Apodaca, T rep

<p>---</p><h1 class="title" itemprop="name" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px 0px 10px; border: 0px; font-size: 22px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1; letter-spacing: -0.05em; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Student protests spare North Carolina HBCUs from tuition hit</h1><div id="node-13225" class="node node-type-article node-promoted clearfix" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); line-height: 19.5px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><article class="article-content"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">"If you can't give away $70 million, then I'm not going to try to."</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">So said North Carolina state Sen. Tom Apodaca, a Republican who chairs the powerful Rules Committee, after recently deciding to remove three historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that were originally included in his proposed Access to Affordable College Education Act, Senate Bill 873, which aimed to lower tuition at five public schools to $500 a semester for in-state students and $2,500 a semester for out-of-state students.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">The five schools initially included in the bill were Western Carolina, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Fayetteville State, Winston-Salem State, and Elizabeth City State. The latter three are HBCUs and all but Western Carolina — Apodaca's alma mater — are classified as schools that disproportionately serve minority populations.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Alumni and students, particularly from the HBCUs, immediately rallied in opposition to the bill, citing concerns about funding. While the bill proposed adding $70 million to the state budget to cover the funding lost by the decreased tuition, there was no guarantee future legislatures would continue to cover the cost. There were also concerns that the reduced tuition might lower the value of an education at these institutions.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">"Although we know it not to be true, the reduction of tuition could create a perception that the quality of education by FSU is inferior to that of other institutions," Chancellor James Anderson of Fayetteville State University said in a statement.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Moreover, one of the original provisions of the bill, which was later removed, would have called for the "evaluation of University names on enrollment, academic strength, and diversity." This was seen as a direct attempt to detach HBCUs from their historic legacies and make them more attractive to white students.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Though many of the proponents of the bill, including Black legislators such as Gladys Robinson, a Guilford County Democrat, referred to the bill as "well intentioned," HBCU students across the state were not buying it. After they held mass demonstrations at the legislature, all the HBCUs were dropped from the bill.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Of the negative reactions to the bill, Apodaca said, "I've never tried to help people in my life and been treated so poorly."</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">But HBCU students' skepticism of Apodaca's claims that he just wanted to help by expanding access to education stems in no small part from an action he took back in 2013 to limit their access to another critical place — the voting booth.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">In the wake of the Supreme Court's <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Shelby County v. Holder</em> decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, Apodaca stated, "Now we can go on with the full bill, now that the headache is out the way."</p></article></div></div><p>==

mostly health care $</p>

<p>

<a href="http://votesmart.org/candidate/campaign-finance/41167/thomas-apodaca">http://votesmart.org/candidate/campaign-finance/41167/thomas-apodaca</a>

 </p>

<h4>Top Industries</h4>

<table><tbody><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Health Professionals</td><td class="span-4 currency">$78,700.00</td></tr><tr><td class="span-5"><span style=" color: #ED1C24;">Uncoded</span></td><td class="span-4 currency">$62,305.00</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Insurance</td><td class="span-4 currency">$35,100.00</td></tr><tr><td class="span-5">Commercial Banks</td><td class="span-4 currency">$22,700.00</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Hospitals & Nursing Homes</td><td class="span-4 currency">$20,500.00</td></tr><tr><td class="span-5">Telecom Services & Equipment</td><td class="span-4 currency">$19,750.00</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Pharmaceuticals & Health Products</td><td class="span-4 currency">$19,500.00</td></tr><tr><td class="span-5">Lawyers & Lobbyists</td><td class="span-4 currency">$17,400.00</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Electric Utilities</td><td class="span-4 currency">$16,000.00</td></tr><tr><td class="span-5">Automotive</td><td class="span-4 currency">$13,500.00</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Retail Sales</td><td class="span-4 currency">$11,550.00</td></tr><tr><td class="span-5">Miscellaneous Finance, Insurance & Real Estate</td><td class="span-4 currency">$11,200.00</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Tobacco companies & tobacco product sales</td><td class="span-4 currency">$11,000.00</td></tr><tr><td class="span-5">Real Estate</td><td class="span-4 currency">$9,950.00</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Miscellaneous Energy</td><td class="span-4 currency">$8,750.00</td></tr></tbody></table>

<p> 

 </p>

<h4>Top Sectors</h4>

<table><tbody><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Health</td><td class="span-4 currency">$124,700.00</td></tr><tr><td class="span-5">Finance, Insurance & Real Estate</td><td class="span-4 currency">$89,900.00</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Uncoded</td><td class="span-4 currency">$63,005.00</td></tr><tr><td class="span-5">General Business</td><td class="span-4 currency">$44,900.00</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Energy & Natural Resources</td><td class="span-4 currency">$38,400.00</td></tr><tr><td class="span-5">Communications & Electronics</td><td class="span-4 currency">$21,750.00</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td class="span-5">Agriculture</td><td class="span-4 currency">$21,350.00</td></tr><tr><td class="span-5">Government Agencies/Education/Other</td><td class="span-4 currency">$19,250.00</td></tr></tbody></table>

</div>

<p> 

===</p>

<p>

<a href="http://www.democracy-nc.org/reports/researchreports/2007/utility2.pdf">http://www.democracy-nc.org/reports/researchreports/2007/utility2.pdf</a></p>

<p>

Sen. Tom Apodaca (NC R-48), ALEC <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Education_Task_Force" title="Education Task Force">Education Task Force</a> Member</p>

<p>

...The bill was sponsored by North Carolina Republican state Sen. Tom Apodaca and shepherded through the legislature by North Carolina Speaker of the House Thom Tillis. As reported by Truthout, in 2011, <a target="_blank" href="http://truth-out.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=6756:how-north-carolinas-shock-doctrine-artists-are-resegregating-higher-education">Apodaca was a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) education task force, and Tillis was ALEC's 2011 Legislator of the Year</a>....</p>

<p>

<b>Tom Apodaca</b> is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Republican_Party" title="United States Republican Party" class="mw-redirect">Republican</a> member of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_General_Assembly" title="North Carolina General Assembly">North Carolina General Assembly</a> representing the state's forty-eighth Senate district, including constituents in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buncombe_County,North_Carolina" title="Buncombe County, North Carolina">Buncombe</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henderson_County,North_Carolina" title="Henderson County, North Carolina">Henderson</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polk_County,_North_Carolina" title="Polk County, North Carolina">Polk</a> counties.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Apodaca#cite_note-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> He was reelected in 2010.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Apodaca#cite_note-1"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a></sup></p>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2>

<li id="cite_note-0"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Apodaca#cite_ref-0">^{</a></b></span}> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.senatorapodaca.com/HTML/biography.html">"Biography"</a>. Tom Apodaca<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 14 December 2010</span>.</span></span></li>

<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Apodaca#cite_ref-1">^{</a></b></span}> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NC/22580/41061/en/summary.html#">"Election results"</a>. clarity elections.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 14 December 2010</span>.</span></span></li>

</ol>

</div>

<p>

<a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/05/13/north_carolina_tesla_ban_bill_would_prevent_unfair_competition_with_car.html">http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/05/13/north_carolina_tesla_ban_bill_would_prevent_unfair_competition_with_car.html</a>

 </p>

<div class="text parbase section">From the state that brought you <a target="_blank" href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/north-carolina-bans-latest-science-rising-sea-level/story?id=16913782">the nation’s first ban on climate science</a> comes another legislative gem: a bill that would prohibit automakers from selling their cars in the state.</div>

<p>The proposal, which the Raleigh <em>News & Observer</em> reports was <a target="_blank" href="http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/05/09/2883125/law-would-stop-tesla-electric.html">unanimously approved by the state’s Senate Commerce Committee</a> on Thursday, would apply to all car manufacturers, but the intended target is clear. It’s aimed at Tesla, the only U.S. automaker whose business model relies on selling cars directly to consumers, rather than through a network of third-party dealerships.</p>

</div>

<p>The bill is being pushed by the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncada.com/">North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association</a>, a trade group representing the state’s franchised dealerships. Its sponsor is state<b><span style=" color: #ED1C24;"> Sen. Tom Apodaca,</span></b> a Republican from Henderson, who has said the goal is to prevent unfair competition between manufacturers and dealers. What makes it “unfair competition” as opposed to plain-old “competition”—something Republicans are typically inclined to favor—is not entirely clear. After all, North Carolina doesn’t seem to have a problem with Apple selling its computers online or via its own Apple Stores.</p>

</div>

<p>Still, it’s easy to understand why some car dealers might feel a little threatened: <a target="_blank" href="http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/13/autos/tesla-sales-bmw-mercedes-audi/index.html">Tesla’s Model S outsold the Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 Series, and Audi A8 last quarter</a> without any help from them. If its business model were to catch on, consumers might find that they don’t need the middle-men as much as they thought.</p>

</div>

<p>Incidentally—not that he would be in any way swayed by this—I couldn’t help but notice that <a target="_blank" href="http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/contributor_details.phtml?c=141428&d=1539504216">Apodaca received $8,000 in campaign contributions from the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association last year</a>, the maximum amount allowed by state law. I’ve reached out to the senator for further comment and will update this post if he replies.</p>

</div>

<p>Tesla’s vice president of corporate and business development, Diarmuid O'Connell, told me he’s hopeful that the state legislature will amend the bill so that it doesn’t prohibit Tesla from doing business there. He said the company has already sold 80 cars in North Carolina, mostly through the Web, and has about 60 more orders in the works. It also has plans to build its first showroom in the state next year. The Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle in particular appears to be a hotbed of Tesla interest, O'Connell said, which makes sense given its similarities to Silicon Valley.</p>

</div>

<p>In its current form, North Carolina’s bill would be the harshest of a handful of anti-Tesla regulations around the country. In Texas, the company is fighting a law under which the employees of its “showroom” in Austin are <a target="_blank" href="http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/04/24/tesla-has-eyes-for-texas-but-will-the-state-make-oblige/">not allowed to sell any vehicles, offer test drives, or even tell customers how much the car costs</a>. But at least Texas still lets people buy the car online, which North Carolina’s law would prohibit.</p>

</div>

<p>Tesla’s O’Connell rejects the idea that laws prohibiting automakers from selling their cars are designed to protect consumers, as trade groups like the North Carolina dealers’ association claim. He says the franchise-dealer model might work fine for giant automakers, but not for a startup like Tesla—especially since Tesla’s products represent a challenge to the traditional auto industry on which dealerships rely. “How do you sell the future if your business depends on the present?” he asked.</p>

</div>

<table><tbody><tr class="odd"><td>April 3, 2013</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/16598/43860/41167/repeals-the-racial-justice-act">SB 306</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/16598/43860/41167/repeals-the-racial-justice-act">Repeals the Racial Justice Act</a></td><td>Bill Passed - Senate

(33 - 14)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr><td>March 13, 2013</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/16368/43194/41167/establishes-the-charlotte-regional-airport-authority">SB 81</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/16368/43194/41167/establishes-the-charlotte-regional-airport-authority">Establishes the Charlotte Regional Airport Authority</a></td><td>Bill Passed - Senate

(32 - 18)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>Feb. 27, 2013</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/16263/42864/41167/authorizes-the-issuance-of-fracking-permits">SB 76</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/16263/42864/41167/authorizes-the-issuance-of-fracking-permits">Authorizes the Issuance of Fracking Permits</a></td><td>Bill Passed - Senate

(39 - 7)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr><td>Feb. 26, 2013</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/16254/42845/41167/prohibits-medicaid-eligibility-expansion">SB 4</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/16254/42845/41167/prohibits-medicaid-eligibility-expansion">Prohibits Medicaid Eligibility Expansion</a></td><td>Conference Report Adopted - Senate

(31 - 16)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>July 2, 2012</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15266/41058/41167/2012-2013-budget-amendments">HB 950</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15266/41058/41167/2012-2013-budget-amendments">2012-2013 Budget Amendments</a></td><td>Veto Override Passed - Senate

(31 - 10)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr><td>July 2, 2012</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15267/41014/41167/authorizes-hydraulic-fracturing">SB 820</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15267/41014/41167/authorizes-hydraulic-fracturing">Authorizes Hydraulic Fracturing</a></td><td>Veto Override Passed - Senate

(29 - 13)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>July 2, 2012</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15501/40903/41167/death-penalty-discrimination">SB 416</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15501/40903/41167/death-penalty-discrimination">Death Penalty Discrimination</a></td><td>Veto Override Passed - Senate

(31 - 11)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr><td>June 21, 2012</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15266/40832/41167/2012-2013-budget-amendments">HB 950</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15266/40832/41167/2012-2013-budget-amendments">2012-2013 Budget Amendments</a></td><td>Conference Report Adopted - Senate

(30 - 15)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>June 20, 2012</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15501/40681/41167/death-penalty-discrimination">SB 416</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15501/40681/41167/death-penalty-discrimination">Death Penalty Discrimination</a></td><td>Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate

(30 - 18)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr><td>June 18, 2012</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/13416/40651/41167/authorizes-community-colleges-to-opt-out-of-federal-loan-program">HB 7</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/13416/40651/41167/authorizes-community-colleges-to-opt-out-of-federal-loan-program">Authorizes Community Colleges to Opt Out of Federal Loan Program</a></td><td>Veto Override Passed - Senate

(31 - 16)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>June 12, 2012</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15389/40499/41167/requirements-for-calculating-sea-level-rise">HB 819</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15389/40499/41167/requirements-for-calculating-sea-level-rise">Requirements for Calculating Sea Level Rise</a></td><td>Bill Passed - Senate

(35 - 12)</td><td><b><span style=" color: #ED1C24;">Did Not Vote</span></b></td></tr><tr><td>June 6, 2012</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15267/40170/41167/authorizes-hydraulic-fracturing">SB 820</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15267/40170/41167/authorizes-hydraulic-fracturing">Authorizes Hydraulic Fracturing</a></td><td>Bill Passed - Senate

(29 - 19)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>June 4, 2012</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15268/40173/41167/amends-teacher-tenure-system">SB 795</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/15268/40173/41167/amends-teacher-tenure-system">Amends Teacher Tenure System</a></td><td>Bill Passed - Senate

(31 - 17)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr><td>Jan. 4, 2012</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14177/37701/41167/death-penalty-discrimination">SB 9</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14177/37701/41167/death-penalty-discrimination">Death Penalty Discrimination</a></td><td>Veto Override Passed - Senate

(31 - 19)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>Nov. 28, 2011</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14177/37396/41167/death-penalty-discrimination">SB 9</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14177/37396/41167/death-penalty-discrimination">Death Penalty Discrimination</a></td><td>Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate

(27 - 17)</td><td>Did Not Vote</td></tr><tr><td>Nov. 7, 2011</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14105/37254/41167/state-house-redistricting">HB 777</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14105/37254/41167/state-house-redistricting">State House Redistricting</a></td><td>Bill Passed - Senate

(24 - 10)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>Nov. 7, 2011</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14103/37246/41167/state-senate-redistricting">SB 283</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14103/37246/41167/state-senate-redistricting">State Senate Redistricting</a></td><td>Bill Passed - Senate

(25 - 12)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr><td>Nov. 7, 2011</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14104/37251/41167/congressional-redistricting">SB 689</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14104/37251/41167/congressional-redistricting">Congressional Redistricting</a></td><td>Bill Passed - Senate

(25 - 12)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>Sept. 13, 2011</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/13698/36526/41167/constitutional-amendment-to-define-marriage">SB 514</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/13698/36526/41167/constitutional-amendment-to-define-marriage">Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage</a></td><td>Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate

(30 - 16)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr><td>July 27, 2011</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/13638/36132/41167/state-house-redistricting">HB 937</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/13638/36132/41167/state-house-redistricting">State House Redistricting</a></td><td>Bill Passed - Senate

(28 - 19)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>July 27, 2011</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/13637/36133/41167/congressional-redistricting">SB 453</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/13637/36133/41167/congressional-redistricting">Congressional Redistricting</a></td><td>Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate

(28 - 17)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr><td>July 25, 2011</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/13639/36140/41167/state-senate-redistricting">SB 455</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/13639/36140/41167/state-senate-redistricting">State Senate Redistricting</a></td><td>Bill Passed - Senate

(27 - 18)</td><td>Yea</td></tr><tr class="odd"><td>July 13, 2011</td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14304/37784/41167/no-dues-checkoff-for-school-employees">SB 727</a></td><td><a href="http://votesmart.org/bill/14304/37784/41167/no-dues-checkoff-for-school-employees">No Dues Checkoff for School Employees</a></td><td>Veto Override Passed - Senate

(30 - 18)</td><td>Yea</td></tr></tbody></table>