Rep. Harry Warren (District 77), (District 77), (919) 733-5784, Harry.Warren@ncleg.net
Hello, Friends!
Most of the House activity of last week focused on completing the House budget proposal, presenting it to the House members who do not serve on the various Appropriations Committees and Subcommittees that formulate the budget, then presenting it and passing it on the House floor and sending it to the Senate.
The first vote on SB 744, Appropriations Act of 2014, took place in the House on Thursday after several hours of debate and consideration of a plethora of amendments that were submitted. One of the amendments, by Representative Ted Davis, was a provision for retaining film incentives in an effort to protect the burgeoning film business in North Carolina. Another amendment, offered by Representative Jason Saine, would exempt hunting dogs from the definition of a “breeder” within the language of the budget provision, which would transfer Animal Welfare from the Agriculture Department to the Department of Public Safety. This was a departmental move that Governor McCrory included in his budget proposal in order to circumvent the legislative process which stalled HB 930 in the Senate. Unable to persuade the Senate to hear the bill, designed to support the First Lady’s pet project, the Governor opted to include it in his budget. The Senate budget proposal omitted the agency transfer while the House budget included it. It will be interesting to see if it survives the conference committee.
The Senate has since voted not to concur with the House budget, so the next step is for each chamber to assign several members to work together in a Conference Committee to resolve their differences and reach an accord. The agreed upon “Conference Report” will then be presented to each Chamber for a vote.
As usual, I have included links to other stories that you might find of interest. As the “short session” proceeds, there will continue to be standing committee meetings, which are also open to the public, so if you would like to attend one that is focusing on a subject of interest to you, feel welcome to attend. Meeting schedules are subject to change (sometimes at the last minute), so be sure to confirm the schedule on the General Assembly website or by contacting the office of the Committee Chair, before you make the two-hour drive to Raleigh.
If you would like to attend a meeting, but can’t make it to Raleigh, you can still “attend” many of the meetings by listening online, just as you may have for the Interim Committee meetings. You must first determine in what room the committee is meeting. If the committee meets in either room 544 or 643, you can listen online. To access the audio version of a meeting, go to: www.ncleg.net, click on “audio” on the bar near the top, then select either “Finance Committee Room (Rm 544)” or “Appropriations Committee Room (Rm 643)” to listen
(Certain items of this report provided by and reprinted with the permission of MVA Public Affairs.)
GOVERNOR’S DESK:
On Tuesday, the Governor signed HB 230, Clarify Read to Achieve/School Performance Grades, into law.
ON THE FLOOR:
Last week, the Senate passed:
- HB 133, Charlotte Airport Commission Clarifications. This bill will be considered by the full House today (Tuesday, June 17, 2014).
- SB 648, NC Commerce Protection Act of 2014. This bill has not been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.
The House passed:
- HB 1069, Unemployment Insurance Law Changes. On June 16, a committee substitute of this bill passed the Senate. The bill will now be returned to the House for concurrence or rejection of the revised language.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee:
The Committee took up the House version of the budget on Wednesday, June 11. The House Appropriations Committee co-chairs and Subcommittee chairs reviewed the provisions included in the House budget for other members of the House Appropriations Committee and the public. The Committee passed the bill and sent it to the House floor, where it was approved and sent to the Senate.
Senate Education/Higher Education Committee:
The Committee met Wednesday, June 11, to take up two bills:
- SB 793, Charter School Modifications, which intends to amend required public disclosures for charter schools in the State. This bill passed the committee and is up for final consideration by the full Senate today.
– HB 1060, Military Student Identifier. This bill passed out of committee on June 11 and passed the full Senate on Monday, June 16. The bill will now be sent to the Governor.
Senate Health Care Committee:
The Committee met Wednesday, June 11 to take up one bill, SB 749, Strengthen Controlled Substances Monitoring. Members heard reports from staff regarding the intent of the bill – reducing prescription drug abuse – and discussed possible changes. The Committee Substitute was passed by a voice vote.
Senate Commerce Committee:
The Senate Commerce Committee met on Wednesday, June 11, and approved three bills, each of which do just as its title suggests:
- SB 742, Adjust the Utility Regulatory Fee. This bill was then sent to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration there.
- HB 1074, Confirm Linda Combs as State Controller.
- HB 1112, Confirm Charlton L. Allen to Industrial Comm. This bill passed through a sharply divided Committee after a great deal of debate, which centered around statements made by Mr. Allen in the past with respect to the minimum wage and worker protections and around controversial actions Mr. Allen had participated in while a college student.
Senate Finance Committee:
The Senate Finance Committee met on Tuesday, June 10, and Wednesday, June 11. On Tuesday, the Committee approved several bills:
- HB 133, Charlotte Airport Commission Clarifications, which made several changes with respect to legislation enacted last year about control of Charlotte Douglas International Airport. This revised bill has been sent back to the House and is on today’s calendar for concurrence and approval of the changes made by the Senate.
- SB 797, 911 Board/Back-up PSAP, which would clarify the responsibilities of the 911 Board and the Department of Revenue with respect to 911 fees and would require local 911 operators to have back-up plans in place in case of system interruption. This bill is on the Senate calendar for today.
- HB 573, Stormwater Management Fee Uses. This would amend the uses to which these fees could be put. This bill was considered by the full Senate on June 11, passed and was presented to the Governor on June 13.
- SB 853, Business Court Modernization, which would designate certain cases as mandatory cases for business court and would raise the fees associated with business court. This bill went on to be passed by the Senate on Monday, June 16.
On Wednesday, June 11, the Committee approved several more bills. Among them were:
- SB 648, NC Commerce Protection Act of 2014. This bill passed the Senate on June 11 and has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.
- HB 618, Amend Firearm Restoration Law. Both SB 648 and HB 618 were in the Committee due to a fee provision and both easily passed after a brief discussion.
- HB 558, Soil and Water/Regional Jails Refunds, which would allow for a refund of sales and use taxes paid by soil and water districts or regional jails. A committee substitute for this bill passed the Senate on June 16 and has been sent back to the House for consideration of the modified version of the bill.
- HB 1069, Unemployment Insurance Law Changes, would make several changes to the laws regarding unemployment insurance benefits. A committee substitute for this bill passed the Senate on June 16 and has been returned to the House for consideration of the revised language.
Senate Judiciary I Committee:
The Senate Judiciary I Committee met on Tuesday, June 10, and Wednesday, June 11. On Tuesday, the Committee approved SB 648, NC Commerce Protection Act of 2014. The bill was amended in committee to remove some more controversial provisions dealing with product liability lawsuits. It went on to receive passage by the Senate and has now been sent to the House Judiciary Committee.
On Wednesday, the Committee approved two bills:
- SB 815, Ensuring Privacy of Student Records, which would require the State Board of Education to make information regarding the student data system available to the public, create rules and plans to ensure privacy and security of individual student data in the system, and restrict the collection of certain data in the system The bill would also require local school boards to provide notice on parental rights and opt-out opportunities regarding student records and participation in certain surveys. This bill was approved by the full Senate on Monday, June 16.
- SB 853, Business Court Modernization. This bill would make a number of procedural and jurisdictional changes to the North Carolina Business Court, would authorize internal corporate reorganization by a merger utilizing a holding company without shareholder authorization, and would require that cases claiming a State statute is unconstitutional on its face be heard by a panel of three Superior Court judges rather than by proceeding through the regular process. SB 853 passed the Senate on Monday, June 16 and will now be sent to the House for consideration.
House Appropriations Subcommittees:
All of the House Appropriations Subcommittees met on Tuesday. Each Subcommittee reviewed a specific portion of the House budget proposal and allowed amendments.
House Finance Committee:
The House Finance Committee met on Wednesday, June 11 and took up SB 744, Appropriations Act of 2014. The budget bill was in the Finance Committee due to several provisions dealing with taxes, fees, and debt financing. The main event in the Committee involved an amendment that would have extended the State’s income tax credit for film production, with some modifications. The amendment ultimately failed leaving the future of the program uncertain. (Representative Ted Davis did succeed in getting an amendment passed on the House Floor presentation of the bill on Thursday, June 12, that keeps some form of film incentive [grant] in effect).
IN THE NEWS
Raleigh News & Observer: House gives state budget final approval, despite lingering concerns
Charlotte Observer: Charlotte Douglas airport bill clears Senate, on to House
Raleigh News & Observer: NC House GOP split as it kills attempt to extend film incentives
WRAL: House makes key changes to budget
WRAL: House bid to leave SBI under AG fails
Raleigh News & Observer: How the NC House and NC Senate budget proposals differ
WRAL: Bill targets prescription drug abuse
WRAL: McCrory signs bill changing reading requirements
Raleigh News & Observer: Senate Oks public-private partnership
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I hope you enjoy this newsletter and find it helpful. I will continue to send you updates of the activities of the General Assembly, as they occur.
I would like to take this time to again, thank you for the opportunity to represent District 77 in the State House.
Harry
