Legislative Update from Rep. Frank Iler – Apr. 20, 2015
Last week in the General Assembly we had over 300 new bills introduced in the House alone, committee meetings were being held virtually one on top of another, and we saw major reform bills introduced and some being passed in committee.
The weather in Raleigh last week was very unsettled, with warm moist days, cool nights, and frequent showers. The unsettled week started with a busy schedule and never let up. Our deadlines for statewide bills on Tuesday and Thursday prompted us to cease editing our bill drafts and get them filed in the clerk’s office. I filed an education bill concerning teacher pay on Tuesday, and was a primary sponsor on a major transportation funding reform bill on Thursday. Over 300 bills were read onto the House floor during the week, including over 200 on one day.
Committee meetings were being held every hour in every available committee room. On Thursday morning, for example, I had to present two bills in the Local Government committee. At the same time, I was supposed to be sitting as a member of the Environment committee. Fortunately, the Chairman of Local Government, Rep. Ted Davis, was very efficient, and my bills passed the committee in a matter of ten minutes. I was then able to run and hear most of the debate and vote in Environment. Almost the same situation occurred Wednesday, when I had bills in the State Personnel committee and the Judiciary committee at the same time. It will only get more hectic as we move all these bills through our committees and later present them to Senate committees.
In addition to the many local bills I have filed this session, two of the statewide bills deal with teacher pay, and transportation funding reform. House Bill 769 – $2000 Pay Increase for Teachers would give each of our teachers a $2000 raise in the 2015 – 2016 school year, as well as pay for it in the following years. The Governor’s budget recommends giving this increase to teachers in the tier of the first five years. This bill would give the same increase to veteran teachers as well. I have encouraged my colleagues to consider this raise. It already has 44 sponsors and cosponsors.
Our other major bill filed this week was House Bill 927 – Reestablish NC as the “Good Roads State”. The Transportation Appropriations chairs, including me, have been meeting almost daily to devise a funding plan for transportation maintenance and construction that will be stable in the face of unstable oil prices. This bill reduces the gas tax at the pump to 30 cents per gallon. It also replaces this tax with an increase in many automotive fees paid by vehicle owners, many of which have not been addressed since the 1980s. These user fees assume that if a driver purchases, registers, and insures a vehicle that they intend to use it on our highways and roads. This bill will dedicate the additional funds obtained to resurfacing roads, improve the NC ports, repair bridges, and provide more money to towns and cities to maintain their streets. It has many other provisions, including a hot line for “pothole” repair. This week promises to be just as busy, as we hurry to meet deadlines to get our bills passed and sent to the Senate.