Latest news with #PhilRubin
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC Republicans unveil sweeping elections bill. Could it ‘purge' nonpartisan staff?
North Carolina House Republicans unveiled a broad elections bill that could convert about a third of the State Board of Elections' nonpartisan civil service staff into political appointees, alongside a host of other changes to ballot counting, voter ID and more. Lawmakers released the amended bill, House Bill 958, late Wednesday night and pushed it through a 30-minute committee hearing without public comment on Thursday morning over the objections of Democrats, who said it would lead to a 'purge' of the agency. Rep. Phil Rubin, a Wake County Democrat, said the bill would exempt the agency from 'the rule that you have to hire the best person for the job and that you can't hire and fire based on politics — and I cannot think of an agency where that is more important than the Board of Elections.' The bill is unlikely to get a full vote anytime soon as the legislature plans for an extended summer recess. But it could emerge as a key piece of legislation — and source of debate — once lawmakers return. It comes just a month after Republicans gained a majority on the State Board of Elections and ousted longtime Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell, replacing her with a lawyer who has worked for the state's top Republican lawmakers. If the bill passes, the new director, Sam Hayes, would gain the ability to make 25 positions within the agency exempt from the State Human Resources Act — allowing him to hire and fire them at will. Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Hayes rejected the idea that the bill would lead to a purge, saying instead that it would ensure he 'can put people in these positions that align with my vision for the agency — that is not a partisan vision. 'There are a number of things I've laid out that I would think that anybody, Democrat, Republican or independent or third party could could get on board with,' he said. '... Watch what we do here before you pre-judge it. I have not made any drastic changes and what I'm looking to do is to make elections more efficient, more secure and most importantly, follow the law.' In addition to the staffing changes, the bill also makes a wide variety of amendments to existing election law. Many of these provisions got limited debate time due to the short committee meeting, prompting Democrats to unsuccessfully seek to delay a vote. HB 958 softens some ballot counting deadlines passed last year in Senate Bill 382, a controversial power shift bill passed in the final days of the lame duck legislature's veto-proof Republican supermajority. The bill would give counties more time to count absentee and provisional ballots — though still significantly less than they had before SB 382. Thursday's bill would also ban ranked choice voting statewide, a practice that has never been widely implemented in North Carolina but was recently in the news following the New York City mayoral election and the apparent primary win of Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. HB 958 would also clarify state law to say that a voter's ballot cannot be counted if they die between the time their ballot was cast and 6:30 a.m. on Election Day. This matter drew controversy in the November election after Wake and Rowan counties counted some votes from people who died before Election Day. Another provision in the bill would ban state and county election board members from making partisan political statements — a policy largely already in place. However, Democrats took issue with another portion of this section that appears to prohibit elections officials from encouraging voters to turn out for elections — even in a nonpartisan way. 'We don't want to encourage turnout for a particular candidate, but just at large, I think that we would like for our county and elections administrators to promote voting,' Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Guilford County Democrat, said. Rep. Hugh Blackwell, a Burke County Republican and the committee's chair, said the section was intentional but that changes may come in future versions of the bill. 'The idea is that we want the state board to focus on the conduct of the election and that the responsibility for turnout is better handled by other folks,' he said. 'We were trying to draw a line and we may not have gotten it just at the sweet spot.' The bill also addressed an issue brought about during Jefferson Griffin's unsuccessful six-month legal battle to overturn his loss in the 2024 state Supreme Court election. It would clarify that military and overseas voters are required to provide photo ID to vote. These voters were previously exempted from the requirement, prompting Griffin to challenge thousands of these ballots from voters in Democratic-leaning counties. Thursday is the last day of legislative action before lawmakers leave for a summer recess following the failure of House and Senate Republicans to agree on a comprehensive state budget.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill allowing anyone 18 or older to conceal carry passes NC House, headed to governor
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Despite two Republican lawmakers siding with Democrats in opposition, a bill allowing people as young as 18 to carry a gun without a permit in the state, is headed to the Governor's office. Republican sponsors of the bill say it only enshrines the right to carry a weapon to law-abiding citizens. Rep. Jay Adams (R-Catawba) said in defense of the bill, ' States have done this…we're close to 50% of the country…this is really not going to affect criminal behavior…this is going to benefit law abiding citizens.' Democrats opposed the bill, saying it'll only lead to more gun violence and put guns into the hands of teenagers who aren't old enough to understand the true dangers of guns. 'Studies have shown that permit-less concealed carry increases violence and death,' Rep. Phil Rubin (D-Wake) said. The final vote came after a second reading in which 54 voted in favor and 48 voted against. The bill now heads to Gov. Josh Stein's desk, where he can sign it into law or veto the bill. If Stein vetoes SB50, House Republicans would need every single Republican and one Democrat to vote to override that veto. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rep. Phil Rubin on the NC House budget and efforts that would politicize the NC Board of Elections
State Rep. Phil Rubin (Screengrab) Each year, the most important piece of legislation approved by the North Carolina General Assembly is the state budget bill – a massive document running to hundreds of pages that details billions of dollars in appropriations and scores of substantive law changes. It's the kind of legislation that ought to feature days – if not weeks – of discussion and debate. Unfortunately, that's not how things have worked on Jones Street in recent years. Indeed, when members of various House Appropriations subcommittees voted on the budget the week before Memorial Day, they had only seen the 400-plus page document for the first time an hour or so before. Despite this daunting situation, some members did their best to speed-read the budget and craft amendments on the fly and one lawmaker who proved most adept at this task was one of the House's newest members – Wake County state Rep. Phil Rubin. And soon after the House finished with the budget, Newsline's Rob Schofield caught up with Rubin for a special extended conversation to learn more. In Part One of the conversation with Wake County State Rep. Phil Rubin, we discussed the state budget bill approved by the North Carolina House right before Memorial Day – including both the rushed process employed by GOP leaders and the fact that many Democratic members ended up supporting the bill because they saw it as a big improvement over the version passed earlier in the spring by the state Senate. In Part Two, we dug deeper into some of the details of the budget proposal, including provisions that would politicize the state Board of Elections, as well as how the state plans to continue rebuilding parts of western North Carolina ravaged by Hurricane Helene, the big and worrisome new burdens that Congress and the Trump administration are soon likely impose on state government, and a pair of bills that could transform North Carolina government for the better – if only legislative leaders would allow them to be considered. Click here to listen to the full interview with Rep. Phil Rubin.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hideout mayor resigns after 7 years in office, applications open to the public
HIDEOUT, Utah (ABC4) — The search for an interim mayor is underway after the Hideout mayor announced his early resignation this week. Hideout Mayor Phil Rubin released a statement saying he is resigning as of April 14 due to health issues. The announcement was publicly shared in a press release on Wednesday, April 16, with a request that anyone interested in serving as mayor submit their name by May 8. Rubin served as the town's mayor for seven years with him first being elected in 2017 and again in 2021. In his resignation statement, he said he wishes the town 'continued success' and appreciates 'all the wonderful progress made by staff and elected officials while I was Mayor.' More than 320k Utahns sign referendum to appeal labor union bill, double the required amount To apply for the position of mayor, candidates must submit their names to Alicia Fairbourne, town recorder, by email. In order to qualify, candidates must have lived in Hideout for the past year and will need to complete a conflict of interest and financial disclosure form. As applications roll in, Town Council Member Chris Baier will step in as Mayor Pro Tempore. The town council will then interview each candidate in a public meeting on May 12 at 6 p.m. The chosen interim mayor will serve until the end of the year. The next mayor will be elected in the November 2025 general election and will begin their four-year term in 2026. Anyone wanting to run for office will need to declare their candidacy in the Hideout Town Hall in early June. 'Town officials expressed their gratitude to Mayor Rubin for his contributions to the long-term success of Hideout and wished him improved health as he enters the next chapter of his life,' a press release read. Hideout is a newer town founded in 2008 and located in the Wasatch Mountains near Jordanelle Reservoir. The town reports more than 800 residents while other data companies estimate the population to be between 1,100 and 1,700. White House invites Rachel Morin's mother to press briefing to share daughter's story Spotify 'much better now' after problems reported with app, website One dead in multi-boat crash during Major League Fishing tournament in Alabama Hideout mayor resigns after 7 years in office, applications open to the public Fed chair sounds alarm about tariffs Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
