Tim Moore (North Carolina politician)

Tim Moore
Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office January 14, 2015
Preceded by	Thom Tillis
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 111th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 29, 2003
Preceded by	Andy Dedmon
Personal details
Born	(1970-10-02) October 2, 1970 Kings Mountain, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Campbell University University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Oklahoma City University
Religion	Baptist

Timothy Keith Moore (born October 2, 1970, Kings Mountain, NC)^[1] is an American attorney and politician, representing the 111th State House District in the North Carolina General Assembly. He was elected as Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2015, the youngest person to achieve this position.^[2] The Republican member represents constituents including residents of Cleveland County. Tim Moore was first elected to the 111th District in 2002, starting his service in 2003; in 2015 he was in his seventh term.

Early life, education, marriage and career

Tim Moore was born in 1970 near Kings Mountain, North Carolina in the western part of the state. His father had Rick’s Ole Country Store, where as a boy Tim worked and listened to people talk about politics. His interest took him to the state General Assembly as a teenage page and later he interned for a state senator.^[2]

Moore attended public schools. He started higher education at Campbell College, where he joined the College Republicans. After two years he transferred to University of North Carolina, where he completed a B.A. in 1992. He was active in the student government at both colleges. At UNC he opposed funding for a gay and lesbian student association, arguing its members lived a practice against state law (since declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court).^[2] He took a fight to the UNC student supreme court in an effort to add more members to the Student Congress.^[2] Moore studied law at the Oklahoma City University School of Law, graduating in 1995.^[2]

He married Juli and they settled in western North Carolina in Kings Mountain, where they have raised their two sons. This former textile mill town is near Moore's birthplace, and his family has lived in the area for generations. They have a commitment to local politics: his father is a member of the Kings Mountain City Council, and a cousin chairs the Cleveland County commission.^[2]

For more than a decade after law school, including after his election to the state House, Moore worked in a law practice in Shelby the county seat of Cleveland County. In 2009 he opened his own practice in general law in the city of Kings Mountain. His clients in western North Carolina have included the Catawba Indian tribe, which proposed opening a casino on their reservation.^[2]

Political career

At the age of 26, Moore became chair of the Cleveland County Republican Party in 1997. That year he also ran for and was chosen by the Republican-dominated state house for the UNC Board of Governors; he was the youngest person to be appointed to that position.^[2]

Western North Carolina had a tradition of Republican representatives among white yeomen farmers in the late 19th century, and African Americans made up many members of the party in areas where they were more numerous. The state later was dominated by the Democratic Party, which used paramilitary groups and other intimidation to suppress the Republican vote. The statewide disenfranchisement of African Americans at the turn of the century, as was imposed in all southern states by white-dominated state legislatures, resulted in considerable weakening of the Republican Party in the state. By 1904 an estimated 75,000 black men had been dropped from voter rolls across the state.^[3][4] Since the late 20th century, the Republican Party has been rebuilt in this region and across the state, attracting primarily white conservatives.

First elected in 2002 from the 111th District, when he narrowly defeated incumbent and House Majority Whip Andy Dedmon,^[1] Moore has been re-elected to seven consecutive terms. Moore has held powerful chairmanships and vice-chairmanships during his tenure in the state legislature, including of the Rules Committee. He built relationships on both sides of the aisle in that position, and has advanced in power since the Republicans took control of both houses of the state legislature in 2011, for the first time in 140 years.^[1][2]

In 2014 Moore was one of the State House chamber’s "biggest campaign fundraisers. Political action committees, many that will have business before the legislature, gave him nearly $300,000, two-thirds of the money he raised. He gave GOP colleagues more than $250,000."^[2] His highly effective fundraising for the Republican Party is considered the reason he was elected as Speaker of the North Carolina House in 2015, the youngest person in that position.^[2]

Committees

In his first term, Moore served as Co-Chair of the Child Abuse and Neglect, Foster Care, and Adoption Committee, and as Vice-Chair of Judiciary II. In his second term, Moore continued as Vice-Chair of Judiciary II, a powerful role where he has been able to control debate in the House. He also served as the Co-Chair of the Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform Committee.

Moore is serving as Vice-Chair of the University Board of Governors’ Nominating Committee. Representative Moore presently serves on the following House committees: Appropriations, Appropriations Subcommittee on Justice and Public Safety, Judiciary II, Public Utilities, and Transportation.

Child safety legislation

House Bill 97: Terminate Parent Rights/Murder of a Parent

During the 2005 long session of the General Assembly, Moore introduced House Bill 97, Terminate Parent Rights/Murder of a Parent, which passed into law and was signed by the Governor. This law gives the courts the ability to terminate the parental rights of parents who intentionally take the life of the other parent, to protect children from potentially dangerous guardians.

Jessica Lunsford Act

Moore gained passage of the Jessica Lunsford Act, House Bill 933. Moore worked on the legislation for three years; it provides that the sentences for certain criminal offenses of rape or sexual offense committed against a child are either life imprisonment without parole or a mandatory active sentence of twenty-five years and lifetime satellite-based monitoring. The law increases the penalties for sexual exploitation of a minor and makes the registration requirements for sexual offenders more stringent.

Fiscal positions

Moore has fought for the passage of the North Carolina Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which would provide tax reductions for some residents. He has advocated for the Small Business Tax Exemption, which would allow small businesses to deduct an additional portion of their business income.

In terms of the 2015 state budget, House Speaker Moore was one of the top two lawmakers to gain substantial earmarked funding for his district. He and State Senator Harry Brown, who also worked on the state budget, gained projects for their districts totaling $19 million.^[5][6]

This state budget was based on reduced income taxes, but made "repair, maintenance and installation work on cars and other personal property ... subject to sales taxes starting March 1."^[7] This effectively is a regressive tax on the poor and those with lower income. As Democrat Kelly Alexander of Charlotte said, “We are moving along the pathway of dramatically changing how we raise revenue in this state. What we are doing is moving down a path in which the poorest citizens of our state will end up paying sales tax on just about every purchase they make.”^[7]

Conflict between the Republican-dominated state House and Senate resulted in costly delays in approving the 2015 budget. Due to the Republican impasse, the state was without a budget for the longest period in any year since 2002.^[6]

Transportation

Moore has emphasized that his state’s infrastructure is among the most important aspects of economic development. The state legislature has reduced funding for road improvements and construction in recent years to balance the state budget. Moore has consistently opposed transfers of funds away from transportation, while advocating for new infrastructure projects, such as building the Shelby Bypass and other earmark projects in his home district. "Moore issued a news release after the budget passed – sent only to news outlets in his district – touting the local funding under the headline “Budget Invests In Cleveland County.”^[5]

Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act

Moore was a sponsor in 2016^[8] and has been a vocal supporter of the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, or House Bill 2. This controversial House Bill 2 restricts transgender individuals from using gender-segregated public facilities, other than those identified for use by their biological sex as defined on their birth certificates. Following the US Department of Justice's demand on May 4, 2016 that the act be repealed,^[9] Moore was quoted as saying, "The deadline will come and go. We will take no action."^[10]

Licensing

Moore is admitted to practice before all state courts of North Carolina, U.S. District Courts seated in North Carolina, the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and the District of Columbia.

References

External links

• North Carolina General Assembly
• Cleveland County Republican Party