Legislative Update from Rep. Iler — April 7, 2025

Last week at the North Carolina General Assembly we saw many more bills filed, going through committees, and coming to the House floor.  The Senate also had their committees operating in high gear.  Bills coming to the House floor included wide-ranging subjects, from private property rights and removing squatters from private property, to elk hunting and our own Rice Festival.

     House Bill 15 – Support Private Property Rights states that the inclusion of property on a DOT planning map is not a material fact to be disclosed in a real estate transaction.  The reasoning is that many routes may be considered, but the actual final route selection will not be known at that time.  It passed 93 – 24 and went to the Senate.

     House Bill 96 – Expedited Removal of Unauthorized Persons permits a rightful property owner to submit a truthful affidavit to a magistrate to have the “squatters” removed by law enforcement.  It passed 86 – 29 and also went to the Senate.  I was a co-sponsor of this bill.

     A bill naming the Rice Festival in Brunswick County as the official N.C. Rice Festival came to the floor.  Rep. Miller was the primary sponsor of this bill, and it passed 116 – 0.  Naturally, I spoke in favor of it, as it is celebrated in towns such as Belville, and culminates in a big celebration at Brunswick Town historical site, crossing our district lines.

     I had no idea that elk were so protected in North Carolina, but we had a bill to allow permitting for hunters to take 2 elk per year, House Bill 382.  Apparently, this is 2 more than allowed at present.  It passed 114 – 1 and is in the Senate.

     I was a primary sponsor of a bill requiring DOT, when they expand their right-of-way, to replace permanent property markers at the corners of the property owner’s plot.  House Bill 295 passed 116 – 0 and is also in the Senate.

     Visitors from home are always a highlight of my time in Raleigh.  My Legislative Assistant, Carla, and I were happy to have Justin Whiteside and his 9-year-old daughter visit.  Justin is our Ocean Isle Beach Town Administrator and his daughter’s field trip had been cancelled.  She got a personal tour and got to visit the House and Senate floors, as well as have lunch in the members’ cafeteria.