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Dale Folwell

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Dale Folwell
28th Treasurer of North Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2017
GovernorRoy Cooper
Preceded byJanet Cowell
Speaker pro tempore of the North Carolina House of Representatives
In office
January 1, 2011 – January 1, 2013
LeaderThom Tillis
Preceded byWilliam Wainwright
Succeeded byPaul Stam
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 74th district
In office
January 1, 2005 – January 1, 2013
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byDebra Conrad
Personal details
Born (1958-12-17) December 17, 1958 (age 65)
Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of North Carolina, Greensboro (BS, MS)

Dale Robbins Folwell (born December 17, 1958)[1] is an American politician who has been the North Carolina State Treasurer since 2017. A Republican from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Folwell spent four terms in North Carolina House of Representatives, including a term as speaker pro tempore from 2011 to 2013.[2] He was head of the state's Division of Employment Security in the administration of Governor Pat McCrory from 2013 to 2015. He was elected State Treasurer in the 2016 election, taking office on January 1, 2017. Folwell was reelected to a second term in 2020, defeating Democratic challenger Ronnie Chatterji.[3]

Education and career before politics

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Folwell graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1984[4] with a Bachelor of Science in accounting.[5] He worked as an accountant.[4] He also received a master's degree in accounting from UNC Greensboro.[5][6] He is a certified public accountant,[7][5] and also worked as a gas station attendant, custodian, trash collector, and as an investment advisor for Deutsche Bank.[5]

Political career

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School board

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Folwell was a member of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education from 1993 to 2000.[6]

State House

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In 2004 Folwell was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives receiving 62.9% of votes.[8] He took office in 2005[5] and ultimately served four terms.[9] From 2007-2008, Folwell was Joint Republican Caucus Leader.[10] He was elected speaker pro tempore for the 2011-2012 session,[7] working with House Speaker Thom Tillis.[9]

Folwell gained a reputation for social conservatism,[5] and in the state House was a vocal proponent of the legislation that in 2012 placed Amendment 1, a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions, on the state ballot.[5][9][11][12]

During his time in the state House, Folwell was the sponsor of 29 bills that became law.[5] Most were uncontroversial; in 2012, Folwell said that 20 of the bills that he sponsored passed with 4,098 "yes" votes to 175 "no" votes.[9] Among the Folwell-sponsored legislation that became law was an update to state organ donation law.[5] Folwell also sponsored a bill that fundamentally altered the state's worker's compensation laws.[9][13] The legislation, favored by business groups,[9] was a bipartisan effort that involved a cap on some benefits and an extension on others.[13] Folwell framed the legislation as a necessary reform that controlled costs and fraud; critics "said the reform potentially allows insurance companies to force injured workers into very low-paying occupations without giving fair consideration to pre-injury earnings."[13]

Folwell supported redistricting reform legislation in 2011.[14] In June 2011, Folwell initially voted in favor of controversial legislation (House Bill 810) to allow short-term consumer loans with high effective annual interest rates (up to 50%); two weeks later, Folwell asked that the official record to be modified to reflect that he voted "no," explaining that he changed his mind upon further consideration.[15] Also in 2011, Folwell backed a Republican budget plan that would cut $400 million from Governor Perdue's budget proposal for K-12 education (which already recommended a $350 million cut), dismantle a significant portion of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, raise certain fees (on driver education courses, GED courts, and ferry tolls), and discontinue the extra penny on state sales tax.[16]

A 2010 ranking of the non-partisan North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research ranked Folwell 38th in effectiveness in the House, down from 32nd the prior session.[17] He was highly rated by the business advocacy group North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation[18] and the right-wing group Civitas Action, which rated him the most conservative member of the House.[19][20]

Unsuccessful campaigns for state treasurer and lieutenant governor

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Further information: 2012 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election

In 2008, Folwell sought the Republican nomination for state treasurer, but dropped out of the race (the nomination was ultimately run by Bill Daughtridge, who lost to Janet Cowell).[7]

In December 2011, Folwell announced that he would not seek election to a fifth term in the North Carolina state House.[7] Instead, he ran for the 2012 Republican nomination for lieutenant governor against Dan Forest and Tony Gurley.[9] Folwell was defeated in the May 2012 Republican primary.

North Carolina Assistant Secretary of Commerce

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In March 2013, Secretary of Commerce Sharon Decker named Folwell to the post of Assistant Secretary of Employment Security at the North Carolina Department of Commerce; in that role, Folwell oversaw the department's Division of Employment Security.[21][22] Folwell gained a reputation as reformer, although some of his actions were controversial.[5] Over a 30-month period under Folwell, the North Carolina unemployment insurance system repaid a debt of $2.5 billion owed to the federal government, but did so by imposing an surcharge on employers and restricting unemployment benefits (by lowering both the amount of weekly payments and the number of weeks for which job-seekers were eligible to collect benefits).[5] These changes made North Carolina one of the U.S. states with the lowest unemployment benefits, and were opposed by the state AFL-CIO.[5] In 2014, under Folwell, the department also adopted a policy of requiring recipients of unemployment insurance benefits to attend a mandatory interview.[23] In November 2015, Folwell resigned, publicly considering a run for state treasurer.[22]

State Treasurer

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In December 2015, Folwell announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for North Carolina State Treasurer in the 2016 election.[24] In the November 2016 election, Folwell faced Democratic nominee Dan Blue III, a consultant, lawyer, investment banker, and son of Dan Blue Jr.[25] Folwell won, receiving 52.7% of the vote to Blue's 47.3%.[26] Folwell took office on January 1, 2017.[27] He became the first Republican to hold the office since David A. Jenkins served during the Reconstruction era from 1868 to 1876.[28]

As state treasurer, Folwell promoted a controversial "Clear Pricing Plan" contract initiative, attempting to move State Health Plan participants to a pricing model that would tie all payments to Medicare, rather than negotiating reimbursement rate with health care providers.[29][30] The plan would save money for the plan, but would also cause providers to be reimbursed for their services at lower, but still profitable, rates.[29] The North Carolina Healthcare Association opposed the plan, while the State Employees Association of North Carolina supported it.[30] Folwell ultimately lost a battle with the state legislature over his proposal.[31]

Folwell ended State Health Plan coverage for gender dysphoria treatment for transgender and non-binary state employees. Folwell framed the move as a cost-cutting measure; the move was criticized by the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality NC, which called it discriminatory.[32]

In mid-March 2020, Folwell (along with the other Republicans on the Council of State) opposed Governor Roy Cooper's closure of bars, and restriction of restaurants to take-out and delivery only, which Cooper had ordered to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during the COVID-19 pandemic in North Carolina.[33][34] In March 2020, Folwell was hospitalized for five days after suffering from COVID-19.[35] In April 2020, Folwell asked Cooper to modify his stay-at-home executive order to allow the Charlotte Motor Speedway to host a NASCAR race, the Coca-Cola 600, without an audience of fans.[36]

Folwell successfully sought reelection in 2020. He had no opponent in the Republican primary election,[29] and defeated Aaron Chatterji, a professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and Sanford School of Public Policy and former Obama administration official, in the November election by a 52.6% to 47.4% margin.[37]

Under Folwell's leadership, the state's treasury issued hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt to senior citizens who were overpaid retirement benefits by the state and were previously informed their pay was correct. In response, he stated "That’s a great point, but the dates that you mentioned are called 'pre-Dale' because I wasn’t the treasurer then."[38]

Personal life

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In May 1999, Folwell's 7-year-old son Dalton died after being hit by a car as he tried to board a school bus. Following the accident, he and his wife allowed their son to be an organ donor.[39] Since then, Folwell has been an advocate for organ donation, and in 2012 completed a motorcycle ride of all 48 contiguous United States for the cause.[40]

References

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  1. ^ Who's who in Finance and Industry. 1991. ISBN 9780837903279.
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns - NC State House 074 Race - Nov 02, 2010".
  3. ^ "North Carolina's State Treasurer Dale Folwell talks about priorities for a second term".
  4. ^ a b Josh Bergeron, Folwell hopes to conserve states finances as NC treasurer, Salisbury Port (January 25, 2016).
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Dan Boylan (October 18, 2016). "Trash collector, mechanic, CPA, lawmaker — now he wants to run NC's $90 billion pension fund". Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Dale Folwell, NC House District 74 candidate". yesweekly.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d David N. Bass (December 8, 2011). "N.C. House Speaker Pro Tem Won't Seek Another Term in 2012". Carolina Journal.
  8. ^ "2004 General Election Results" (PDF). North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Rob Christensen, Republican hopefuls angle for lieutenant governor, News & Observer (January 17, 2012).
  10. ^ "September 10, 2008 Letter from Republican leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly to Minerals Management Service" (PDF). September 10, 2008.
  11. ^ Dale Folwell (September 9, 2011). "Let Public Decide Marriage Law". Greensboro News & Record. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  12. ^ Wesley Young (September 9, 2011). "Same-sex Marriage Debate Highlights Folwell Town Hall Meeting". Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012.
  13. ^ a b c Richard Craver, Employers break workers' comp rules, Winston-Salem Journal (May 20, 2012).
  14. ^ John Hinton, Coalition to honor legislators who backed redistricting reform, Winston-Salem Journal (March 5, 2012).
  15. ^ Folwell switches stance on loans, Winston-Salem Journal (June 30, 2011).
  16. ^ Travis Fain, GOP budget plan would cut millions from education, raise fees, end penny of sales tax, Winston-Salem Journal (May 1, 2011).
  17. ^ "Effective legislators". Winston-Salem Journal. April 7, 2010. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  18. ^ "North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation 2011 General Assembly Business Ratings". Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  19. ^ "Civitas Action 2009". Archived from the original on October 27, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  20. ^ "Civitas Action 2011". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  21. ^ Matthew Burns, Former lawmaker to head Employment Security, WRAL (March 13, 2013).
  22. ^ a b Colin Campbell. Dale Folwell resigns employment security role, mulls run for treasurer, News & Observer (November 24, 2015).
  23. ^ "NC unemployment benefits will require interview" (Press release). North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Employment Security. March 10, 2014.
  24. ^ Republican Dale Folwell to run for state treasurer, News & Observer (December 1, 2015).
  25. ^ Andrew Barksdale, Meet Dan Blue III, the Democratic candidate for N.C. state treasurer, Fay Observer (May 17, 2016).
  26. ^ 11/08/2016 Official General Election Results - Statewide: Council of State, North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  27. ^ Jon Jimison, Dale Folwell sworn in as NC's treasurer minutes into 2017, Winston-Salem Journal (January 1, 2017).
  28. ^ MacMillan, Mike (July 1, 2022). "State Treasurer Dale Folwell relishes the chance to stir it up". Business North Carolina. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  29. ^ a b c Richard Craver, Race for N.C. treasurer pits seasoned incumbent against political newcomer, Winston-Salem Journal (March 5, 2020).
  30. ^ a b Jason Debruyn, 'Game of Chicken' Puts State Employees Health Care At Risk, WUNC (June 28, 2019).
  31. ^ Jeff Tiberii, He Lost A Battle On Healthcare. But The State Treasurer Is Still At War With Lawmakers Over Reform, WUNC (October 30, 2019).
  32. ^ Rebecca Martinez, NC Health Plan Excludes Comprehensive Care For Transgender State Employees, WUNC (October 22, 2018).
  33. ^ A.P. Dillon, Emails put Cooper's restaurant and bar order back in the spotlight, North State Journal (June 2, 2020).
  34. ^ Nick Ochsner, Emails show Republican majority on Council of State objected to Governor's order closing restaurants, WBTV (June 1, 2020).
  35. ^ Andrew Barnett, N.C. Treasurer Dale Folwell released from hospital more than a week after testing positive for coronavirus, WBTV (March 25, 2020).
  36. ^ Langston Wertz Jr., Two high-ranking NC politicians urge Gov. Cooper to allow Charlotte to host NASCAR race, News & Observer (April 20, 2020).
  37. ^ "Folwell wins reelection | Politics | journalnow.com".
  38. ^ WRAL (May 22, 2023). "Raleigh man's retirement dreams vanish when state's miscalculation leads to $241,000 debt". WRAL.com. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  39. ^ "Story suggests that we really may be leaving race behind". Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  40. ^ "NC Rep. Folwell completes 48-state motorcycle ride for charity". WIS. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Steve Royal
 Republican nominee for North Carolina State Treasurer
2016, 2020 		Succeeded by
Brad Briner
North Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 74th district
2005–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Speaker pro tempore of the North Carolina House of Representatives
2011–2013 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Treasurer of North Carolina
2017–present 		Incumbent
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