Posts by Frank Iler

Last week started early for legislators in both the House and Senate.  The House, which normally meets for session on Monday at 7:00 P.M., actually met last Monday at 4:00 P.M.  Most of us had meetings and caucuses earlier in the afternoon to attend.  Therefore, many had to leave for Raleigh by 9:00 A.M.  It…

Summer heat covered Raleigh last week like a hot, wet blanket.  With heat indexes over 100, we were usually glad to be inside, even in the long meetings that the end of session brings.  The Speaker and other House and Senate leaders are trying to finish our business, including the budget, this week and adjourn…

After having the past week off for the Independence Day celebrations around July 4, the House of Representatives members returned facing a heavy load.  We immediately had committee hearings on controversial bills that had been sent over from the Senate.  We also dealt with other heavy committee agendas, due to the Speaker’s announcement that we…

After getting the surprise news that the House of Representatives had last week off in Raleigh, some might think that there was nothing for us to do.  However, almost every representative and senator takes this time back at home to meet and talk with the citizens we represent. The Senate was meeting in Raleigh on…

We had a few surprises last week in the General Assembly.  Monday afternoon started fairly calmly.  I was working on a revision of a Senate bill that I thought would help it pass the House.  That didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped, but there were some other interesting developments during the week.…

As I have said before, the weather in Raleigh often seems to reflect the action inside the General Assembly.  It was very unsettled last week, as we were never sure if it were going to rain or shine.  In like manner, our major bills, such as the budget, were in doubt from day to day. …

“Budget Week” would be an apt description of last week in the North Carolina House of Representatives.  Virtually all day Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were dedicated to budget discussions and debate.  Many other important bills were handled, but they were primarily passing in the Senate while we in the House focused on the budget. The…

With a tropical storm approaching Raleigh last week, it seemed to reflect some of the storms inside the legislative building.  Our House committees had long meetings on many bills, including the tax reform bill, and the fracking bill, while the full House debated the racial justice act repeal bill.  All the while we were working…

I suppose every one noticed that Memorial Day Weekend at the Brunswick Beaches was one of the busiest on record.  At least, every time I left my house in Oak Island to go somewhere, the traffic seemed the busiest I can remember.  Once I even turned around and went back home.  I hope it was…