Legislative Update from Rep. Frank Iler – April 2, 2019

Last week in the North Carolina General Assembly we passed the 900 mark on the number of bills introduced by the House and Senate combined.  We will certainly pass the 1000 bills filed in the typical long session.

We also continued to meet jointly with our Senate colleagues each morning to review the various departments and divisions whose budgets we will soon put together.  In our case we heard from divisions of the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT).  Last week we heard from the Global Transpark, the Aviation Division, and the Ferry Division.  Next week we will meet separately to complete the budget in a matter of just a few days before presenting our transportation area to the full budget chairs in the House.

At this time during the session, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are filled with committee meetings.  We also have many groups and individuals that want to meet with us about various legislative priorities of interest to them.

It is always good to welcome the realtors from the Brunswick County Association of Realtors (BCAR).  They brought almost a dozen of their key people representing real estate sales and vacation rentals.  They were from Southport to Sunset Beach and all points in between.  The real estate and tourism industry are at the heart of the Brunswick County economy.  They are always interested in our business-friendly tax policies and regulation reforms.  It was great to discuss their priorities and our upcoming legislation.

One of the pleasures of representing our district occurs when I can present a special certificate from the House of Representatives to a newly earned Eagle Scout recipient.  Last Saturday, Grayson Moffitt was presented his Eagle Scout rank in Southport, and I was able to attend and tell the group there what it can mean to the young man and his family, as it has to my family.  Grayson will attend N.C. State next year and should continue to do very well.

It was an interesting week, and I expect the budget talks to heat up this week and during the month of April.