Senate Bill 13 passed the House– now it moves to the Governor’s desk, and Perdue has threatened to veto it. For more details on SB 13 – see this article, and to get the facts on the bill, see here.
Regarding her view on the bill, Perdue said:
“If you’re going to cut jobs money, what you are doing is cutting jobs for the people of North Carolina,” Perdue said. “I think that’s inexcusable.”
Perdue said she was not consulted in advance and would not have agreed to it.
“I would have said no,” Perdue said. “And I’m saying no now.”
A lot of the discussion in the House chamber surrounded Golden LEAF, and the impression was given that Golden LEAF is a major player in economic incentives and “job creation.” A quick look at their website shows 9 different funding categories, and only one – labeled “economic catalyst” – appears directly related to economic development and job creation.
According to their 2009 Annual Report (the latest one available), Golden LEAF awarded 111 grants in 2009, totalling $35 million. But according to search results on their website, only 6 of those 111 grants fell into the economic catalyst category, totalling $1.17 million. In other words, 97% of the funds Golden LEAF disbursed in 2009 went to categories other than economic development.
I wouldn’t say that’s exactly an indispensable source of “jobs money,” without which the state’s job market will implode.
[…] SB 13 passes the House; the ball is now in the governor’s court. […]