The 2013 NC GOP platform under Article 2 [The Economy] section 8 reads, “We oppose any plans for, or legislation in favor of, High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes”. This statement was added to the platform from the floor of the convention on Saturday June 8. The following day at the Executive Meeting a resolution was being debated to further oppose High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes. Speaker of the NC House Thom Tillis chose to speak to oppose this resolution.

Tillis said in part, “But the net effect of this resolution to send a message to the Governor that you want to kill one of his three major initiatives that have come out this year. It’s not like he’s going to put HOT lanes all over the place. We’ve got a resol, we’ve already passed a bill that will not allow tolls to be put on existing roads. In other words the lanes that are already there that have already been paid for by taxpayer dollars and gas taxes cannot be tolled. It’s against the law. I also supported that bill I believe it’s House Bill 267. They cannot be tolled.

This is about trying to find a way to collect revenue that we don’t have. That the house and the Senate cut the gas tax. You wanted it cut, we cut it. The effect of that is hundreds of millions of dollars over time that we’ve got to make up somehow. As we move forward, as the state grows, as we add another million people over the next ten years, we’ve got to find a way to have infrastructure that allows businesses and industry and everybody else to grow. Without that this state will not grow. Moot only. (11:09)The HOT lanes, the proposal in the Governor’s budget is to consider corridors where they believe the economics are right to enter into private public partnerships to build roads. ”

Note that Tillis endorsed HOT lanes as a private public partnership – this is crony capitalism and a facet of how Agenda 21 is being implemented.

Thom Tillis should have been censured by the NC GOP for openly being in violation of the party platform. Instead he became the Republican candidate for the US Senate.

Tillis supported HOT lanes by revealing that Gov. Pat McCrory is also in favor of them. Pat McCrory should also be censured by the NC GOP for openly violating the party platform.