Entering her fourth term in the N.C. General Assembly, Rep. Susan Fisher of the 114th District is the senior representative from Buncombe County. As a Democrat, however, she lost the leadership positions she held last year as Republicans took control of both houses of the Legislature in January. "None of the Democrats are seeing office-holding […]
Tag: N.C. legislature
Showing 22-42 of 43 results
Would the real budget deficit please stand still
In a bit of a shell game last week in the N.C. General Assembly, legislators continued to look for their own approach to the state’s budget deficit while the governor announced new deficit projections had erased $1 billion of the original $3.7 billion shortfall.
Democrat Susan Fisher describes the “new landscape” in a Republican-controlled Statehouse
Buncombe County’s senior representative in the North Carolina House sees an “interesting time” ahead for the next two years, but says the minority Democrats are working very well together.
Do-or-die date arrives for state legislation
Thursday, May 14, is this year’s crossover date for the N.C. General Assembly—when all legislation not requiring new funding must move from one chamber to the other to be eligible for passage.
Sex education, developer responsibility and bottled water all on tap at the Legislature
Action in the N.C. General Assembly for the past and current week addresses sex education in the schools, the misrepresentation of bottled “N.C. spring water,” and limits on developer responsibility for street construction.
Legislature rethinks video gaming for the state
The N.C. General Assembly is considering allowing video gaming in the state—and taking a cut of the action.
Legislature considers extending land-development permits
Buncombe County Rep. Bruce Goforth has introduced a bill in the House to extend “certain permits and approvals” affecting development or real property in the state. The extension period begins Jan. 1, 2007, and continues through Dec. 31, 2010,
In the Legislature: Green buildings, medical marijuana, and a Dept. of Military & Veterans Affairs
Bills introduced in the N.C. House last week included action to hold a statewide referendum on medical marijuana, introduce more energy efficiency in state-funded buildings and in the state building code, and establish a Department of Military & Veterans Affairs.
Bill could expand access to N.C. public records
Legislation introduced yesterday in the N.C. General Assembly could make public records more accessible by allowing for recovery of attorney’s fees in successful suits for disclosure.
Legislature considers steep slopes, small breweries, alternative medical services
A variety of bills went into the legislative queue over the past week, including a renewed effort to regulate steep-slope construction and a Consumer Health Freedom Act to provide for access to alternative and complementary medicine.
Cansler, Nesbitt forecast better days for mental health
Lanier Cansler, North Carolina’s new secretary of health and human services, minced no words, proclaiming, “I’ve made it clear: Mental-health reform is over.” Citing a pattern of “constant change and problems” since 2001’s failed attempt to transition patients from state hospitals into community-care networks that never adequately materialized, Cansler declared, “We’ve got to create the […]
Legislature looks at absentee voting, animal tethering, mandatory testing in schools
Among the far-ranging topics of legislation submitted in the N.C. General Assembly over the past week were bills that would amend the absentee voting law, permit immediate euthanization of stray animals that bite humans, limit mandatory testing in the public schools, and provide written parental notification when a student is recommended for expulsion or suspension.
New towing regs for Asheville, incorporation for Swannanoa on legislative agenda
Local WNC bills introduced last week in the Legislature could allow an Asheville ordinance addressing nonconsensual (predatory) towing, the incorporation of the town of Swannanoa, and an amendment to the Sullivan Act affecting Asheville’s water management.
Gov. Perdue addresses General Assembly tonight; new legislation could aid state’s food banks
The new governor of the state of North Carolina will deliver her first biennial State of the State address tonight to a joint assembly of the N.C. Legislature—and to the public via live television. Meanwhile, legislative bills have moved forward to aid the state’s food banks, including WNC’s MANNA FoodBank. Also, Perdue will speak in Asheville on Thursday.
Week two in the Legislature: four-year terms in the future?
The General Assembly’s second week of the 2009 session included the introduction of a number of bills of particular interest to Western North Carolina legislators and constituents, including a provision to create four-year terms for the legislators.
Seeking higher ground
The city of Asheville has announced it will appeal its challenge of the Sullivan Acts to the N.C. Supreme Court by Sept. 23. But it is not entirely clear that the court will hear the case. “City Council feels obligated to proceed with an appeal to the Supreme Court, but we are still committed to […]
Money now available to aid rape victims
In a change of budget and policy, the state will now provide payment for the costs of rape kit exams, which were previously billed to victims.
The Green Scene
The list of inactive hazardous-waste sites documented by the state of North Carolina is 72 pages long. The inventory lists 47 sites in Buncombe County, but the actual number is probably larger, as not all the sites are documented. Among the ones that end up on this roster are things like landfills, junkyards, shuttered industrial […]
Busy days in the state legislature
In addition to passing a $21.4 billion state budget for the coming year, the N.C. General Assembly’s ongoing wrap-up of its short session includes several bills of note for their effects on WNC, plus this pick of the week: “Everybody’s Day.”
Asheville Chamber sets legislative goals
Transportation, health, economic development and work-force expansion were the legislative priorities highlighted at the annual Legislative Luncheon for regional state legislators and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce on April 24 at the Crest Center. Key items on the legislative agenda were briefly outlined by LaVoy Spooner, chair of the Chamber’s Governmental Affairs Task Force, […]
The Green Scene
A half-dozen environmental groups say the state has mismanaged a fund established to ensure safe drinking water for residents using wells. Last August, the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources allocated $300,000 from the Bernard Allen Emergency Drinking Water Fund—the entire initial allotment for the fund—for a two-mile water-line extension that benefited just four […]