Homeward bound: Legislature adjourns until July 13

Posted on by Nelda Holder

On Monday, June 20, 109 newly ratified bills were presented to Gov. Bev Perdue on behalf of the N.C. General Assembly, which had adjourned Saturday afternoon. In all, the legislators left some 200 bills on the governor’s desk as they disbursed with plans to reconvene July 13 — primarily to consider the statewide redistricting plans.

With the Legislature’s adjournment, the governor gets limited time to consider the bills on her desk. The allotted time is normally 10 days, with a 30-day allowance. But since the Legislature reconvenes before that period is up, her deadline is July 13. Her options are to sign a specific bill, refuse to sign (which will gives automatic approval), or veto the bill — with the chance that the reconvened Legislature will override her. Perdue has already vetoed one of the final bills to hit her desk: SB 727, which would have eliminated payroll deductions for dues to the N.C. Association of Educators. It was her seventh veto this session, including the final budget bill, HB 200, which became law when the Legislature overrode the veto.

Action on redistricting heats up on Thursday, June 23, when the Joint House and Senate Redistricting Committee will hold a public hearing from 3 to 9 p.m. via videoconferencing, with the following participating locations: N.C. Museum of History (Wake County), Guilford Technical Community College (Guilford County), UNC-Charlotte (Mecklenburg County), Roanoke-Chowan Community College (Hertford County), East Carolina University (Pitt County), Fayetteville Technical Community College (Cumberland County), UNC-Wilmington (New Hanover County). The videoconference will be streamed live on the N.C. General Assembly website. Online registration must be made five days in advance, but same-day registration at the sites is possible one hour prior to the convening of the hearing.

Meanwhile, among the 200 bills piled on the governor’s desk are the following (with WNC sponsors), which have been discussed previously in this column:

HB 351 (Restore Confidence in Government): Requires photo identification in order to vote. Co-sponsor, Republican Rep. Tim Moffitt of Buncombe County.

HB 806 (Zoning Statute of Limitations/Agricultural District Change): Changes the statute of limitations for challenging zoning ordinances, and prohibits specified zoning ordinances affecting single-family detached residential uses on lots greater than 10 acres in agricultural zoning districts. Primary sponsor, Moffitt.

HB 845 (Annexation Reform Act of 2011): Reforms involuntary annexation laws, including the addition of a petition to deny by which 60 percent of the residents in the proposed area may require termination of annexation. Co-sponsor: Moffitt.

HB 854 (Abortion-Woman’s Right to Know): Requires 24-hour waiting period and mandatory ultrasound plus other provisions before an abortion may be performed. Co-sponsor, Republican Rep. David Guice, Henderson/Polk/Transylvania counties.

SB 324 (ABC Law/Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians): Authorizes a Tribal Alcoholic Beveral Control Commission to regulate purchase, possession, sale, delivery of alcoholic beverages at retail. Primary sponsors, Republican Sens. Tom Apodaca of Buncombe/Henderson/Polk and Jim Davis of Cherokee/Clay/Graham/Haywood/Jackson/Macon/Swain/Transylvania; co-sponsor, Ralph Hise, Avery/Haywood/Madison/McDowell/Mitchell/Yancey.

A full list and discription of the 109 bills that moved over on Monday is available here.

by Nelda Holder, contributing editor

 

 

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2 thoughts on “Homeward bound: Legislature adjourns until July 13”

  1. boatrocker

    I loved that movie about the dog who found his way home. I never realized dogs could subscribe to the Republican party until it was released as a Disney movie.

    Oh, and thank you, NC lawmakers who slashed our education budget yet still can give raises to lawmakers.

    It’s like a movie about a crass, unrepentent neo-con dog- but who can train a dog to deny a woman the right to her own body while also ruining the working man’s faith in the gub’ment via Draconian anti-labor laws like our current legislative boneheads? It would take a special dog whisperer I suppose.

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