John Richard Bell, IV, (born May 18, 1979) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he has represented the 10th district (including Wayne, Greene, and Johnston counties) in the North Carolina House of Representatives since 2013.Representative John R. Bell, IV (REP), North Carolina General Assembly.
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. Bell graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2001.Profiles: John Bell, University of North Carolina, Wilmington (July 18, 2018).
Career In 2016, Bell was a business development employee for North Carolina Community Federal Credit Union in Goldsboro, North Carolina.Patrick Gannon, NC House Republicans select new majority leader, News & Observer (August 30, 2016). He later joined Sentinel Risk Advisors as a client executive.
In January 2016, Bell endorsed Senator Marco Rubio in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries.Colin Campbell, More NC legislators back Marco Rubio, News & Observer (January 8, 2016).
Bell was elected by the state House Republican Caucus to the position of state House majority whip in 2014Lynn Bonner, Tim Moore is state House Republican nominee for speaker, News & Observer (November 23, 2014). and to the position of majority leader in 2016. Bell was also chairman of the House Regulatory Reform Committee and the House Select Committee on Wildlife Resources.
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.Jay Price, An Effort To Restrict Eastern N.C Wind Farms Appears Dead In the Legislature, WUNC (August 2, 2019). Bell sponsored legislation in 2013 to increase wind-energy regulation 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.Lynn Bonner, Wind power ban dropped from wind power legislation, News & Observer (June 26, 2019).
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, while Republicans oppose it.David Ranii & Lynn Bonner, Gov. Roy Cooper wants to expand Medicaid; Republicans vow to fight, News & Observer (January 5, 2017).
Bell introduced legislation in 2019 to allow the sale of beer and wine at North Carolina public universities during athletic games.Lauren Horsch, Let NC's public universities sell beer and wine at games, state lawmakers say, Charlotte Observer (March 15, 2019). 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.Kate Murphy, NC State fans buy beer in the stadium to cool down at football season opener, Charlotte Observer (August 31, 2019).
Electoral history
2024
2022
2020
2018
2016
2014
2012
Committee assignments
2025–2026 session Appropriations Select Committee on Helene Recovery (Chair) Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
2023–2024 session Agriculture Alcoholic Beverage Control Energy and Public Utilities Finance Health Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Disaster Recovery and Homeland Security
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