North Carolina Legislative Report - March 6, 2015
March 6, 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 19, Revenue Laws Technical Changes and S 37, Waive Tuition/Fallen Officer Was Guardian.
The House passed S 109, Joint Session/State of the Judiciary, S 14, Acad. Standards/Rules Review/Coal Ash/Funds, H 117, NC Competes Act and S 20, IRC Update/Motor Fuel Tax Changes.
Committees
Joint Appropriations Committee Meetings
The House and Senate continued with joint appropriations committee meetings as they work towards putting together a budget for this year. Individual subcommittees met throughout the week to look at 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 K-12 Education Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 3. Members addressed H 18, Planning Year for CIHS and H 35, Education Innovation Task Force. H 18 provides institutions seeking a Cooperative Innovative High School status with a planning year prior to opening. The bill was given approval after the $750,000 appropriation was removed. H 35 establishes a Legislative Task Force on Education Innovation. The task force would be comprised of 18 House and Senate appointments and the North Carolina Teacher of the Year. H 35 received a favorable report. The Committee will meet again on Tuesday, March 10 at 10:00.
House Transportation Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 3. H 5, Military Veterans Special Plate, reauthorizes the DMV to produce a special plate for military veterans and removes the 300 application minimum needed before issuing the plate. H 5 received a favorable report and was sent to the Finance Committee. H 6, Autocycle Definition and Regulation, defines and establishes regulations for autocycles. An autocycle is a three wheeled motorcycle with safety features for each passenger, but is built to the safety standards of motorcycles and would be regulated as such by H 6. The bill received a favorable report and was sent to the Finance Committee. The Committee will meet again on Tuesday, March 10.
House Finance Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 3, and Thursday, March 5. On Tuesday, the Committee approved two bills. H 117, NC Competes Act, would provide funding for two economic development programs (JDIG, renamed as Job GRO – People, and the Site Infrastructure Development Fund, renamed Site Acceleration Fund), modify a provision allowing for single sales factor apportionment for certain corporations, extend a refund provision relating to sales tax on jet fuel, and provide for sales tax exemptions for sales of certain items for use at data centers. S 20, IRC Update/Motor Fuel Tax Changes would conform certain provisions of the State tax code to changes made at the federal level over the last year and would set the motor fuel tax rate at 36 cents/gallon from April 1, 2015, until January 1, 2016. Without the legislation, the motor fuel tax rate would be 37.5 cents/gallon until July 1, 2015, when it is expected to fall to 29.9 cents/gallon. Both bills were sent to the Appropriations Committee for consideration.
On Thursday, the Committee approved H 41, Revenue Laws Technical Changes. The bill would make numerous technical, clarifying and administrative changes related to the State’s revenue laws.
House Appropriations Committee
On Tuesday, March 3, the Committee met and approved two bills – H 117, NC Competes Act, and S 20, IRC Update/Motor Fuel Tax Changes – which are outlined in the Finance Committee summary above.
House Health Committee
The Committee met on Wednesday, March 4, and approved H 13, Amend School Health Assessment Requirement. H 13 seeks to require each child presented for admission into the public school system for the first time to submit proof of a recent health assessment. It also requires the health assessment transmittal form to be permanently maintained in the child’s official school record.
Senate Finance Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, March 3, and Wednesday, March 4. The Committee took up no bills, but instead continued hearing staff presentations with respect to the State’s economic development efforts.
Senate Education/Higher Education Committee
The Committee met on Wednesday, March 4, and approved S 37, Waive Tuition/Fallen Officer Was Guardian. S 37 seeks to provide that the tuition wavier for survivors of law enforcement officers, firefighters or rescue squad workers also applies to children whose legal guardians are law enforcement officers, firefighters or rescue squad workers.
Senate Work Force and Economic Development Committee
The Committee met on Wednesday, March 4. The Committee heard presentations from the Commerce Department on the State’s Workforce Development and NC Tower programs. No votes were taken. The Committee will meet again on Wednesday, March 11.
In The News
Associated Press: Quick look at 1st year of McCrory's 2-year NC budget plan
Raleigh News & Observer: Gas tax, jobs incentives bills clear NC House
Wilmington Star News: Local lawmakers propose $66 million for film
Associated Press: Economic incentives bill to again test N.C. urban-rural divide
Greensboro News & Record: State officials hope to keep data centers coming
Calendar
| Mon, March 09, 2015 | ||
| 10:00 AM | ||
| 4:00 PM | Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee, Subcommittee on Personal Services Contract | 423 LOB |
| 7:00 PM | Session Convenes (House) | |
| 7:00 PM | Session Convenes (Senate) | |
|
| ||
| 8:30 AM | 423 LOB | |
| 8:30 AM | Joint Appropriations on General Government and Information Technology | 425 LOB |
| 8:30 AM | Joint Appropriations on Health and Human Services - CANCELLED | |
| 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM | ||
| 8:30AM-10:30AM | ||
| 10:00 AM | Judiciary I (Senate) Off-Duty Correctional Officers/Conceal Carry. (S78) | 1027/1128 LB |
| 10:30 AM | Judiciary II (Senate) Cities/Overgrown Vegetation Notice. (S53) | 1124/1224 LB |
| 11:00 AM | Education - Universities (House) Waive Tuition/Fallen Officer Was Guardian. (H19) | |
| 12:00 PM | Program Evaluation (Senate) | 421 LOB |
| 12:00 PM | Transportation (House) Handicapped Parking Law Revisions. (H91) | |
| 12:00 PM | Rep. Rodney Moore - Press Conference | |
| 1:00 PM | Appropriations, Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources -- CANCELLED(House) | 423 LOB |
| 1:00 PM | Environment (House) | 423 LOB |
| 1:00 PM | Agriculture (House) | |
| 3:00 PM | Redistricting (Senate) Greensboro City Council Changes. (S36) | |
| 3:00 PM | Senate Committee on Redistricting | |
|
| ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 8:30 AM | ||
| 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 |
| 10:00 AM | ||
| 10:00 AM | Health (House) Jim Fulghum Teen Skin Cancer Prevention Act. (H158) | |
| 11:00 AM | Aging (House) Senior Tax Deduction for Medical Expenses. (H46) | 423 LOB |
| 11:00 AM | Rep. Cunningham - Press Conference | |
| 12:00 PM | Workforce and Economic Development (Senate) | |
| 12:00 PM | Rep. Avila - Press Conference | |
| 1:00 PM | Finance (Senate) | |
|
| ||
| 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 | ||
| 10:00 AM | Environment (House) | |
|
| ||
| 2:00 PM | ||