog camping.

Posted in: Economy • State government | Post a Comment »

August jobless rate drops, slightly

September 18th, 2009, 10:55 am by

The good news is that the unemployment rate in North Carolina dropped in August by one-tenth of 1 percent. The bad news is that the state’s jobless rate remains in double digits and higher than the national rate.

 

The August unemployment rate in the state was 10.8 percent, down from 10.9 percent in July and down from its highest in the current recession of 11.1 percent in May. In September 2008, the jobless rate was 6.8 percent.

 

The new figures were released today by the N.C. Employment Security Commission.

 

North Carolina’s unemployment rate remains more than a percentage point higher than the national rate, which is 9.7 percent.

Posted in: Economy • State government | Post a Comment »

Perdue, Commerce secretary headed to Asia next month

September 2nd, 2009, 1:48 pm by

Gov. Bev Perdue will be making sure her passport is in order. She’s headed to Asia in October.

 

She and Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco plan to go to China and Japan to meet with trading partners and recruitment prospects, a news release by the N.C. Department of Commerce says.

 

“This trip is about building and sustaining relationships that create jobs for North Carolinians,” Perdue said. “Doing business with Japan and China results in $3.6 billion a year in trade, jobs for 20,000 North Carolinians and more than $200 million in foreign direct investment.”

 

The trip coincides with the 33rd-annual joint meeting of the Japan-U.S. Southeast Association and the Southeast-Japan Association, organizations that promote commerce between the Southeastern states and the region.

 

The Commerce Department estimates the state’s share of the 14-day trip to be around $82,000. The department says that an additional $90,000 in expenses will be covered by non-government sources, which it calls “non-state economic development allies.”

Posted in: Bev Perdue • Economy • State government | Post a Comment »

If it’s good economic news, we’ll take it

August 28th, 2009, 10:04 am by

Good news on the economic front? We’ll take it anywhere we can find it. Today, the N.C. Employment Security Commission came out with its county-by-county report on unemployment.

 

The good news is that unemployment rates dropped in more than half – 59 – of the state’s 100 counties. Rates increased in 29 counties and stayed the same in 12. Still, all 100 counties have a 5 percent or greater unemployment rate and 69 counties have 10 percent or greater unemployment.

 

The statewide unemployment rate was 11.1 percent in July, down slightly from 11.2 percent in June.

Posted in: Economy • State government | Post a Comment »

Smile for the camera; film companies to get bigger tax credit

August 27th, 2009, 3:53 pm by

Gov. Bev Perdue has signed a bill expanding tax credits for the film industry into law. The bill allows an income tax credit of 25 percent of the production expenses for film and television companies. The old credit was 15 percent.

 

To get the credit, companies must spend at least $250,000 on a production in North Carolina. The net impact on the state treasury for the current fiscal year is negative $8.6 million, according to a legislative fiscal analysis. Next year, the increased tax credit is expected to hit the state’s bottom line by $40 million.

 

In a statement released by the governor’s office, Perdue said, “This legislation will help grow our $91 million motion picture industry, preserve and create thousands of jobs and increase investments in yet another emerging economic cluster. Providing a strong foundation for North Carolina’s film industry is essential as we work to build a strong and sustainable economy through increased diversification.”

Posted in: Bev Perdue • Corporate Welfare • Economy • General Assembly • State government • Taxes | Post a Comment »

Moratorium placed on sandbag removal; ‘terminal groins’ to be studied

August 10th, 2009, 7:21 pm by

Coastal communities won’t get permission to build hardened structures called “terminal groins” on the coast to prevent erosion this year. But they will get the Coastal Resources Commission to study the issue.

 

Mayors in some North Carolina beach towns had lobbied lawmakers to all the CRC to permit those structures. Such a bill passed the Senate earlier this year, but did not pass the House. The House passed the hardened structure study bill by a 92-21 vote.

 

The bill also places a one-year moratorium on the CRC ability to remove sandbags along the coast. The bill now goes to the governor.

Posted in: Economy • Environment • General Assembly • Government spending • State government | Post a Comment »

GOP leaders respond to ‘irrelevant’ claim, ask Perdue to veto budget

August 5th, 2009, 1:31 pm by

Republican legislative leaders have responded to House Speaker Joe Hackney’s claim that the GOP has become “irrelevant” in the budget process by dismissing it as mere politics.

 

“That’s political hyperbole,” Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam, R-Wake, said. Stam is the House minority leader.

 

The Senate Republican leader, Sen. Phil Berger of Rockingham County, said that GOP members have offered specific budget suggestions throughout the session.

 

“They’ve decided to rule the state of North Carolina under one-party rule,” Berger said.

 

The GOP leaders also urged Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue to veto the budget, saying that Perdue had previously opposed increasing taxes during the recession and had argued against cuts in education. The Republican leaders said that the budget cuts per-pupil expenses in public schools and raises taxes.

 

Perdue on Tuesday said that she plans to sign the budget despite reservations.

Posted in: Bev Perdue • Budget • Economy • Education • General Assembly • Government spending • State government • Taxes | Post a Comment »

Hackney says political opponents make themselves ‘irrelevant’

August 4th, 2009, 10:53 am by

House Speaker Joe Hackney, an Orange County Democrat, countered GOP criticism of the budget by saying that they start from a different place.

 

“They are not up to the job of governing in a recession when decisions are hard,” Hackney said during a morning press conference. “It’s a decision to make yourself irrelevant.”

 

Hackney was starting from the continuation budget, which included increases in Medicaid costs previously absorbed by county governments, and increases in enrollment in the university system.

 

“They would simply take that out before they start,” Hackney said.

 

GOP leaders earlier in the day said that the Democratic budget writers did not cut spending over the actual previous years spending.

Posted in: Budget • Economy • General Assembly • Government spending • State government • Taxes | 1 Comment »

Perdue to lawmakers: Do your job

July 23rd, 2009, 4:51 pm by

Gov. Bev Perdue wasn’t sounding a happy tone Thursday afternoon. In a terse voice, she scolded lawmakers for suggesting an across the board surcharge on income taxes and told them to stay in town and do their job.

 

“Yesterday, I saw a proposal that stunned me quite frankly,” Perdue said just outside the state Capitol. “What it did was propose raising income taxes on working families and the middle class.”

 

She said she has told lawmakers all along that there were two things that were unacceptable: “You cannot cut the heart out of public education… Who in the world thinks in these trying, challenging times for families that you can raise income taxes for working families and middle class families.”

 

Perdue concluded, “The clock is ticking. Do the job you were elected to do.”

 

She then walked away without taking reporters’ questions.

Posted in: Budget • Economy • Education • General Assembly • Government spending • State government • Taxes | Post a Comment »

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