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The INDY has previously reported that state Representative Jimmy

Dixon—

—is the chief sponsor of a controversial hog-farm-protection

bill that

. And if you’ve been following this story, you know

twenty-six active lawsuits filed against Murphy-Brown LLC, the hog division

of China-owned Smithfield Foods.

But of the sixty-four people who voted in favor of the measure Thursday (the vast majority of whom are Republican), Dixon is far from the only person who has been a beneficiary of Big Pork’s generosity.

Bill cosponsors John Bell and David Lewis have also received money tied to people who would be helped out should HB 467 become law. Bell, the House majority leader, has received $5,000 from the N.C. Pork Council, $1,000 from Smithfield Foods, $5,000 from Dixon, and $1,850 from people with ties to Goldsboro Milling, the tenth-largest hog producer in the nation. And Lewis got $15,500 from the Pork Council, $4,750 from Murphy-Brown stakeholders, $9,500 from Prestage Farms, and $7,000 from Smithfield.

Here are the cumulative Big Pork contributions for every Republican who voted yes:

• John Bell (R-Craven, Greene, Lenoir, Wayne)—$12,850

• Justin Burr (R- Montgomery, Stanly)—$1,000

• Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin, Wayne)—$115,000

• Josh Dobson (R-Avery, McDowell, Mitchell)—$750

• Nelson Dollar (R-Wake)—$5,050

• John Fraley (R-Iredell)—$500

• Kyle Hall (R-Rockingham, Stokes)—$500

• Jon Hardister (R-Guilford)—$500

• D. Craig Horn (R-Union)—$500

• Julia Howard (R-Davie, Forsyth)—$7,150

• Patricia Hurley (R-Randolph)—$1,250

• Francis Iler Jr. (R-Brunswick—$13,750

• Linda Johnson (R-Cabarrus)—$3,500

• Jonathan Jordan (R-Ashe, Watauga)—$4,500

• Donny Lambeth (Forsyth)—$500

• David Lewis (R-Harnett)—$36,500

• Susan Martin (R-Pitt, Wilson)—$1,000

• Pat McElraft (R-Carteret, Jones)—$1,500

• Allen Ray McNeil (R-Moore, Randolph)—$500

• Tim Moore (R-Cleveland)—$44,650

• Larry Pittman (R-Cabarrus)—$500

• Michele Presnell (R-Haywood, Madison, Yancey)—$2,500

• Dennis Patrick Riddell (R-Alamance)—$500

• Jason Saine (R-Lincoln)—$2,000

• Mitchell Setzer (R-Catawba)—$600

Steinburg (R-Camden, Chowan, Curritck, Pasquotank, Perquimas, Tyrrell)—$4,250

• Bob

• Sarah Stevens (R-Surry, Wilkes)—$750

• Larry Craig Strickland (R-Johnston)—$750

• John David Szoka (R-Cumberland)—$10,000

• John Torbett (R- Gaston)—$250

• Rena Turner (R-Iredell)—$1,000

• Donna White (R-Johnston)—$500

• Walter Lee Zachary Jr (R-Alexander, Wilkes, Yadkin)—$500

In total, Big Pork has contributed more than $272,000 to the campaigns of those who voted Thursday to protect the industry. The Pork Council, which donated at least $500 to each of these people, doesn’t think the bill is such a big deal.



things could get interesting. Why? Because

the governor has

received $21,500 from Smithfield stakeholders, too.