John Torbett


John Alan Torbett is a Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He has represented the 108th district since 2011.

Political career

Torbett served on the Gaston County Board of Commissioners from 2002 to 2010. He was first elected to the NC House in 2010. He has been re-elected to the seat which covers northeastern Gaston County a total of 5 times, most recently in 2020. On March 3, 2017, Torbett filed a bill H249 entitled Economic Terrorism which would make the civil protest method of boycott a felony and entitle the target to recover $50,000 or triple damages, whichever is greater.

Ethics complaint in 2020

In October 2020, Representative Torbett was the target of an ethics complaint and was accused of embezzling money related to financial reimbursements. Representative Torbett was not found to have committed an ethics violation or broken any laws. Accusations centered on the financial implications for over $85,000 in housing and travel expenses that Torbett had submitted since 2017. The complaint involved funds from the state for housing and travel expenses and the rules for reimbursing expenses from campaign funds.

Committee assignments

2021-2022 session

  • Appropriations
  • Appropriations - Education
  • Education - K-12
  • State Government
  • Redistricting
  • Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
  • UNC BOG Nominations

2019-2020 session

  • Appropriations
  • Appropriations - Transportation
  • Homelessness, Foster Care, and Dependency
  • Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee
  • Transportation
  • Redistricting
  • Judiciary

2017-2018 session

  • Appropriations
  • Appropriations - Transportation
  • Appropriations - Information Technology
  • Transportation
  • Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
  • Judiciary IV
  • Commerce and Job Development

2015-2016 session

  • Appropriations
  • Appropriations - Transportation
  • Appropriations - Information Technology
  • Transportation
  • Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
  • Judiciary IV
  • Commerce and Job Development
  • Elections

2013-2014 session

  • Appropriations
  • Commerce and Job Development
  • Transportation
  • Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
  • Education
  • Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs

2011-2012 session

  • Appropriations
  • Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs
  • Commerce and Job Development
  • Education
  • Agriculture