Governor Pat McCrory wants to create a new agency to help grow North Carolina’s economy. The proposal includes a plan to privatize part of the Commerce Department.
McCrory wants a new outlet to handle job recruitment, efforts to boost exports and promote tourism. Those duties would replace some of the functions the Commerce Department currently handles. Secretary of Commerce Sharon Decker says the goal is a public-private partnership.
"The state has a role in creating incentives, in making this a competitive place economically," she says.
"Tax reform is a big piece of that picture for us, so it’s a partnership between state and local officials."
Decker did not detail how a new agency would be structured or if any state employees would lose their jobs. McCrory is working with a group of lawmakers to push his idea forward. A bill with more specifics is expected to be introduced at the General Assembly this week.