Farm bill sponsor denies claims bill would benefit him personally

ON THE WRAL WEATHER APP.

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GOVERNOR ROY COOPER SIGNED THE

FARM BILL TODAY OVER THE

OBJECTIONS OF THIS STATE FIRE

MARSHAL ASSOCIATION.

>> THE GROUP HAD ASKED HIM TO

VETO IT, SAYING IT MAKES

FIREFIGHTERS AND THE PUBLIC

LESS SAFE.

>> ACCUSING THE BILL SPONSOR

OF SELF-DEALING WRAL'S CAPITOL

BUREAU CHIEF LAURA LESLIE IS

HERE NOW TO EXPLAIN LAURA.

DEBRA, IT'S NOT EVERY DAY THAT

ADVOCACY GROUP OPENLY ACCUSE IS

A POWERFUL STATE LAWMAKER OF

WRITING A BILL TO BENEFIT

THEMSELVES. BUT THAT IS EXACTLY

WHAT HAPPENED HERE IN A LETTER

TO GOVERNOR COOPER, THE STATE

GROUP OF LOCAL FIRE. MARSHALS

ACCUSED SENATOR BRENT JACKSON

OF CHANGING THE LAW TO GET

AROUND ZONING.

THE NEW LAW ALLOWS STORAGE

BUILDINGS NOT LOCATED ON FARM

PROPERTY TO STILL BE CLASSIFIED

AS FARM BUILDINGS AS LONG AS

ARE MAINLY USED TO STORE FARM

COMMODITIES OR SUPPLIES

>> FARM BUILDINGS ARE NOT

SUBJECT TO FIRE INSPECTIONS

PUTS FIREFIGHTERS AND THE

PUBLIC SAFETY AT RISK. ADAM

CLOTTING OR LIZA STATE FIRE

MARSHALS ASSOCIATION. HE SAYS

THE LAW COULD ALLOW HAZARDOUS

MATERIALS TO BE STORED IN

WAREHOUSES IN URBAN AREAS LIKE

THE WEAVER, FERTILIZER PLANT

THAT BURNED FOR 4 DAYS IN

WINSTON SALEM THIS YEAR.

THE GROUP ASKED GOVERNOR ROY

COOPER TO VETO IT. THEY SAY

SENATOR BRENT JACKSON, THE

SPONSOR, WROTE THE BILL BECAUSE

HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH A

FIRE INSPECTOR AT HIS OFF-SITE

WAREHOUSE.

>> CLONINGER SAID HE TOLD

JACKSON HE COULD SOLVE THE

PROBLEM BY GETTING THE

BUILDING. REZONED.

>> JANET JACKSON HAVE YOU EVER

HAD ANYTHING PERSONALLY?

WE'VE GOT AND MOST

HE SAID, WELL, IT TAKES A LOT

OF TIME AND A LOT OF MONEY.

AND THIS FUTURE THAT OBVIOUSLY

I WAS BECAUSE THE LATTER HAS

NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS

LEGISLATION. SENATOR BRENT

JACKSON DOESN'T DENY HE'S

TRYING TO GET HIS WAREHOUSE IN

QUESTION. RECLASSIFIED AS A

FARM BUILDING.

>> BUT HE SAYS OTHER FARMERS

ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THIS,

TOO.

>> THIS IS I FOUND OUT IT MAY

ISSUE THAT'S BEING INTERPRETED.

ALL OF DIFFERENT WAYS ACROSS

OUR STATE FARM OFF. SO THE

BOTTOM LINE, THE WALLS, YES,

LEGISLATION WILL ACTUALLY PLAY

OR IF I WAS ALLOWED TO

MAURITIUS.

>> JACKSON SAID THE FIRE

MARSHALS ASKED HIM TO MAKE

CHANGES TO HIS BILL, BUT HE

FELT THEY WERE TOO STRICT.

THAT SHOWS ME A SYRAH GRAPES.

THEY TRIED TO GET THEIR

POLICIES IN THAT.

>> AND THEY'VE PLAYED SO NOW

THEY DON'T TO ATTACK IN MAY

1ST.

>> CLIMBING OR DIDN'T BACK

DOWN.

>> SO WE TOLD WAS ALL

ACCURATELY DEPICTED THERE'S

NO UNTRUTHS IN THAT LETTER.

YOU KNOW, OUR PRIMARY GOAL IS

THAT THEY FEEL ARE FIREFIGHTERS

AND SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC.

>> A LEGISLATIVE ETHICS RULE

SAY IT IS OK FOR A LAWMAKER

TO SPONSOR OR VOTE FOR A BILL

THAT BENEFITS A CLASSROOM GROUP

THAT THEY BELONG TO. LIKE.

FARMERS SAY OR TEACHERS OR

ATTORNEYS. THEY JUST CAN'T

SUPPORT BILLS THAT WOULD

BENEFIT ONLY THEMSELVES OF THE

FAMILIES. IRONICALLY CENTER

JACKSON LOST HIS WHITE HOUSE

ON HIS FARM TO A FIRE IN 2019