Legislative Update from Rep. Iler — February 20, 2024
The last few weeks at the North Carolina General Assembly have been relatively quiet. However, interim committees have been meeting and our central staff of legal analysts and bill drafters have been busy. Also, during this time between sessions, our Legislative Assistants in our individual offices in Raleigh continue to take calls and emails and help our citizens deal with their state government. I have been able to meet with citizens, local officials, and various groups back home in Brunswick County.
Last week the House Select Committee on Homeowners’ Associations met. It was my turn to Chair it and we presented the report we hope to approve and send to the full N.C. House by March 1st. This was after two previous meetings in January hearing from citizens who live in and have issues with their HOAs. We also heard from groups that represent HOA management and state agencies that could potentially help with some of the issues.
The report addresses five major items:
- HOA transparency and timely records requests;
- Access to budgets and approval of dues increases;
- Limits on amounts triggering foreclosure on a residence;
- Access to mediation of disputes;
- Collection of data on complaints received by the Attorney General’s office.
The report also includes a draft bill to accomplish the above goals. The draft is not ready for introduction but could be a model for legislation to be filed during the regular session this year.
While many of my friends are campaigning for office leading up to the March 5th primary election, different non-political groups have also been meeting. The last week in January I was able to speak with the All-Brunswick Mayors meeting and the Brunswick Shoreline Protection Consortium. The first two weeks in February, I met with many citizens from Leland to Calabash, including the new Mayor of Carolina Shores, as well as several meetings involving Brunswick Community College.
The House and Senate have held administrative sessions during the interim without votes, except for one bill scheduled in the Senate last week. We expect the final meeting of our homeowners’ committee on the 28th and our report to the House by March 1st. After the March 5th primary election day, we anticipate the regular 2024 session to start sometime in April.