Legislative Updates

It was an interesting week in Raleigh, although the majority of the House members were not required to be there. Only the members on the budget conference committee or conference committees for other bills were needed in Raleigh. So, after the July 4th parade and other Independence Day activities, I prepared to wait for the…

It was clear by Monday of last week that the weather in North Carolina would be stormy by week’s end. It was also clear that the debate in Raleigh would be stormy as well. We learned early in the week that we would be taking up two major bills. The subjects of the bills are…

Almost daily, the question being asked by people back home is, “When will the short session be over?” It’s hard to answer, as we are pushing to finish our work, but the budget negotiations are continuing. Our business in Raleigh started early last week. Committee meetings began Monday afternoon and full voting sessions of the…

It was as hot and steamy in Raleigh this past week as it was the week before.  This was the weather as well as the activity in the General Assembly.  The temperature in Raleigh is always hotter than our Brunswick beaches.  I’m always kidding my colleagues there about not having any sea breezes to cool…

Last week in the North Carolina House of Representatives was “Budget Week”.  The Senate had finished with the budget, Senate Bill 744, the previous week.  It was our job in the House to review it, make our changes, and send it back to them for their agreement and approval.  This budget actually consists of adjustments…

The fourth week of the short session started with a flurry of bills being considered in committees.  Then some of them moved quickly to the House floor for debate and votes.  On Tuesday our House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation reviewed the Governor’s budget adjustments for the 2014 – 2015 fiscal year, as well as the…

Week three of the short session began with a flurry of activity and anticipation.  The activity involved lobbyists promoting their clients’ positions on various bills, as well as Representatives and Senators checking to see if they had enough votes on various bills.  The anticipation was that the House would soon see the energy bill from…

Week two of the short session began early with a Monday 4:00 p.m. session.  This was in order to read in dozens of new bills and get the week off to a fast start.  Many meetings were held with our colleagues to discuss the upcoming bills. This included tax issues, as well as energy, education,…

Although the General Assembly kicked off last week, things began to heat up before the gavel came down at noon on Wednesday.  There were various committees and meetings which took place Monday and Tuesday all over Raleigh.  Of course, most of them were in the Legislative Building and the Legislative Office Building.  Approximately 300 bills…

The North Carolina General Assembly 2014 short session will convene at high noon, 12 o’clock, on Wednesday, May 14th.  There are several reasons it’s called the short session.  They include the length of approximately six to eight weeks as compared to the six month long session last year, the limited number of bills we can…