North Carolina General Statutes 163-278.8C. Council of State affiliated party committees
(a) Members of the Council of State affiliated with the same political party may establish one separate Council of State affiliated party committee to support the election of candidates who would be eligible to be nominees of that political party for Council of State offices. No other Council of State affiliated party committees shall be authorized pursuant to this section. The Council of State affiliated party committee is deemed a political party for purposes of this Article.
(b) Each Council of State affiliated party committee shall:
(1) Adopt bylaws which shall be in compliance with the provisions of this Article. At a minimum, the bylaws shall include designation of a treasurer.
Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 163-278.8C
- affiliated party committee: means a General Assembly affiliated party committee as established by N. See North Carolina General Statutes 163-278.6
- election: means any general or special election, a first or second primary, a run-off election, or an election to fill a vacancy. See North Carolina General Statutes 163-278.6
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- individual: means a single individual or more than one individual. See North Carolina General Statutes 163-278.6
- political party: means any political party organized or operating in this State, whether or not that party is recognized under the provisions of N. See North Carolina General Statutes 163-278.6
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- treasurer: means an individual appointed by a candidate, political committee, or referendum committee as provided in N. See North Carolina General Statutes 163-278.6
(2) Conduct campaigns for candidates for Council of State who are members of the leader’s political party or manage daily operations of the Council of State affiliated party committee.
(3) Establish a bank account.
(4) Accept contributions and expend funds.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a Council of State affiliated party committee shall be entitled to use the name, abbreviation, and symbol of the political party of its leader.
(d) A previously established Council of State affiliated party committee may continue to be maintained in the event that no individual affiliated with that political party is elected to serve on the Council of State in the general election. The Council of State affiliated party committee shall be maintained by the most recently elected members of the Council of State from that political party. Notwithstanding the definition of “leader” in subsection (e) of this section, those members shall designate an individual from that group to serve as leader. When an individual or individuals affiliated with that political party is next elected to the Council of State, that individual or individuals shall assume control of the Council of State affiliated party committee for that political party.
(e) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) Leader. – The highest-ranking individual affiliated with the political party of the Council of State affiliated party committee. For the purposes of this subdivision, the highest-ranking office serving on the Council of State shall be in the following order: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the offices as set out in Article III, Section 7 of the North Carolina Constitution, as follows: Secretary of State, State Auditor, State Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Attorney General, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Labor, and Commissioner of Insurance.
(2) Political party. – As defined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-96 (2015-258, s. 3(a1); 2015-264, s. 81(b); 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).)