John Bell
Majority Leader of the North Carolina House of Representatives
Assumed office
August 30, 2016
LeaderTim Moore
Preceded byMike Hager
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 10th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2013
Preceded byKaren Kozel
Personal details
Born
John Richard Bell IV

(1979-05-18) May 18, 1979
Mount Olive, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKelli
Children1
EducationUniversity of North Carolina, Wilmington (BA)

John Richard Bell IV (born May 18, 1979) is an American politician and Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He has represented the 10th district (including constituents in Wayne, Greene, and Johnston counties) since 2013.[1][2]

Early life and education

John Richard Bell, IV is the child of John R. "Ricky" Bell, III, and Cindy Ezzell Bell. He has one sister. His father was a highway maintenance engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation.[3] Bell graduated from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, in 2001.[4]

Career

In 2016, Bell was a business development employee for North Carolina Community Federal Credit Union in Goldsboro, North Carolina.[5] He later joined Sentinel Risk Advisors as a client executive.[4]

In January 2016, Bell endorsed Senator Marco Rubio in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries.[6]

Bell was elected by the state House Republican Caucus to the position of state House majority whip in 2014,[7] and to the position of majority leader in 2016.[5] Bell was also chairman of the House Regulatory Reform Committee and the House Select Committee on Wildlife Resources.[5]

In the state House, Bell has been a supporter of restricting wind energy development, taking the position that wind farms are a threat to military bases in North Carolina because they could obstruct low-level military training flights.[8] Bell sponsored legislation in 2013 to increase wind-energy regulation,[8] and in 2019 helped negotiate a bill to require the state to consult military commanders as part of the state permitting process for wind farms.[9]

Bell and other General Assembly Republicans have opposed Democratic Governor Roy Cooper on the issue of expanding Medicaid. Cooper and other Democrats support the expansion of Medicaid, and Republicans oppose it.[10]

Bell introduced legislation in 2019 to allow the sale of beer and wine at North Carolina public universities during athletic games.[11] The bill passed later that year, and seven University of North Carolina System institutions took advantage of the law by opting to allow alcohol sales on game days.[12]

Electoral history

2020

North Carolina House of Representatives 10th district general election, 2020[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Bell (incumbent) 27,802 69.77%
Democratic Carl Martin 12,047 30.23%
Total votes 39,849 100%
Republican hold

2018

North Carolina House of Representatives 10th district general election, 2018[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Bell (incumbent) 18,838 69.34%
Democratic Tracy Blackmon 8,329 30.66%
Total votes 27,167 100%
Republican hold

2016

North Carolina House of Representatives 10th district general election, 2016[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Bell (incumbent) 26,440 71.55%
Democratic Evelyn Paul 10,514 28.45%
Total votes 36,954 100%
Republican hold

2014

North Carolina House of Representatives 10th district general election, 2014[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Bell (incumbent) 19,577 100%
Total votes 19,577 100%
Republican hold

2012

North Carolina House of Representatives 10th district Republican primary election, 2012[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Bell 3,910 50.25%
Republican Stephen LaRoque (incumbent) 3,871 49.75%
Total votes 7,781 100%
North Carolina House of Representatives 10th district general election, 2012[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Bell 24,475 66.61%
Democratic Jim Babe Hardison 12,270 33.39%
Total votes 36,745 100%
Republican hold

Committee assignments

[19]

2021-2022 session

  • Agriculture
  • Alcoholic Beverage Control
  • Energy and Public Utilities
  • Finance
  • Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

2019-2020 session

  • Agriculture
  • Alcoholic Beverage Control
  • House Finance
  • Energy and Public Utilities

2017-2018 session

  • Appropriations
  • Agriculture
  • Regulatory Reform
  • Energy and Public Utilities
  • Finance
  • Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
  • Banking
  • Education - Universities
  • Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs

2015-2016 session

  • Agriculture
  • Regulatory Reform (chair)
  • Finance
  • Public Utilities
  • Banking
  • Commerce and Job Development
  • Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs
  • Judiciary III

2013-2014 session

  • Appropriations
  • Agriculture (Vice Chair)
  • Banking
  • Government
  • Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs
  • Judiciary

References

  1. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. Representative John R. Bell, IV (REP), North Carolina General Assembly.
  3. "John Richard "Ricky" Bell Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information". Tyndall Funeral Home. October 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 Profiles: John Bell, University of North Carolina, Wilmington (July 18, 2018).
  5. 1 2 3 Patrick Gannon, NC House Republicans select new majority leader, News & Observer (August 30, 2016).
  6. Colin Campbell, More NC legislators back Marco Rubio, News & Observer (January 8, 2016).
  7. Lynn Bonner, Tim Moore is state House Republican nominee for speaker, News & Observer (November 23, 2014).
  8. 1 2 Jay Price, An Effort To Restrict Eastern N.C Wind Farms Appears Dead In the Legislature, WUNC (August 2, 2019).
  9. Lynn Bonner, Wind power ban dropped from wind power legislation, News & Observer (June 26, 2019).
  10. David Ranii & Lynn Bonner, Gov. Roy Cooper wants to expand Medicaid; Republicans vow to fight, News & Observer (January 5, 2017).
  11. Lauren Horsch, Let NC's public universities sell beer and wine at games, state lawmakers say, Charlotte Observer (March 15, 2019).
  12. Kate Murphy, NC State fans buy beer in the stadium to cool down at football season opener, Charlotte Observer (August 31, 2019).
  13. North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  14. North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  15. North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  16. North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  17. North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  18. North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  19. "John Bell (North Carolina". Retrieved January 30, 2022.
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