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Report of the Standing Committee on Resolutions
WHEREAS, On Friday, April 24, 2016, North Carolina State Party Chairman, Claude
Pope, appointed Hunter Murphy of the 11th District as the new Chairman of the Standing
Committee on Resolutions (“the Committee”).
WHEREAS, the Committee consisted of the following persons:
Hunter Murphy, Chairman
Rosemary Stein, Vice Chairman
Jacqueline Esslinger, Secretary
Carolyn Justice, At Large
Mike Garris, 1st District
Michael Thurlow, 2nd District
Liz Berg, 3rd District
Pam Stevens, 4th District
Rick Woods, 5th District
Laura Piedad, 6th District
Denise Rentz, 7th District
Tom Hicks, 8th District
Roger Stanton, 9th District
Jordan Barnes, 10th District
Adam Love, 12th District
WHEREAS, the Committee considered proposed Resolutions coming from individuals,
county conventions and district conventions.
WHEREAS, the Committee passed eleven Resolutions for consideration at the North
Carolina Republican Party Convention to be held in Raleigh on June 5-7, 2015.
NOW THEREFORE, the following eleven Resolutions are submitted for the
consideration of the Delegates.
Respectfully submitted,
Hunter Murphy, Chairman
Resolution 1
In Memory of Congressman Cass Ballenger
Whereas, Cass Ballenger was a native of Catawba County, North Carolina, and
Whereas, Cass Ballenger served for 38 years as an elected Republican public official,
never losing an election, and
Whereas, Cass Ballenger was a former chairman of the Catawba County Republican
Party and always gave selflessly of his time and resources to help build the Catawba
County GOP into a majority party, and
Whereas, Cass Ballenger served two terms on the Catawba County Board of
Commissioners, during which both Catawba Memorial Hospital and Catawba Valley
Technical College were established, and
Whereas, Cass Ballenger was selected as North Carolina County Commissioner of the
Year in 1974, and
Whereas, Cass Ballenger went on to serve in both the North Carolina House of
Representatives and North Carolina Senate, and
Whereas, during his service in Raleigh, he served as the Minority Leader in the North
Carolina Senate. He also introduced and guided to passage the “Government in the
Sunshine Act,” the first substantive open meetings law in North Carolina’s history, and
Whereas, Cass Ballenger served nine terms in the United States House of
Representatives, was a member of the House leadership, and authored several pieces of
notable legislation, and
Whereas, Cass Ballenger served in a leadership role in many campaigns in North
Carolina, including the Reagan-Bush and Martin for Governor campaigns, and
Whereas, Cass Ballenger and his wife Donna worked for decades to help fight poverty
and establish democracies in Central and South America, and
Whereas, Cass Ballenger served in the U.S. Naval Air Corps during World War II,
Therefore be it resolved, that the North Carolina Republican Party expresses its
deepest sympathy to the Ballenger family on the passing of Congressman Cass Ballenger
and expresses its appreciation for his years of dedicated service to the State of North
Carolina, and the nation.
Resolution 2
De-fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund
WHEREAS the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was authorized by
Congress in 1964 and provides funds to federal, state, and local governments in order to
purchase land, water and wetlands; and is funded primarily by fees paid by companies
drilling offshore for oil and gas; and,
WHEREAS when first established, the LWCF was not an automatic or permanent
budget allocation; and
WHEREAS recent proposals in Congress call for $900 million per year to be
automatically allocated to buy private land and place it under governmental ownership;
including forcible acquisition by eminent domain from land-owners unwilling to sell
their land; and
WHEREAS the United States national debt currently exceeds $18 trillion; and
WHEREAS the federal land agencies have experienced budget shortfalls resulting in
maintenance backlogs and poor stewardship of land under their control; (with the
National Park Service alone reporting an $11.5 billion maintenance backlog, according
to the General Accounting Office); and
WHEREAS current federal and state government ownership of land exceeds 40% of
the United States total land; and
WHEREAS America was founded on a system of private property ownership; and
WHEREAS excessive governmental ownership of land erodes the taxable land base in
many rural counties, which limits economic development opportunities; and
WHEREAS the LWCF is a threat to private property ownership in the United States
and North Carolina; now therefore, be
RESOLVED, the North Carolina Republican Party actively opposes further funding of
the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and therefore be it further
RESOLVED, that all future governmental land acquisition be from willing sellers; and
therefore it be further
RESOLVED, that any monies appropriated to federal land agencies should be used to
maintain land already under federal ownership, not to acquire additional lands from
private ownership; and therefore it be further
RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be delivered to Governor Pat McCrory,
elected Republican North Carolina Members of the General Assembly, and all North
Carolina Members of Congress.
Resolution 3-A
CHANGE THE DATE OF THE NORTH CAROLINA PRESIDENTIAL
PRIMARY TO AFTER MARCH 1, 2016
WHEREAS, the North Carolina General Assembly has separated the scheduled date of
the Presidential Primary election from other scheduled primaries; and
WHEREAS, the Republican National Committee rules provide a “carve-out” for
February primaries for only four states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South
Carolina, and any state party violating the abovementioned RNC rule, by conducting a
February primary, will forfeit all but 12 delegates; and
WHEREAS, there are no exceptions to the above-mentioned party rule, and, therefore,
North Carolina remains out of compliance with this rule; and
WHEREAS, the North Carolina Presidential Primary will be a significant primary,
quite possibly deciding who the Republican nominee will be; and
WHEREAS, in the event the North Carolina Republican Presidential Primary is held as
presently set, the North Carolina Republican Party delegation to the Republican
National Convention of 2016 will be severely impacted when the delegation is drastically
reduced from 72 to 12; and
WHEREAS, lawmakers with good intentions, but incorrectly assuming, that setting
the Presidential Primary in February, but after South Carolina, the North Carolina
Republican Party would avoid RNC penalties, and, subsequently, our state would enjoy
national media exposure, along with money and other economic benefits flowing to
North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, the RNC will not waive the rule which will penalize the NCGOP for
holding the Presidential Primary in February, and North Carolina will certainly lose its
position as one of the leading state delegations to nominate our presidential candidate
when our penalized delegation shrinks from 72 to 12; and
WHEREAS, consequently, the numerous Republican presidential candidates for
nomination will expend little or no time, money, or energy campaigning in North
Carolina during the Presidential Primary season in pursuit of only 12 delegates;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the North Carolina Republican Party supports
changing the 2016 Presidential Primary election date to March 1,, 2016 or later.
Resolution 3-B
RESOLUTION TO SUGGEST A DATE RANGE FOR THE 2016 NORTH
CAROLINA PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY
WHEREAS, RNC rules dictate that states holding a Presidential Primary between March
1, 2016 and March 15, 2016 must allocate their delegates proportionally; and
WHEREAS, RNC rules dictate that states holding a Presidential Primary after March 15,
2016 may decide to have their delegates allocated proportionally or as winner-take-all.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Resolution Committee Chair shall call for discussion and a
vote as to the date range preference of the delegates in attendance at the 2015 North
Carolina State Convention.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Convention Secretary record the result and
deliver a copy of the resolution and the results to NC Governor, Pat McCrory and the
Republican NC Members of the General Assembly.
RESOLUTION 4
SUPPORTING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 10THAMENDMENT OF
THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
WHEREAS: The 10th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States reads: “The
powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the
States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” And that the
10th Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that specifically
granted by the United States Constitution and no more; and
WHEREAS: Every elected official has sworn to or affirmed the oath: “I will support
and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and
domestic; that you will bare true faith and allegiance to the same: that I will take this
obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that you
will faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter - so help
me God.” and,
WHEREAS: According to the United States Constitution, the entire Federal
Government is limited to only fifty-two powers and duties, and that the Ninth
Amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibits the Federal Government
from abusing those rights of the American people which have not been enumerated in
the Constitution or the Bill of Rights; and
WHEREAS: Former Governor of North Carolina (1795-1798) Samuel Ashe, the person
for whom Ashe County was named, while serving on the North Carolina Superior Court
(1777-1795) participated in an historical and landmark decision which was the precedent
used by the United States Supreme Court for Marbury v Madison 5 U.S.137 (1809)
which stated that: The Constitution of these United States is the supreme law of the
land. Any law that is repugnant to the Constitution is NULL AND VOID OF LAW.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the North Carolina Republican Party
petitions North Carolina Legislators to restore state sovereignty by upholding their
oaths of office and to abide by the 9th and 10th Amendments to the United States
Constitution; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That our North Carolina Legislators seek only
Constitutional solutions to “Big Government” and a “Balanced Budget” by gradually
eliminating all Federal funding coming into our state and that the North Carolina State
Legislature end all programs that require Federal funding; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That North Carolina Republican Party affirms
that the Federal Government does NOT have the right to usurp the legislative processes
of the states, and it is the right of the states to choose not to enforce any federal act that
fails to conform to the constitutionally established limits on the authority of the Federal
Government by the use of fines and penalties, litigation, and intercession imposed on
any Federal intrusion which violates state sovereignty or jurisdiction; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the North Carolina Republican Party is
opposed to the deliberate erosion of our constitutional rights, granted to the individual
states and respectively to the people, by the Federal Government. We hereby claim
sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all
powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the United
States Constitution; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That We, the North Carolina Republican Party,
hereby exhort our duly elected North Carolina State Representatives and Senators to
embody the will of the North Carolina Republican Party as described in this resolution
by enacting legislation to restore the proper balance of state and federal powers, and
that this declaration serves as notice and demand to the Federal Government, as our
agent, to cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope
of its constitutionally delegated powers.
RESOLUTION 5
COMPENSATION OF OFFICERS OF THE
NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY
WHEREAS, the Central Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party is charged
by the North Carolina Republican Party Plan of Organization with the responsibility and
the authority to make decisions concerning the operations and policies of the North
Carolina Republican Party in the time periods between the meetings of the Party in
Convention; and
WHEREAS, members of the Republican Party are constantly solicited by the North
Carolina Republican Party and its officers for financial support of Party operations and
salaries; and
WHEREAS, members of the State Central Committee and others volunteer their time,
talent, and treasurer at their own expense; and
WHEREAS, those persons who contribute generously to the Party expect the Party and
its State Central Committee to practice good stewardship; and
WHEREAS, decisions have been made at the behest of some Party officers concerning
salaries and benefits paid to officers without the approval of the State Central
Committee and unbeknownst to members of the said State Central Committee;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Republican Party
proposes that any compensation paid to the Chairman and any other officer of the Party
for his or her service shall be limited to a salary and/or benefits negotiated and
approved by the North Carolina Republican Party State Central Committee. Sole
responsibility for negotiation and approval of said compensation shall rest with the
State Central Committee. In addition to said salary, the Chairman and any other officer
of the Party may receive standard reimbursement for travel, food, and accommodations
expenses which are necessary to carry out his or her official duties.
RESOLUTION 6
OPPOSITION TO FINANCIAL INCENTIVES AND CORPORATE WELFARE
AND SUPPORT FOR FURTHER REDUCTION OF TAXES AND
REGULATIONS
WHEREAS, it is contrary to the free-enterprise system to recruit or retain businesses
with targeted tax and other financial incentives when other businesses bear the full
burden of taxation; and
WHEREAS, higher tax rates on the many to provide preferential treatment for the few
is fundamentally unfair; and
WHEREAS, it is contrary to the free-enterprise system and Republican principles, to
take money in the form of taxes or fees from citizens and businesses, or create
mandates, in order to give money to certain businesses for the purpose of funding said
enterprises, or, to otherwise, give certain businesses a marketplace advantage; and
WHEREAS, corporate welfare arrangements cause market imbalances, resulting in
unintended consequences such as short-term government subsidy of products and
services, fewer choices, higher prices, lower quality, and business and project failure;
and
WHEREAS, Article V of the North Carolina Constitution prescribes a system of
uniform statewide taxation and explicitly prohibits jurisdictions other than the General
Assembly from making exceptions in classifying property for taxation or granting tax
relief; and
WHEREAS, the use of financial incentives is an intrusion of government in the
exercise of free enterprise, resulting in reduced freedom, efficiency, and innovation in
state commerce; and
WHEREAS, the governor and some legislators have advocated funding corporate
welfare arrangements through state appropriations—for example, the expansion of the
Job Development Investment Grant program (JDIG), a corporate welfare fund which
moves taxpayer money to select corporations meeting specific criteria; and new targeted
tax credits for investments redeveloping structures deemed historic; and
WHEREAS, the best way to promote economic growth is to reduce the overall tax
burden and unnecessary regulations for businesses and citizens in North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, buyers and sellers in a free marketplace, not government, make the best
decisions about creating and sustaining jobs and businesses; and
WHEREAS, the free market, rather than so-called “investment” by government, is the
best way to produce a strong and vibrant state economy; and
WHEREAS, Republican candidates are elected to office to reduce the scope and reach
of government, and this conservative mandate does not include financing certain
businesses with grants, loans, tax credits, or other means on the backs of other
businesses and individuals; and
WHEREAS, the North Carolina economy has greatly improved through commendable
Republican-led solutions to reduce the burden of taxation and regulation—not through
centralized control of the marketplace—and much more tax and regulation cutting
remains to be done;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, we, the North Carolina Republican Party, oppose
targeted financial incentives and corporate welfare; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, we, the North Carolina Republican Party, call upon the
Governor, General Assembly, and local governments to cease developing and/or
maintaining all forms of targeted financial incentives and corporate welfare, and,
instead, work to build a stronger North Carolina economy by further reducing the heavy
burden of taxes and regulations on all businesses and individuals.
RESOLUTION 7
FOR THE PRIVATIZATION OF LIQUOR SALES
WHEREAS, the North Carolina Republican Party supports the growth and intrinsic
merit of private enterprise; and therefore cannot support policy that places the
government as the sole provider of a service or product that could otherwise be
provided by the private sector; and
WHEREAS, privatization of certain government services can result in a cost savings to
the taxpayer when the performance of selected services transfers from the public sector
to the private sector; and
WHEREAS, such transfers relieve pressure on tight state budgets; and
WHEREAS, divesting government of performing selected services does not necessarily
result in loss of state control over those services; and
WHEREAS, with privatization, vendors, not the taxpayers, would be responsible for the
over $500 million in overhead; and
WHEREAS, private vendors would pay income and sales tax, while creating jobs
further expanding the tax base; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina Liquor Tax proceeds should still be distributed to our
counties and cities, which are dependent on those funds to sustain their budgets and
hold down property tax increases; and
WHEREAS, studies have shown that the rate of consumption is not dependent
upon who sells the alcohol – the state or private licenses; and
WHEREAS, deregulation in West Virginia and Iowa resulted in less per-capita alcohol
consumption; and WHEREAS, state control of liquor sales enables public corruption
and is a remnant of the Prohibition Era.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the North Carolina Republican
Party works toward the privatization of liquor sales in North Carolina, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that We, as North Carolina Republicans, request to
allow private companies and businesses to purchase and sell alcohol in a free market,
providing the best choice and value for North Carolina citizens above the age of 21.
Resolution 8
Enhancing the Party’s Voice to its Elected Officials
WHEREAS, our elected Republican officials should be following the principles of the
Republican Party as set out in Republican platforms and resolutions of the state and
national Republican Party, and
WHEREAS, there seems to be less attention paid in recent years by elected officials to
party principles and
WHEREAS, an official body of the Republican Party which can point out key legislation
that either conforms or does not conform to official positions taken by the Republican
Party will help keep our elected officials in line with party policy and identify those
elected officials who frequently disregard official party positions,
Be it therefore, RESOLVED that the First District Republican Party calls for amendment
of the state Republican Plan of Organization to create a Republican Policy Committee,
composed of one member elected by each Congressional District Republican Executive
Committee and one member elected by the state Republican Central Committee, which
shall review state and federal legislation and take official positions on legislation that
either conforms to the official positions of the Republican Party as represented in state
or national platforms or resolutions, advise elected officials of those positions, and keep
a running tally of votes by FOP elected officials for or against those official GOP
positions.
Be it further resolved that these tallies be made available to GOP voters and show
percentages on which each Republican US Senator, US congressman, and state
legislator voted in accordance with the official Republican position on legislation.
RESOLUTION 9
SUPPORT OUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND
KEEP THEM INDEPENDENT
Whereas: Our local law enforcement is our last line of defense and are willing to put
their lives on the line to ‘protect and secure’ our local communities; and
Whereas: The United States is the only country to retain a local police system instead of
having a national system. No country can become a dictatorship as long as the
local citizens maintain direct responsibility and control of their local law
enforcement through their duly elected officials; and
Whereas: The US military would lack the ability to seize control of our country,
Federalization of all the law enforcement agencies would have the ability to seize
control of our citizens; and
Whereas: Federal control of local law enforcement would be used by progressive
politicians to hamper or restrict the work of local police, making their work more
difficult and risk legal action against local police thus making them ‘the criminal’;
therefore
Be it Resolved: The NCGOP State Convention supports our local law enforcement,
especially when they come under attack while performing their duties; and let it be
Further Resolved: That we fight to keep them independent and strongly oppose any
attempts to put our local law enforcement under any form of Federal control, or
merging with any Federal agencies, or any North Carolina State fusion centers,
and/or any militarization of police.
RESOLUTION 10
RENEWING AMERICA’S STAND WITH
THE NATION OF ISRAEL
WHEREAS, the nation of Israel was founded on May 14, 1948, as a democratic state
holding regular free elections for its public offices; and
WHEREAS, the Israeli people as a whole prosper under its current form of
government while many of its neighbors live under substandard conditions lacking basic
human services due to oppressive activities led by their governments; and
WHEREAS, on a daily basis Israel faces threats and acts of aggression from
neighboring countries intending to harm its people and its properties; and
WHEREAS, Israel has been and is one of America’s greatest global allies; and
WHEREAS, it is now time for America to renew its support of the nation Israel and its
right to defend its borders and its people against all acts of aggression from enemies
both foreign and domestic.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the North Carolina Republican Party
proclaims in agreement herein that America renews its stand with the nation of Israel by
supporting its right to defend its borders and its people against all acts of aggression
from enemies both foreign and domestic.
Resolution 11
Rejecting Medicaid Expansion in North Carolina
Whereas, North Carolina already has a serious shortage of physicians who accept
Medicaid patients, and Medicaid expansion would further exacerbate the
overcrowding and understaffing in medical services, resulting in fewer services at
greater cost; and
Whereas, The federal government only covers the cost of new enrollees for the first
three years, after which North Carolina would have to pay an increasing
percentage of the additional costs; and
Whereas, The federal government does not, and will never, pay North Carolina’s
additional administrative costs, and conservative estimates are that these
additional costs would be $3 billion over the next ten years; and
Whereas, Medicaid costs for North Carolina have increased by 42% in the past ten
years, and North Carolina is already in debt for Medicaid services and cannot
afford the additional administrative burden nor the extra medical expenses
incurred by an expansion of the Medicaid program; and
Whereas, The Department of Health and Human Services has not demonstrated the
most basic ability to manage the current patient load already enrolled in the
MEDICAID system which has impacted the ability of providers to deliver care to
their patients: and
Whereas, It is foreseen that the Medicaid system will be overwhelmed by the addition
of ICD-10 as evidenced by the multiple documented and continuing problems
with NC FAST and NC TRACKS: and
Whereas, Several recent studies published in major medical journals have shown that
patients on Medicaid have no better (and sometimes worse) medical outcomes
than patients who are uninsured; therefore
Be It Resolved: That the North Carolina Republican Party strongly opposes any
Medicaid expansion for the State of North Carolina; and let it be
Further Resolved: That we shall diligently support Governor McCrory and our
elected representatives in their continued rejection of any Medicaid expansion.