Bills address municipal priorities

Bills are beginning to flow into the legislative process, and we are seeing introduction of some legislation that touches on municipal legislative priorities for this session. Top priorities on the advocacy agenda adopted by the membership at conference last October include: securing adequate permanent and dedicated sources of revenue for infrastructure needs; seeking a legislative study of transportation issues; and seeking legislation to prohibit transfer of Highway Trust Fund monies to the General Fund.

Local revenue sources

This week, Rep. Mickey Michaux introduced HB 153- Local Option Tax Menu, which would authorize counties and municipalities to levy certain local option taxes if approved by voters. These taxes would include a sales tax, an impact tax, a meals tax, a room occupancy tax, an income tax and a land transfer tax. He has introduced similar bills in previous sessions.

Also, two more local option sales tax bills were introduced by Rep. Ray Warren, HB 230 – Alexander County Local Option Sales Tax and HB 159 – Catawba County Local Option Sales Tax. Both would allow proceeds to be used for any public purpose. A number of other local option sales tax bills have been introduced for specific counties, with proceeds designated for schools. We expect to see more of these, as well as local bills on the land transfer tax.

We hope introduction of these bills will spark a thoughtful discussion of the revenue needs of municipalities and counties and enactment of legislation that will enable local officials to meet infrastructure needs.

Eliminating Highway Trust Fund transfers

Reps. Trudi Walend and Ric Killian have introduced HB 215 – Ensure Integrity of Highway Trust Fund, a bill that would eliminate transfer of funds from the Highway Trust Fund to the General Fund. This is a League priority so that Highway Trust Fund monies can be used for vital transportation needs.

Affordable housing needs

Another municipal advocacy agenda priority is to seek additional funding for affordable housing. HB 192 – Affordable Housing Bonds Act of 2007, introduced by Reps. Deborah Ross, Bruce Goforth, Beverly Earle and Jim Harrell, calls for $250 million in general obligation bonds for affordable housing if approved by voters in a referendum in November 2008. The General Assembly will likely be asked to consider a number of bond bills this session. HB 127 – Clean Water Act of 2007, reported last week, authorizes a referendum in November 2007 on the issuance of $500 million in state general obligation bonds for clean water purposes.

Delegation meets with legislators on public safety

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory led a group of mayors and citizens to Raleigh this week to make the case that public safety, including increased funding for the justice system, should be a legislative priority this session. The group met with Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, House Speaker Joe Hackney, and others to discuss the issue.

Local control of smoking

Sen. Tony Rand has introduced SB 124- Local Government Regulation of Smoking, a bill that authorizes local governments to adopt rules or ordinances regulating smoking in public places. It would repeal a state statute that currently limits local authority in this area. Two other bills previously reported, HB 24 – Smoking in State Govt. Buildings/Prohibition and SB 43 - Smoking in State Govt. Buildings/Prohibition might also be vehicles for discussion of the issue of local government preemption.

Annexation notice and standards

Reps. Larry Brown and Nelson Dollar have introduced HB 243 – Annexation Notice, which would require that all property owners be notified of a potential city-initiated annexation by certified, rather than first-class, mail. In addition, if the municipality operated a cable public access channel, that channel would be required to air a daily notice of the proposed annexation for 30 days prior to the public informational meeting. HB 243 would also require that annexations initiated by municipalities of 5,000 or more meet all of the urban development tests specified in the statutes. Currently the city may demonstrate that the area is developed for urban purposes by meeting any one of the three tests. The League opposes this bill.

Proposals on local retirement

HB 213 – Remove Local Retirement Earnings Cap, introduced by Reps. Russell Tucker, Alice Underhill and William Wainwright, would end the retirement earnings cap on retirees in the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System. This would allow LGERS retirees to return to work without losing retirement benefits. In other legislation affecting retirees, HB 233 – Equal Tax Treatment of Government Retiree Benefits would allow, on state income tax returns, an unlimited deduction for N.C. state and local or federal retirement benefits received during the taxable year. HB 233 was introduced by Reps. Alice Underhill, Bill Faison, Rick Glazier and Louis Pate.

More committee and leadership notes

In addition to the appointments previously reported, please note the following. In the House, Rep. Pete Cunningham was named Assistant to the Speaker. Reps. Larry Bell, Jean Farmer-Butterfield, and Deborah Ross will serve as majority whips in the House. Rep. Larry Hall was selected as Democratic freshmen chair. Rep. Carolyn Justice will serve as deputy minority whip, and Rep. Ric Killian was named Republican freshman chair. House committee assignments were announced this week, and a few House and Senate committees have begun to meet. We’ve included a list of the House committee leadership with this Bulletin, but don’t forget that committee membership and a wealth of other information is available online at www.ncleg.net. You may wish to check the website from time to time, as committee lists are subject to change during the session.

Don’t forget local bill deadlines

The Senate local bill deadline is fast approaching. Senators must submit local bills to Legislative Bill Drafting by Feb. 27. The corresponding deadline for House local bills is March 20. If you have not already done so, please contact your legislators with any local bill requests.

HOUSE COMMITTEES

Aging
Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield, Chair
Reps. Alice Bordsen, Debbie Clary, Earl Jones, and Garland Pierce, Vice Chairs

Agribusiness and Agricultural Economy
Rep. Bill Faison, Chair
Reps. Dewey Hill and Roger West, Vice Chairs

Agriculture
Rep. Dewey Hill, Chair
Reps. Larry Bell, Van Braxton, William Brisson, Bill Faison, David Lewis, and Arthur Williams, Vice Chairs

Alcoholic Beverage Control
Rep. Marvin Lucas, Chair
Reps. Pryor Gibson and Robert Grady, Vice Chairs

Appropriations
Rep. Mickey Michaux, Senior Chair
Reps. Alma Adams, Martha Alexander, Jim Crawford, Phil Haire, Maggie Jeffus, Joe Tolson, and Doug Yongue, Chairs

Appropriations - Capital
Reps. Larry Womble and Thomas Wright, Chairs
Reps. Walter Church and Robert Grady, Vice Chairs

Appropriations - Education
Reps. Rick Glazier, Marian McLawhorn, and Ray Rapp, Chairs
Reps. Larry Bell, Linda Johnson, and Marvin Lucas, Vice Chairs

Appropriations - General Government
Reps. Bruce Goforth and Alice Underhill, Chairs
Reps. Susan Fisher, Fred Steen, and Russell Tucker, Vice Chairs

Appropriations - Health and Human Services
Reps. Beverly Earle, Bob England, and Verla Insko, Chairs
Reps. Jeff Barnhart, Debbie Clary, and Linda Coleman, Vice Chairs

Appropriations - Justice and Public Safety
Reps. Alice Bordsen and Jimmy Love, Chairs
Reps. Joe Kiser, Karen Ray, Timothy Spear, Ronnie Sutton, and Ray Warren, Vice Chairs

Appropriations - Natural and Economic Resources
Reps. Mary McAllister and Edith Warren, Chairs
Reps. Pricey Harrison, Carolyn Justice, and Winkie Wilkins, Vice Chairs

Appropriations - Transportation
Reps. Lorene Coates and Nelson Cole, Chairs
Reps. Lucy Allen, Dan Blue, George Holmes, and Drew Saunders, Vice Chairs

Children, Youth and Families
Rep. Garland Pierce, Chair
Reps. Jean Farmer-Butterfield, Mary McAllister, and Laura Wiley, Vice Chairs

Commerce, Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Rep. Margaret Dickson, Chair
Reps. Becky Carney, Bill Daughtridge, Edgar Starnes, and Winkie Wilkins, Vice Chairs

Education
Reps. Larry Bell and Marvin Lucas, Chairs

Education – Community Colleges
Reps. Winkie Wilkins and Michael Wray, Chairs
Reps. Alice Bordsen, Bob England, and Tracy Walker, Vice Chairs

Education – Pre-School, Elementary and Secondary Education
Reps. Susan Fisher and Earline Parmon, Chairs
Reps. Curtis Blackwood, Maggie Jeffus, and Marian McLawhorn, Vice Chairs

Education - Universities
Reps. Mary McAllister and Larry Womble, Chairs
Reps. William Current, Dollar, Verla Insko, Cullie Tarleton, and Edith Warren, Vice Chairs

Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform
Rep. Melanie Goodwin, Chair
Reps. Joe Kiser, Paul Luebke, and Deborah Ross, Vice Chairs

Energy and Energy Efficiency
Rep. Pricey Harrison, Chair
Reps. Joe Tolson and Trudi Walend, Vice Chairs

Environment and Natural Resources
Rep. Lucy Allen, Chair
Reps. Mitch Gillespie, Jim Harrell, Pricey Harrison, Carolyn Justice, Cullie Tarleton, and Alice Underhill, Vice Chairs

Ethics
Reps. Julia Howard and Deborah Ross, Chairs
Reps. Harold Brubaker and Doug Yongue, Vice Chairs

Federal Relations and Indian Affairs
Reps. Dan Blue and Ronnie Sutton, Chairs
Reps. Philip Frye and Grier Martin, Vice Chairs

Finance
Rep. Paul Luebke, Senior Chair
Reps. Pryor Gibson, William Wainwright, and Jennifer Weiss, Chairs
Reps. Dewey Hill, Hugh Holliman, Julia Howard, Danny McComas, and Larry Womble, Vice Chairs

Financial Institutions
Rep. Walter Church, Chair
Reps. Harold Brubaker, Becky Carney, and Arthur Williams, Vice Chairs

Health
Rep. Thomas Wright, Chair
Reps. Beverly Earle, Bob England, and Carolyn Justus, Vice Chairs

Homeland Security, Military and Veterans Affairs
Rep. Grier Martin, Chair;
Reps. John Blust, Pete Cunningham, Louis Pate, and Thomas Wright, Vice Chairs

Insurance
Reps. Bruce Goforth and Hugh Holliman, Chairs
Reps. Angela Bryant, Margaret Dickson, Jerry Dockham, and Mitchell Setzer, Vice Chairs

Judiciary I
Rep. Deborah Ross, Chair
Reps. Melanie Goodwin, Paul Stam, and Bonner Stiller, Vice Chairs

Judiciary II
Rep. Dan Blue, Chair
Reps. Rick Glazier, Jimmy Love, and Jennifer Weiss, Vice Chairs

Judiciary III
Rep. Ronnie Sutton, Chair
Reps. Leo Daughtry, Bill Faison, and Ray Warren, Vice Chairs

Juvenile Justice
Rep. Alice Bordsen, Chair
Reps. Phil Haire, Joe Kiser, and Annie Mobley, Vice Chairs

Local Government I
Rep. Russell Tucker, Chair
Reps. Van Braxton and James Langdon, Vice Chairs

Local Government II
Rep. Earl Jones, Chair
Reps. Alma Adams and Lucy Allen, Vice Chairs

Mental Health Reform
Reps. Beverly Earle and Verla Insko, Chairs
Reps. Martha Alexander and Jeff Barnhart, Vice Chairs

Pensions and Retirement
Reps. Larry Bell and Jim Harrell, Chairs
Reps. Linda Coleman, Dale Folwell, Bryan Holloway, and Bill McGee, Vice Chairs

Public Utilities
Rep. Drew Saunders, Chair
Reps. Harold Brubaker and Lorene Coates, Vice Chairs

Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House
Rep. Bill Owens, Chair
Reps. Rick Glazier, Dewey Hill, Paul Luebke, and Deborah Ross, Vice Chairs

Science and Technology
Rep. Earl Jones, Chair
Reps. Jim Gulley, Ty Harrell, and Joe Tolson, Vice Chairs

State Personnel
Rep. Linda Coleman, Chair
Reps. David Almond and Walter Church, Vice Chairs

Transportation
Rep. Becky Carney, Chair
Reps. Lorene Coates, Nelson Cole, Jim Crawford, Mark Hilton, Danny McComas, and Arthur Williams, Vice Chairs

University Board of Governors Nominating
Rep. Margaret Dickson, Chair
Reps. Angela Bryant, Phil Haire, and Tim Moore, Vice Chairs

Ways and Means
Rep. Jim Harrell, Chair
Reps. Cary Allred, Larry Hall, Mickey Michaux, Bill Owens, and William Wainwright, Vice Chairs

Wildlife Resources
Rep. Arthur Williams, Chair
Reps. George Cleveland, Timothy Spear, and Michael Wray, Vice Chairs