Phil Berger is the Chairman of the RLCC, Senate President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina Senate, and the first Republican Senate leader in North Carolina in more than a century.He represents the state’s 26th Senate district, which includes Guilford and Rockingham counties.Senator Berger was first elected to the North Carolina Senate in 2000. He rose to Senate minority leader in 2004, and led the political operation that swept Republicans into the majority in 2010 for the first time since the 19th century. In his first legislative session, Senator Berger orchestrated passage of a budget that erased the largest deficit in state history – over the veto of a Democratic governor. His policies cut taxes for families and small businesses, and reformed North Carolina’s energy, medical malpractice, and regulatory laws. Senator Berger has been the catalyst for sweeping reforms to North Carolina’s public school system. His Excellent Public Schools Act, which became law in 2012, requires higher reading standards for elementary school students, helps ensure high-quality teachers in public classrooms, gives families...