After conferring with Rep. Joe Hackney, the House Minority Leader, Tillis informed the members that the only matters that will be taken up will be unrecorded votes to adopt the House Journal and adjournment. He noted that members who have no need to be in Raleigh should not feel obligated to attend this session, and if they do, they should defer compensation.

The full text of the email is below.

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Members,

Next week’s session on Thursday, February 16th will be a “Skeleton/ NO VOTE” session. I have conferred with Representative Hackney and have informed him that no matters will be taken up on the floor except for the unrecorded votes to adopt the Journal and to adjourn.

Unless you already have plans to travel to Raleigh for committee meetings or other legislative activities, there will be no need for you to attend the session. Those not attending are encouraged to defer session compensation for the 1-day session, which can be accomplished by contacting the Legislative Personnel Office.

Regards, Thom T

Representative Thom Tillis

Speaker of the House

North Carolina House of Representatives

“We are glad that today the court unanimously recognized that many of these claims were completely without merit. The court has indicated that we will now move on to the ‘evidence phase’ of the proceedings, where we are confident that the facts will demonstrate that the legislature’s maps clearly complied with the Voting Rights Act, the North Carolina Constitution, and the United States Constitution. These maps are fair and legal. And as the court said last time, we look forward to holding the 2012 elections under the maps the legislature lawfully enacted.”

“Governor Perdue has had a long and dedicated career in public service in North Carolina. All too often, the sacrifices of public officials go unnoted, so I acknowledge her hard work and her years of service to the state. Whether we agree with her politics or not, we all should respect her for her commitment to North Carolina over these many years.

Republicans in the General Assembly have disagreed deeply with the Governor over many issues, but I am hopeful we can find opportunities in her remaining time in office to work on legislative matters that will become a part of her legacy, and do so for the good of all North Carolinians. I wish Governor Perdue and her family the very best.”

“I would be more than happy to join Sen. Berger in a public debate with Governor Perdue over her proposal to raise the sales tax, which would take more than $800 million out of the pockets of North Carolinians.  Governor Perdue believes that government should demand that our citizens pay more for basic necessities instead of demanding more efficiency out of government.  Sen. Berger and I believe that there is room to improve the core functions of government without punishing every North Carolinian, and we passed a budget that reflected that belief.  The Governor has a very different vision of the role of government than do Sen. Berger and I, and the citizens of this state deserve an opportunity to clearly see the difference.  I look forward to the opportunity to put those differences on display.”

“Today’s decision means that North Carolina voters and candidates have certainty over the 2012 elections.  While litigation regarding redistricting will continue to be handled by the legal system, today’s decision ensures that no practical impact will be had upon the timing of candidate filing, primary elections, or the general election in November.  From the beginning of this process, we have endeavored to create maps that are fair and legal.  Today’s decision protects the certainty our citizens deserve to have in our electoral process.” – David Lewis

“Governor Perdue continues to show that she is out of touch with North Carolinians and lacks a basic understanding of our economy.  Her proposal, which would raise the state portion of the sales tax by an estimated 15%, would make it harder for working families to purchase prepared food, clothing, medical supplies and other basic necessities to support an extreme agenda for larger government.  That is completely unacceptable.  This regressive tax would make it more expensive for single moms to buy carryout food for their children, force seniors to pay more for medical supplies, and would negatively impact every level of society.  Now is not the time to raise taxes, especially in light of the fact that the General Assembly’s education budget was only 0.5% different than the Governor’s – and we did not raise taxes.”

“The positive results discussed in this resolution were made possible by focused lawmakers and responsible budgeting in the General Assembly,” said House Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg). “Despite a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, we were able to fully fund that state’s retirement system. And we did it without raising taxes.

The resolution states that the General Assembly budget fully funded the Annual Required Contribution for Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System, and the budget “helps ensure that North Carolina will continue to have a responsibly-funded retirement system for the 481,678 active employees and retirees.”

“I am proud of the accomplishments of the General Assembly concerning the retirement system,” Tillis said. “I appreciate the recognition given to us by Treasurer Cowell and the Board of Trustees. It is heartening to know that our efforts to protect the retirement security of our teachers and state employees have been noted. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure state government functions efficiently while still meeting the obligations to its employees.”

Click here to read the Resolution.

“It has been an honor to serve with Rep. David Guice. He has established a record as one of most productive and hardest-working members of the General Assembly. He is a man of integrity, and his leadership will be missed in the House. Given his expertise and his background, it is not surprising that he has been selected to perform these very important duties. I am confident he will continue to serve our state and our citizens as remarkably as he has in the past.

Tillis Statement on Governor’s Veto of Senate Bill 9

Raleigh – House Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg) released the following statement today concerning Governor Perdue’s veto of Senate Bill 9, titled “No Discriminatory Purpose in Death Penalty.”

“I am disappointed in yet another decision by Governor Perdue to put politics ahead of principle. By vetoing this bill, the Governor has turned her back on the families of victims across this state and a vast majority of prosecutors who need every available resource to crack down on violent criminals.”

“My thoughts and prayers are with Rep. Womble and his family following this tragic accident. I am closely monitoring the situation, and will continue to do so. I know I speak for the other members of the General Assembly in saying that we will support Rep. Womble and his family in any way possible.”