Representative Harry Warren
♦This week the pace has picked up, as expected. The high volume of bills filed last week in order to beat the House deadline saw close to 300 more bills enter the system. These bills will have to be heard in their respective committees and pass on to the House floor in order to make their way to the Senate before the “crossover” deadline of May 16. Bills that fail to make it to the other chamber will most likely not be heard this session of the General Assembly.
Here are a few of the bills that made it out of the House this week:
HB 488 – Regionalization of Public Utilities. This is an act to promote the provision of regional water and sewer services by transferring ownership and operation of certain public water or sewer systems that do not function as joint or regional water or sewer systems to a metropolitan water and sewerage district.
SB 91 – Prohibit Expunction Inquiry. This would make it unlawful for an employer, educational institution, or state or local government agency to request information from an applicant for employment or admission regarding an arrest, criminal charge, or criminal conviction of the applicant that has been expunged.
HB 289 – State Computer Equipment/Buy Refurbished. This act is related to the purchasing of refurbished computer equipment as a method of acquisition for state and local governmental entities.
HB 333 – Sex Offender Residency/Registration Amendments. This bill was one suggested to me by our own District Attorney, Brandy Cook. The bill passed the House with a unanimous vote of 112 – 0 and has moved to the Senate.
HB 248 – Taxpayer Debt Information Act. This bill would make the estimation of interest on a proposed bond issuance of a voted debt by a local government part of the local government commission review process. It would also require that it be stated, on the ballot, the interest and that additional taxes may be levied to repay the debt.
HB 449 – State Contracts/Furniture. This legislation would allow state agencies to buy furniture from North Carolina vendors that meet certain conditions.
HB 587- OCS/ECS Exemption From ACT. This bill directs the State Board of Education to exempt eleventh grade students enrolled in the Occupational Course of Study or in the Extended Course of Study from taking the ACT. It also directs the SBOE to develop a separate measure for testing those students.
HB 588 – Public School Report/Flexibility. This bill would make changes to the forms that LEAs use for reporting their Individualized Education Programs, as well as making several other changes.
HB 719 – Education Improvement Act of 2013. This legislation makes multiple education reforms too numerous to list here. If you are interested in the ongoing challenges in regards to improving education, or if you are in the field, you should take a few minutes to review this bipartisan bill and the measures it calls for.
The following bills were sent to the Governor for his signature:
HB 139 – Adopt Uniform Deployed Parent Custody/Visit Act.
HB 224 – Asheville Extraterritorial Jurisdiction and Annexation. This is an act to make various amendments to Chapter 160A of the General Statues with respect to the City of Asheville.
SB 122 – Sex Trafficking/Sex Offender Registration. This is an act to add the offense of human trafficking to the list of criminal convictions that require registration under the sex offender and public protection registration program.
SB 123 – Clarify Sex Offender Residence Law. This legislation Clarifies the existing law pertaining to sex offenders residing near schools or day care centers.
SB 148 – Exempt Certain Steel Tubing/Electrical Contractors. This bill exempts the bonding of corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) gas piping systems from licensing requirements under the laws pertaining to electrical contractors.
SB 175 – Banking Laws Clarifications/Corrections. This act makes technical corrections and clarifications to Chapter 53C of the General Statues.
For those who have been following the Voter ID bill, here is an update:
HB 589 – The Voter Information Verification Act (VIVA). The voter ID bill passed out of the Elections Committee on Wednesday and was referred to the Finance Committee, where it was passed on a vote of 18 to 11. The bill is scheduled for an appearance in the Appropriations Committee next Tuesday, and if it passes there, it will advance to the House Floor on Wednesday for a second reading and a vote. Assuming it passes the second reading, it will be presented again on Thursday for a third and final reading. Upon passage, the bill will be sent to the Senate and begin a series of committee appearances there before advancing to the Senate Floor.
The Town Hall for this month will be held in Cleveland, on Friday, April 26, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm at the Cleveland Lions Den. We will take advantage of this time to discuss the Voter ID bill, the RECLAIM NC Act and proposed changes to the automotive insurance program that are all before the General Assembly.
I wish you all a very good week and wonderful weather!
Sincerely, Harry
N.C. House of Representatives District 77, Rowan County
611 Legislative Office Building Raleigh,
North Carolina 27603
