North Carolina Legislative Report - March 13, 2015
March 13, 2015
The General Assembly convened for the 2015 legislative session on January 14. Lawmakers returned to Raleigh on January 28 to begin the session in earnest. The MVA Public Affairs Legislative Report on North Carolina will be distributed on a weekly basis to keep you up to date on the latest legislative issues facing the state.
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On The Floor
This week, the Senate passed S 60, No Contact Order/No Expiration; S 82, Vital Records Integrity Act; S 53, Cities/Overgrown Vegetation Notice; S 78, Off-Duty Correctional Officers/Conceal Carry; S 89, Disqualification Notice/Pistol Sale Permit; S 181, Wake County Commissioner Districts; S 232, Honor Girl Scouts and S 36, Greensboro City Council Changes.
The House passed H 31, 0.00 Alcohol Restriction-All DWI; H 32, Amend Habitual DWI; H 59, Clarify Report Admissibility; H 41, Revenue Laws Technical Changes; H 43, Winston-Salem/Parking Meters; H 55, Public Exhibit of Fireworks/NCSU; H 58, Certain Counties Sheriff/Food Purchases; H 71, Clarify County Comm Oath Filing; H 79, Contempt for 50C/Scope of Stay for Appeals; H 134, Soliciting Prostitution/Immunity for Minors and H 157, Amend Environmental Laws.
Committees
Joint Appropriations Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 10, for an overview of the Governor's 2015-17 recommended budget. State Budget Director Lee Roberts walked members through the proposed spending plan and addressed questions and concerns. Most of the questions from members centered around pay raises for teachers and other state employees. The House will now begin its formal budget process, holding subcommittee meetings and releasing its version later this spring.
Joint Appropriations Subcommittee Meetings
The House and Senate continued with joint appropriations subcommittee meetings as they work towards putting together a budget for this year. Individual subcommittees met this week and reviewed specific budget areas such as Transportation, Health and Human Services, Education, Public Safety, General Government and Information Technology. These committees took this time to review the current budget and identify key priorities for the upcoming year. Members will continue their work when they return next week.
House Transportation Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 10 to address two bills. H 102, Utility Vehicles/Law Enforcement, authorizes law enforcement officers, emergency personnel and certain county and municipal employees to operate utility vehicles on some public highways. The bill received a favorable report in committee and is up for third reading on March 16.
H 136, Speed Limit/Highway Work Zone, would change the law so that drivers speeding through a work zone would only be fined if workers are present and actively working. The bill was up for discussion only and will remain in Committee.
House Environment Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 10, and agreed to a proposed committee substitute to H 157, Amend Environmental Laws. The Committee approved the bill, which seeks to amend various environmental laws including clarifying an Environmental Management Commission rule-making directive. The EMC now shall adopt rules for the regulation of toxic air emissions from drilling operations, if it determines that the State’s current air toxics program and any federal regulations governing toxic air emissions from drilling operations to be adopted by the State by reference are inadequate to protect public health, safety, welfare and the environment.
House Rules Committee
The Committee met on Wednesday, March 11, and agreed to a proposed committee substitute to H 157 that removed all finance related provisions. The Committee approved the updated bill.
House Health Care Committee
The Committee met on Wednesday, March 11, and approved H 158, Jim Fulghum Teen Skin Cancer Prevention Act. H 158 would prohibit persons under 18 years of age from using tanning equipment.
House Finance Committee
The Committee met on Thursday, March 12, and quickly approved two bills. H 5, Military Veterans Special Plate, would reauthorize the Division of Motor Vehicles to produce a special registration for military veterans and remove a requirement for a minimum number of applications before issuing the plate. H 73, Cary Annexation, would annex certain property in the Holly Brook subdivision into the Town of Cary.
Senate Redistricting Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 10, to hear two bills aimed at changing the political boundaries of two local governments. S 181, Wake County Commissioner Districts, would add two commissioners to the current seven member board and align the districts with the Wake County School Board districts. The new districts would take effect in 2018. S 181 received a favorable report in Committee and was approved by the full Senate.
S 36, Greensboro City Council Changes, takes the number of seats on the council from nine to seven, eliminates at-large members, creates four year terms and takes away the mayor’s vote. The bill received a favorable report in Committee and was approved by the full Senate.
Senate Health Care Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 10, and approved S 7, Allow Seating for Food Stand Customers, and S 114, Custodial Parent/Party Cooperate with Child Support. S 7 seeks to allow food stands to provide tables and chairs for customers to use while consuming drinks or food upon the premises. S 114 would require DHHS and Division of Social Services to develop a plan requiring custodial parent or other relative of a child receiving child care subsidy payments to cooperate with county child support services programs in order receive the subsidy.
Senate Finance Committee
The Committee met on Wednesday, March 11, with no bills on the agenda. Instead, the Committee continued hearing presentations from legislative staff about the structure of the State’s tax system and economic arguments with respect to tax reform.
Senate Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources Committee
The Committee met twice this week. On Wednesday, March 11, the Committee invited DENR Secretary Don van der Vaart to introduce his team and give updates on a variety of DENR matters. On Thursday, March 12, the Committee approved H 157, Amend Environmental Laws.
In The News
Winston-Salem Journal: Bill would end Certificate-of-Need requirement for some facilities
Associated Press: Bills to retool local governments get OK
Associated Press: Pollution mandate changes for NC fracking nears final OK
Greensboro News and Record: Public comment period opens for proposed coal ash reuse projects
Charlotte Observer: Google Fiber: Kansas City offers Charlotte ‘Digital Divide’ lessons
Charlotte Observer: NC fines Duke Energy $25 million for Sutton ash
Raleigh News & Observer: NC legislators critique Gov. McCrory’s proposed budget
WRAL: One-third of NC teachers would get raises under governor's budget
Raleigh News & Observer: NC budget picture improves, but shortfall still in forecast
Raleigh News & Observer: NC House panel debates lottery regulations
Associated Press: Feds take comments on $5B natural gas pipeline
Calendar
| Mon, March 16, 2015 | ||
| 2:00 PM | ||
| 6:45 PM | 1027/1128 LB | |
| 7:00 PM | Session Convenes (House) | |
| 7:00 PM | Session Convenes (Senate) | |
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| ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | 423 LOB | |
| 8:30 AM | 423 LOB | |
| 8:30 AM | 425 LOB | |
| 8:30 AM | Joint Appropriations on General Government and Information Technology | 425 LOB |
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 15 MINUTES AFTER SESSION | ||
| 10:00 AM | Judiciary I (Senate) Custodial Parent/Party Cooperate w/Child Supp. (S114) | 1027/1128 LB |
| 10:00 AM | Judiciary II (Senate) | 1124/1224 LB |
| 10:00 AM | Education - K-12 (House) Amend School Health Assessment Requirement. (H13) | |
| 11:00 AM | Education - Community Colleges -- CORRECTED (House) High Achieving Tuition Scholarships. (H129) | |
| 12:00 PM | Transportation (House) RiverLink Plate Background. (H80) | |
| 1:00 PM | Judiciary II (House) Lottery Act Clarified. (H109) | 421 LOB |
| 1:00 PM | Finance (Senate) | |
| 1:30 PM | North Carolina General Statutes Commission, Trusts Drafting Committee | Rm 5003, UNC Law School, 60 Ridge Road |
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| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | Appropriations, Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources (Joint) | 421 LOB |
| 8:30 AM | 421 LOB | |
| 8:30 AM | 423 LOB | |
| 8:30 AM | 423 LOB | |
| 8:30 AM | 425 LOB | |
| 8:30 AM | Joint Appropriations on General Government and Information Technology | 425 LOB |
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 10:00 AM | Health (House) PED Recs/Publicly Funded Substance Abuse Svcs. (H119) | |
| 11:00 AM | Alcoholic Beverage Control (House) | 423 LOB |
| 11:00 AM | Commerce and Job Development (House) Site and Building Development Fund. (H108) | |
| 12:00 PM | Workforce and Economic Development (Senate) | |
| 12:30 PM | Judiciary I (House) Davie County/Food for Detention Facilities. (H130) | |
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| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | Appropriations, Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources (Joint) | 421 LOB |
| 8:30 AM | 421 LOB | |
| 8:30 AM | 425 LOB | |
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 10:00 AM | Environment (House) | |
| 12:00 PM | Banking (House) Eliminate Audited Financial Statement Req. (H104) | |
| 12:00 PM | 421 LOB | |
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| 10:30 AM | Rep. Adcock - Press Conference | |
| 1:30 PM | Speaker Tim Moore - Press Conference | |
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| 12:30 PM | Rep. Gill - Press Conference | |