Read the Latest from Our Council of State Republicans!

N.C. Council of State Republicans continue to work hard in Raleigh on our behalf. Here are some important updates from their offices in the month of June!

State Treasurer Brad Briner

State Treasurer Brad Briner’s effort to modernize and improve North Carolina’s investment strategy became law. The landmark reforms in the legislation, House Bill 506, will shift sole responsibility of the investment decisions of the state pension plan from the treasurer to a newly created, multi-member Investment Authority tasked with increasing investment returns. 

“North Carolinians deserve to know that their pension fund is working as hard for them as they worked for their state,” said Treasurer Briner. “The reforms signed into law today will put us on a path to maximizing returns and I am honored this was not only a top priority of mine – but that leaders on both sides of the aisle share our vision of strengthening the pension fund.” 
  
North Carolina was one of only three states with a sole fiduciary governance model, conferring decision-making authority onto the treasurer. Treasurer Briner made restructuring of the portfolio’s management a key priority for his administration, even though it scales back his power.  

The five-member Investment Authority Board of Directors, chaired by Treasurer Briner, will be comprised of financial professionals appointed by the treasurer, legislative leaders and the governor. The board will rebalance asset allocation and identify strategies to improve the performance and returns of the $127 billion pension plan, which has underperformed for years.   

State Auditor Dave Boliek

A new Special Report from the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor (OSA) found a Hurricane Helene relief station set up in Swannanoa, N.C. had an average daily cost of over $145,000.

The “Community Care Station” provided the public with showers, laundry, bathrooms, access to cell towers and WiFi, potable and non-potable water, and access to counseling services. The station was open from October 2024 through April 2025. OSA’s Rapid Response Division estimates the total cost of the station to be $27.4 million.

The average daily cost of the station – according to invoices from the vendor – was $145,217. Over the time it was open, the station provided a total of approximately 14,000 showers and 18,000 loads of laundry. The Rapid Response Division estimates the total cost of providing laundry services was $3.9 million, equal to roughly $220 per load of laundry.

“In the middle of a disaster, providing a warm shower, laundry facilities to wash clothes, and a place to rest is responsive to the public need. That said, the government must always be cognizant of costs and routinely assess if we are making the most out of tax dollars," said State Auditor Dave Boliek. "Billions of dollars are spent on disaster relief, and North Carolinians deserve to know where those dollars are going, how much contracts cost, and what the end result is. The State Auditor's Office will continue to evaluate dollars spent on hurricane relief. The more information we produce, the more can be learned about where improvements need be made in response to the next disaster.” 

Labor Commissioner Luke Farley

North Carolina Labor Commissioner Luke Farley announced an additional investment in the state’s frontline safety workforce: a 3% pay increase for all eligible Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) who have served the Department for three years or more.

The increase, effective June 1, 2025, will appear in this month’s payroll and applies to qualifying inspectors within the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division. CSHOs are the backbone of the state’s workplace safety efforts, conducting inspections, investigating complaints, and ensuring compliance with state and federal laws to protect workers across North Carolina.

“This raise is about recognizing the experienced professionals who have chosen to build their careers here at the Department of Labor,” said Commissioner Farley. “Retaining skilled inspectors means safer job sites, stronger communities, and a more prosperous North Carolina.”

Funding for the raise comes from a strategic reallocation of existing departmental resources, with no additional cost to taxpayers. 

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler

Davie County Enterprise Record

It’s all about family, faith and hard work. Tommy Dyson believes in all three. So does his daughter, Jessica Myers, and her husband and children, Craig, Allie and Bradley. Together, they have grown D&M Farms on Calahaln into one of the most respected farm enterprises in the state.

Last month, they hosted N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and soil and water conservation officials from across the state, to celebrate D&M as being the North Carolina Soil & Water Conservation Districts Farm Family of the Year. Troxler praised the family for teaching future generations of farmers, and for taking care of the land that has been in the family since the 1950s.

D&M has some 55,000 roosters and hens, producing hatchling eggs for Perdue. They also raise beef cows and pigs, and sell products from both. Children Allie and Bradley have their own “tallow” business, selling skin products. They also tend acres and acres of field crops.

Troxler cited numbers that North Carolina is losing farm land faster than every state beside Texas. His office is doing what it can to help slow that trend, he said.

“Farming now is about the future. We’re trying to keep farms in North Carolina in production.”

He farmed in Guilford, and since retiring, has seen Greensboro’s growth take over some of the soil he used to tend. “I operated 12 farms and put soil and water practices on all of them,” he said. “It just made sense. It made them more productive and sustainable for the future.”

Despite the negative, Troxler sees good things for North Carolina farmers. “We have a bright future … as long as people eat,” he said. “There’s always going to be a demand for our products. And it all starts with a farm and a family.” 

Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey is alerting North Carolinians to be on the lookout for a new phone scam making the rounds across the state, leading to several recent arrests.

A copycat version of the ‘Georgia Prison Scam’, the operation targets families of inmates, where an impersonator will call a family member of a fellow inmate and demand they pay a percentage of bond by a cell phone app, such as Chime, Apple Pay or Venmo in return for an earlier release from their sentence.

“We’ve seen several different variations of this scam where those in jail obtained a cell phone either through another person or by drone drop off,” said Commissioner Causey. “We are asking the public to be aware of this scam, and to never send money to a bail bondsman over the phone without checking with DOI first.”

Once the scammer receives the money, they do not bail out the inmate. Instead, they make off with the money and refuse to answer phone calls or texts from the family member.

Cases including variations of this scam have been reported in Wake, Alamance, Forsyth, Iredell, Lincoln, Gaston, Union, Mecklenburg, Cleveland, Buncombe, Johnston and Haywood counties.