John Torbett Explained

John Torbett
State House:	North Carolina
District:	108th
Term Start:	January 1, 2011
Predecessor:	Wil Neumann
Party:	Republican
Birth Name:	John Alan Torbett
Birth Date:	21 May 1956
Birth Place:	Chattanooga, Tennessee
Children:	1
Residence:	Stanley, North Carolina

John Alan Torbett (born May 21, 1956) is a Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives.^[1] He has represented the 108th district (including constituents in Gaston County) since 2011.^[2]

Political career

Torbett served on the Gaston County Board of Commissioners from 2002 to 2010. He was first elected to the NC House in 2010. He has been re-elected to the seat which covers northeastern Gaston County a total of 5 times, most recently in 2020. On March 3, 2017, Torbett filed a bill H249 entitled Economic Terrorism which would make the civil protest method of Boycott a felony and entitle the target to recover $50,000 or triple damages, whichever is greater.^[3]

Ethics complaint in 2020

In October 2020, Representative Torbett was the target of an ethics complaint and was accused^[4] of embezzling money related to financial reimbursements. Representative Torbett was not found to have committed an ethics violation or broken any laws. Accusations centered on the financial implications for over $85,000 in housing and travel expenses that Torbett had submitted since 2017. The complaint involved funds from the state for housing and travel expenses and the rules for reimbursing expenses from campaign funds.

Electoral history

2010

Committee assignments

^[5]

2021-2022 session

• Appropriations (Vice Chair)
• Appropriations - Education (Chair)
• Education - K-12 (Chair)
• State Government (Chair)
• Redistricting (Vice Chair)
• Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (Vice Chair)
• UNC BOG Nominations

2019-2020 session

• Appropriations (Vice Chair)
• Appropriations - Transportation (Chair)
• Homelessness, Foster Care, and Dependency (Chair)
• Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee (Vice Chair)
• Transportation (Senior Chair)
• Redistricting (Vice Chair)
• Judiciary

2017-2018 session

• Appropriations (Vice Chair)
• Appropriations - Transportation (Chair)
• Appropriations - Information Technology
• Transportation (Chair)
• Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (Vice Chair)
• Judiciary IV
• Commerce and Job Development

2015-2016 session

• Appropriations (Vice Chair)
• Appropriations - Transportation (Chair)
• Appropriations - Information Technology
• Transportation (Chair)
• Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (Vice Chair)
• Judiciary IV
• Commerce and Job Development
• Elections

2013-2014 session

• Appropriations (Vice Chair)
• Commerce and Job Development (Vice Chair)
• Transportation
• Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
• Education
• Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs

2011-2012 session

• Appropriations
• Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs (Vice Chair)
• Commerce and Job Development
• Education
• Agriculture

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Voter's Self Defense System. Vote Smart. February 12, 2022.
2. Web site: Capwiz is Unavailable.
3. Web site: HOUSE BILL DRH10092-LH-6A - Economic Terrorism. https://web.archive.org/web/20201028121645/http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2017/Bills/House/PDF/H249v0.pdf . 2020-10-28.
4. Web site: Republican Candidate for Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson Accused of "Double Dipping" with State Funds in Ethics Complaint. 5 October 2020.
5. Web site: John Torbett. February 12, 2022.