Legislative Update for May 9, 2016

Last week in the North Carolina General Assembly we began meeting daily to work on the budget, our policy committees began meeting to approve bills for referral to the House floor, and we approved several bills adjusting tax laws and unemployment insurance.

Early Tuesday morning we began meeting with our individual appropriations committees to work on each section of the budget as we adjust the 2016 – 2017 spending.  I met with the House Appropriations Committee on Transportation, which I co-chair. The co-chairs also were meeting at different times to hear from the Department of Transportation and other interested parties on functions that should be funded.  We met early each morning and at various times during each day.

The House Finance Committee was also meeting to approve two revenue or tax bills and an unemployment insurance bill.  We voted on these bills on the House floor on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Other policy committees also began meeting and planning which bills to consider.

Senate Bill 725 – Unemployment Insurance Technical Changes made several adjustments.  The main change was to make it clear that an employer cannot change the corporate form or corporate name of their company and escape their unemployment insurance liability.

Senate Bill 726 – Internal Revenue Code Update and Senate Bill 729 – Various Changes to the Revenue Laws made minor changes and clarifications to our state tax laws.  These were mainly bills containing provisions that had passed both House and Senate last year.

This week the pace will get much faster as we move to finalize the House budget.  We will be putting the various sections together, and hope to vote on the entire budget within two weeks.  Our House Transportation Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday to debate and vote out several transportation related bills.  Other policy committees will also begin meeting to consider the bills that are eligible in this short session.