A “crass abuse of power” in the N.C. Senate

The disgust with North Carolina Sen. Bob Rucho today is broad and bipartisan.

Yesterday in the Senate finance committee, which he chairs, Rucho not only limited debate on provisions of HB332 that would freeze the state’s highly successful Renewable Portfolio Standard, he broke Senate rules by refusing to allow an individual tally of votes and declared a failed bill passed.

Learn more about HB332 and tell your senator to oppose the REPS freeze in the bill.

As the News & Observer reports:

Senate finance chairman Sen. Bob Rucho pushed through a bill freezing renewable energy rates on Wednesday, cutting off discussion and refusing to allow a head count instead of a voice vote.

He declared the bill had passed, despite a louder and possibly more numerous chorus of “no” votes. The meeting ended with several senators, including at least two Republicans, openly complaining about the way Rucho had handled it.

“It wasn’t even close,” Sen. Jerry Tillman, a seven-term Republican from Archdale, told Rucho afterward.

Democratic Sen. Jeff Jackson of Charlotte tweeted: “Just watched a raw abuse of power in Finance committee. A bill got more Nays than Ayes but was deemed ‘passed’ and meeting adjourned.”

According to Charlotte Business Journal writer John Downey, even former Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers felt the need to call out legislators for attacking proven clean energy policies, saying “They are moving in the direction of the past.”

READ MORE: Do rules not apply to Bob Rucho?

Rules adopted by the Senate earlier this year require the presiding officer to hold a “division,” an individual tally rather than just by voice, if it is called for prior to the vote. In this case, the committee’s leading Democrat, Sen. Dan Blue of Raleigh, called for division. Rucho refused and moved forward with a voice vote.

The game in Raleigh is rigged. Since opponents of sound clean energy policies that promote job growth and create billions in local economic benefits can’t win playing by the rules, they break them–playing autocrat and abusing the power vested in them by North Carolinians. It seems the senator has more than earned his nickname, “Napoleon Rucho.”

If you’re still finding it hard to believe Sen. Rucho could treat the democratic process with such brazen disregard, well, here’s his most recent tweet from Jan. 2014.

Left wing extremists cry foul when they get back the same as they give out. Treat people with respect if that is what you expect in return.

— Bob Rucho (@SenatorBobRucho) January 9, 2014

Sen. Rucho, respectfully, treat people with respect if that is what you expect in return.

Learn more about HB332 and tell your senator to oppose the REPS freeze in the bill.

If HB332′s flawed passage is allowed to stand, the bill could be brought up on the Senate floor for a full vote. We hope the bipartisan outrage with the way the bill has been handled thus far, and the fact that it’s bad policy to begin with, remains.

Protecting the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountain Region