SAINE GAIN: THE STATE BUSINESS COMMUNITY'S FAVORITE LAWMAKER NETWORKS HIS WAY INTO INFLUENCE.

• Author: Saylor, Teri
• Position: NC TREND: Profile

Looking for employment during the recession after' working in home security, newspapers and trucking, Jason Saine thought chairing the Lincoln County Republican Party might open some career doors. "I had worked as a salesman for CPI Security in Charlotte, and whatever jobs I could get. I took the party chairmanship as much to network and try to find a job."

That job turned out to be at the state capital, where he was appointed in 2011 to fill the unexpired term of N.C. Rep. Johnathan Rhyne, who resigned his seat after moving out of the district.

Seven years later, Saine's political influence has soared. He is the 2018 chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Commission, an Arlington, Va.-based nonprofit that promotes limited government and free markets. ALEC shares state legislation that lawmakers customize and introduce. Saine joined the group after entering the legislature and became state chairman in 2013. While many Republican lawmakers remain active, the group has lost the backing of Google, IBM, Walmart and other large companies in recent years because of its conservative stances on gun control, environmental regulation and climate change.

The national post complements Saine's increased power in Raleigh, where he is senior chairman of the House Finance Committee and vice chair of the Appropriations Committee. He has helped pass income-tax cuts and regulatory changes that Republicans credit for cutting the state's unemployment rate in half since 2011. "Jason has a great grasp and knowledge of tax policy, economic development and information technology," N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore says.

Saine's work landed him atop the N.C. Free Enterprise Foundation's 2017 rankings of most business-friendly lawmakers, based on his voting record and a survey of 400 business and legislative insiders. Saine's own struggles with unemployment contribute to his zeal for economic development. "When my son was born, I was looking for work, and as you got away from the cities, the real downturn in the economy was felt," he says.

While Charlotte and...