Legislative Update from Rep. Frank Iler – August 3, 2015
Last week in the North Carolina House of Representatives: we passed a bill to enable the death penalty to be carried out, we had a long budget meeting for public input, and we saw many bills finally moving through committees.
Last week in Raleigh was interesting as much for what we did as for what we didn’t do. While many bills were coming out of committees and meetings were taking place on the budget, we still had many bills that were not moving and little resolution of budget issues is evident so far.
One bill of state-wide interest was House Bill 774 – Restoring Proper Justice Act. While the death penalty is the law in North Carolina, the state hasn’t carried out an execution in nine years. Many roadblocks have been thrown in the way of justice in this situation. This bill removes one of those roadblocks, saying that a medical professional must be in attendance at an execution, not necessarily a doctor. The medical association was refusing to take part, which, of course, stopped the process. It is hoped that this removes one of the roadblocks to carrying out the law. As a personal note, it has always been interesting to me that so many people that are against the execution of serial or aggravated killers are perfectly fine with the taking of innocent life in the womb.
The budget process continued with many small meetings and one official meeting of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. The meeting began at 1:00 and concluded around 4:00. We had a chance to hear from many members of the public on various parts of the proposed budget. Several speakers were teachers, principals, and superintendents of public schools. They were speaking on the issues of teacher assistants, teacher pay, and testing. Other speakers represented local governments concerned about the tax policies in the budget, particularly those that would redistribute sales tax from those who produce it to those who don’t, based on population. It was helpful information, and supported many of my views on education and taxes. My correspondence and resolutions from towns and mayors are running heavily in favor of our House policies on taxation and education.
As is my custom, when we return home late Thursday, I like to plan meetings of various kinds around the district and county. From one-on-one coffees to civic and political groups, my weekends usually are occupied with several meetings. It was a real pleasure to attend a meeting on Bald Head Island, a place I rarely have a chance to visit. It is the only part of the district on the far side of the Cape Fear River and accessible only by ferry. There I heard interesting comments on the opening or removal of rocks at the New Inlet, adjacent to the island. Lt. Governor Dan Forest, who was visiting the island, spoke to the group about some of our legislative policies over the last four years that have helped move the economy forward in the state. It was good to see him in our district.
On another personal note, it was great to have a visit in Raleigh by my brother. Since taking up residence in the eastern part of the state, he has become more involved in the politics of the region and state. As a native and graduate of NC State, he is familiar with North Carolina, and has rekindled his interest here. He had several meetings and training sessions during the week.