Adams: Caucus info coming in October
When the legislative session ended, there were still some questions lingering over the N.C. Legislative Black Caucus Foundation and its scholarships. The foundation and its fundraising got attention because it is closely linked the legislative black caucus, an influential group of legislators at the General Assembly.
The conundrum revolved around the fact that the foundation could raise money from sources that legislators themselves could not during the General Assembly session and in amounts that exceeded campaign fund raising limits. Those questions came up as the legislature began tighten its ethical bulwark in the wake of former House Speaker Jim Black getting rung up on ethics charges and eventually sent to the federal pokey.
I had a chance to speak to Rep. Alma Adams (mainly about (other things) today and she mentioned that the caucus and its foundation were still reviewing its books on several matters.
The Greensboro Democrat, and the caucus' chairwoman, said "sometime in October" she'd be ready to talk about the foundation and what its own audits found as well as advice it had gotten from various ethics boards and committees.
She called most of the feedback she had gotten so far "positive."
In the mean time, the group is scheduling its annual legislative and education weekend next June 27 and 28. Adams said they took this year off from doing the annual event to allow the various questions surrounding their fundraising to be answered.