RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina House narrowed the sample but approved a test of how much voters want to see the influence of money in local elections diluted by taxpayer subsidies.

The House voted 60-56 on Tuesday to let cities choose whether to use taxpayer money in some local elections. The cities would join Chapel Hill, which will allow public financing in local elections this year.

Changes adopted on Tuesday limited the experiment running through 2016 to cities larger than 50,000 residents. Cities must seek permission from the State Board of Elections to test using tax money for local candidates.

Statewide candidates for appellate judges and three other posts now get public funding.

The bill next moves to the Senate.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The state House is on the verge of deciding on legislation that could let cities and towns choose whether to use taxpayer money to fund some local elections.

The House tentatively approved the measure last week and has scheduled another vote on Thursday. If the bill passes, it moves on to the state Senate.

Supporters said using local taxpayer money for candidates would balance the power of big money in local campaigns and include people who can’t afford campaign costs.

Opponents said taxpayers could be forced to support candidates they might dislike.

Chapel Hill will allow public financing in local elections this year.

Statewide candidates for appellate judges and three other posts now get public funding.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The state House tenatively approved legislation that would allow cities and towns to decide whether local election campaigns should get taxpayer subsidies.

The House voted 60-52 to let local councils decide whether to adopt public financing rules like those to be used in Chapel Hill this year. Statewide candidates for appellate judges, auditor, insurance commissioner and schools superintendent also get public funding.

Supporters said using local taxpayer money for candidates that collect signatures and a few hundred dollars to show their backing would balance big money’s effects in local campaigns.

Opponents said public financing would force taxpayers to support candidates they might dislike.

A final House vote could come Thursday.

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina municipalities could help local candidates run for election with taxpayer money under a proposal working through the General Assembly.

A House legal affairs committee on Thursday approved the bill to allow more towns and cities to participate in a voluntary public financing program. Chapel Hill is now the only town authorized to have a program for taxpayer financing in local elections.

The measure still must be approved by the full House and Senate.

Democratic Rep. Earl Jones of Guilford County says the plan could help reduce the effect of big-money contributions in races to which few people donate or take notice.

Republican Rep. Tim Moore of Cleveland County says it’s a poor use of taxpayer money.

RALEIGH, N.C.  – North Carolina’s new state treasurer wants future elections to be free of suspicion that campaign donations bought big-money contracts to manage state pension funds.

Janet Cowell said Thursday she supports a bill in the General Assembly that would add her post to the statewide offices that could receive taxpayer campaign funds. Voluntary public financing already is available to candidates for appellate judge, insurance commissioner, schools superintendent and state auditor.

State offices such as treasurer and labor commissioner are out of the public eye at election time, but draw intense interest from businesses the state officials would regulate. Investment firms that manage the state’s public pension system were big contributors to the treasurer’s race.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – North Carolina’s biotechnology firms are pressing governor-elect Bev Perdue to commit perhaps millions of taxpayer dollars to help save cash-starved companies.

Perdue said Monday after a round-table discussion with industry executives that she wasn’t ready to commit even a penny to help, noting that a looming budget deficit already has her searching for areas to make cuts. But the Democrat did say she believed the sector was highly valuable for the future of the state’s economy.

The biotech officials said many of the smaller or mid-size companies were struggling to find financing and face the prospect of going under if they can’t find cash. Some proposed a public-private partnership that could invest in the firms and draw others to the state.