Legislative Update from Rep. Frank Iler – Feb. 9, 2015
During the last two and a half sessions I have provided this weekly update for publication in our local newspapers, as well as distribution on my website and email list. Others pass it along via their own email networks, frequently within their communities and political groups. The feedback has been very positive with people generally appreciating the information. Sometimes I get suggestions to improve the format. One such suggestion was to give a summary near the beginning in case someone doesn’t want to read entire article.
Last Week in the NC House of Representatives:
We filed approximately 50 bills, I cosponsored 5 bills, including a bill to restore the medical tax deduction, Gov. McCrory gave the State of the State address Wednesday night, and we debated the Eminent Domain bill, which passed the House 111 – 4.
Many bills that are filed at the beginning of a session are the result of study committees that met after the short session the previous year. Others are the result of ideas that legislators have been working on since last session or have been waiting for the right time to file a particular bill. Some of the ones that I have chosen to cosponsor so far are those dealing with eminent domain, medical expense tax deductions, an education innovation task force, and zoning/design and aesthetic controls.
Much of the press coverage last week dealt with speculation over what Governor McCrory would say in the State of the State address scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday night. Many of the topics he was to cover had been released earlier. He focused on continuing to improve the economic climate to create jobs, education for job skills, economic incentives, connectivity through information and transportation infrastructure, public safety/health care, and making government more efficient. His remarks got much attention for his suggestion of a bond issue, including over $1 billion for transportation and over $1 billion for renovation of rundown government buildings. He reminded us of the promise to bring beginning teacher pay up to $35,000 in the 2015-2016 budget and said we must fulfill it. While there were few surprises, there are many issues we will have to work on in the coming months.
Thursday we took up House Bill 3 – Eminent Domain, which puts a constitutional amendment on the ballot in May, 2016. It specifies that one’s property can be taken only for a public purpose, that just compensation must be paid, and a jury trial will be available to determine just compensation. I was a cosponsor of this bill, which was debated for a short time and passed the House 111–4.
We also were kept busy in meetings to begin the budget process. As a chair of the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, I was involved in several meetings to plan the budget meeting process. We will be in joint meetings with the Senate appropriations committees every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 8:30. We hope to get a head start, since we hope to finish it completely for the Governor to sign prior to June 30th. So, once again, Senator Rabon and I will be having our coffee together as the House and Senate appropriations committees on transportation meet every morning.