Revenue proposals abound With the Senate filing deadline finally behind us, we are sorting through many new proposals that affect our core principles and advocacy agenda.
The League's highest priority this session is to seek permanent and dedicated sources of revenue for infrastructure needs, primarily for water and sewer and transportation. We are working with our counterparts at the Association of County Commissioners to craft a legislative package that will address critical needs and provide an equitable share of revenue between cities and counties. The counties are focusing on Medicaid relief as well as infrastructure funding.
Tax swaps We are in the process of analyzing a number of proposals that have been introduced on revenue issues. Sen. Tony Rand introduced SB 1484 Sales Tax Medicaid Swap under which the state would assume the counties' Medicaid burden. In exchange, half of the first one-cent local option sales tax (Article 39) and all of the first half-cent local option sales tax (Article 40) would be converted to a state tax. Counties would be required to hold cities harmless for lost sales tax revenue, in the form of a reimbursement based on the amounts received for 2006-07. Counties would be given authority to enact a new one cent local option sales tax that they would not have to share with municipalities. The companion House bill is HB 1140 Sales Tax Medicaid Swap , sponsored by Rep. Pryor Gibson. Municipal officials have serious concerns about this legislation.
Another version of the swap is proposed in SB 1529 Implement Modernization Commission Recommendations , introduced by Sen. Dan Clodfelter. This bill would remove the county Medicaid burden, with repeal of the third half-cent local option sales tax (Article 44, enacted in 2002) and an increase in the state's sales tax rate by one half cent. It also includes some attractive features, such as authorization for municipalities and counties to levy a local option meals tax, room occupancy tax, and land transfer tax, with some restrictions. It increases the cigarette tax and raises the limit on the general municipal motor vehicle tax.
We will continue to analyze these proposals and inform the membership about their implications. We cannot support these proposals as written but we view them as launching points for discussion.
Transfer tax The land transfer tax is getting serious discussion for the first time in recent memory. In response, the N.C. Association of Realtors has launched a big-money statewide media campaign designed to derail any potential legislation. The campaign will include direct mail, radio and television ads, yard signs, and a website attacking the NC Home Tax. The Association's director cast aspersions on cities and counties this week, stating that growth more than pays for itself and that local government officials have their budgeting priorities out of whack. We believe that a revenue source based on growth is reasonable. The costs of city and county infrastructure must come from somewhere. Would your citizens rather have you raise property taxes to fund crucial infrastructure needs?
Sen. Bob Atwater filed SB 1516 Local Option Land Transfer Taxes authorizing counties to levy a local tax up to one percent on instruments conveying interests in real property, subject to voter approval. The bill does not require counties to share proceeds with municipalities. We will discuss this with the bill sponsor.
Sen. Clodfelter also introduced SB 1201 Financing Capital Projects . Rather than imposing a transfer tax, this bill would increase the rate of the existing deed stamp tax and would expand it to include instruments securing indebtedness. Counties would keep 20% of the proceeds, with the state getting the rest for its own capital needs. The bill would also increase the highway use tax, with half of the proceeds to be credited to the Highway Trust Fund to retire indebtedness incurred for road construction and maintenance projects.
Several local revenue bills were filed this week, these for local option transfer tax: HB 1081 ( Granville County ), HB 1093 ( Pamlico County ), HB 1142 ( Wake County ), HB 1175 ( Tyrrell County ), HB 1180 ( Avery County ). One impact fee bill was filed: HB 1218 ( Brunswick County ). More local option sales tax bills came in: HB 952 ( Franklin County ), HB 1028 ( Ashe County ), HB 1031 ( Yadkin County ), HB 1051 ( Duplin County ), HB 1096 ( Wilkes County ), HB 1106 ( Catawba County ), HB 1135 ( Swain County ), HB 1158 ( Sampson County ), HB 1212 ( New Hanover County ), HB 1216 ( Wayne County ).
Other infrastructure news Companion bills HB 990 Land and Water Conservation Bond Act of 2007 (Reps. William Wainwright, Phil Haire, Lucy Allen, and Pricey Harrison) and SB 1522 Land and Water Conservation Bond Act of 2007 (Sen. Charlie Albertson) would authorize the state to issue $1 billion in general obligation bonds, subject to voter approval at the November 2007 election, for land conservation and open space. Proceeds are divided among the Natural Heritage Trust Fund, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, the Farmland Presevation Trust Fund, the Landing Jobs Initiative, and the One NC Naturally program. The League's advocacy agenda supports bonds for this purpose, but funding for transportation and water and sewer need is a higher priority.
The advocacy agenda also recognizes the need to curtail transfers from the Highway Trust Fund so that the funds remain directed to vital transporation infrastructure needs. HB 1004 Highway Trust Fund Transfers Eliminated (Reps. Debbie Clary and Nelson Cole) and SB 1320 Highway Trust Fund Security Act of 2007 (Sen. Phil Berger) would repeal transfers of funds from the Highway Trust Fund to the state's general fund.
Property tax relief The week brought more property tax proposals. SB 1348 Low-Income Housing Property Tax (Sen. Malcolm Graham) requires that the effect of rent restrictions and income restrictions on the true value of property must be taken into account for valuation purposes. HB 972 Raise Homestead Exemption Income Limit to 30K (Rep. Cary Allred) would increase the income eligibility limit for a qualifying elderly and disabled property owners for the property tax homestead exclusion from $18,000 to $30,000, with annual indexing. SB 1442 Circuit Breaker Property Tax Benefit (Sen. John Snow) enacts provisions to reduce property taxes on owner-occupied homes that meet eligibility criteria similar to that of the homestead exclusion. The tax is reduced by a percentage that depends on the owner's income. The difference between the reduced tax and the tax that would have been owed is a lien on the property and is carried forward as deferred taxes. The deferred tax for the past three years along with penalties and interest must be paid within nine months of the death of the owner or transfer of the property.
Special retirement benefits Companion bills offering enhanced retirement benefits for police officers were introduced this week. HB 1114 Law Officers' 25-Year Retirement (Reps. Debbie Clary, Marian McLawhorn, Rick Glazier and Tim Moore) and SB 1444 Law Officers' 25-Year Retirement (Sen. John Snow) allow law enforcement officers to retire with unreduced benefits after 25 years of creditable service. The bills also amend the special separation allowance to make officers eligible with 25 years service and to provide that the allowance is to be administered by the State Treasurer, with each employing agency paying into a fund. It removes the provision that makes officers ineligible for the allowance upon reemployment. Firefighters' benefits were also addressed in SB 1238 Career Fire and Rescue Retirement (Sen. Martin Nesbitt), which adds career firefighters and rescue squad workers to the retirement provisions for law enforcement officers (early retirement at 50 with 15 years service), and SB 1409 Separation Allowance/Firefighters & EMS (Sen. Fletcher Hartsell), which provides a separation allowance for career firefighters and rescue squad workers similar to that for police officers. We will be analyzing the actuarial information to determine the potential financial impacts of these bills but they will be substantial. All of these bills would provide excessive benefits to particular groups of local retirees, and our membership has long opposed that approach.
Police officer bill of rights We mentioned SB 980 (Sen. Julia Boseman) in last week's Bulletin . Its companion bill, HB 980 Law Enforcement Officer Discipline (Reps. Paul Stam and Grier Martin) was introduced this week. We continue to oppose this intrusion into local employment decisions.
Labor unions More labor union bills have surfaced. SB 1543 Collective Bargaining for Government Workers (Sen. Larry Shaw) authorizes public employees to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining and requires employers to negotiate with the union as the exclusive contracting agent for public employees regarding wages, hours, and other conditions of employment. It repeals existing state law prohibiting contracts between government units and labor unions. SB 1271 Firefighter/EMS Payroll Deductions (Sen. John Snow) requires a public safety employer to make a payroll deduction upon the request of the employee for the membership dues of any firefighter and emergency medical services union that represents a majority of eligible employees in the department. We oppose these bills.
Interbasin transfer Several bills that would impose additional restrictions on interbasin transfers of water have been filed. HB 960 Amend Interbasin Transfer Law (Reps. Walter Church, Mitch Gillespie, Mark Hilton and Ray Warren) and companion SB 1360 Amend Interbasin Transfer Law ( Sen. Austin Allran) create a presumption that approval for an interbasin transfer will not be granted unless the applicant can show that there are no water sources available within the applicant's watershed, that the interbasin transfer is necessary to protect and promote public health, and that there is no other reasonable alternative to the requested transfer. They require letters of support from each upstream and downstream public water supplier, and require an economic impact assessment, a social impact assessment, a groundwater aquifer assessment, and an impoundment assessment. A transfer may not be granted if it will supply more than five percent of the water used by the applicant or the sum of the proposed transfer and the authorized withdrawals and transfers from the source river basin exceeds the combined safe yields of the source water bodies. SB 1421 Amend Interbasin Transfer Laws (Sen. Joe Sam Queen) creates a presumption that approval for a transfer will not be granted unless the transfer is necessary to protect and promote public health and welfare. It provides that in considering a transfer application, projected future water needs in the receiving river basin are subordinate to projected future water needs in the source river basin. The transfer certificate must include a drought management plan with mandatory reductions in the transfer based on the severity of a drought and mandatory implementation of drought management measures in the receiving river basin that equal or exceed those measures implemented in the source river basin.
Gang prevention This session the League is seeking legislation to provide new tools and funding for gang prevention. Sen. Malcolm Graham has introduced SB 1358 Street Gang Prevention Act to address the critical gang problem with enhanced penalties, grant monies, and other provisions. It is similar but not identical to HB 274 Street Gang Prevention Act (Reps. Mickey Michaux, Phillip Frye and Becky Carney). We will work to assist the sponsors in support of these proposals.
Landfills and tip fees Bills proposing to change how solid waste is disposed of in North Carolina have been introduced as companions HB 1233 Solid Waste Management Act of 2007 (Reps. Pryor Gibson, Lucy Allen and Pricey Harrison) and SB 1492 Solid Waste Management Act of 2007 (Sen. Dan Clodfelter). Some of the impacts to local governments include a $2 per ton state tip fee on the disposal of municipal solid waste in any landfill, significant new permit fees, and a state franchising process that removes local discretion on the franchising of some new landfills. Based on early estimates provided to us by several municipalities, this bill could have serious fiscal impacts on local governments and solid waste customers.
Public records A proposal was introduced to clarify the information that is available to the public regarding employee contracts and benefits. SB 1546 Clarify Public Access to Personnel Records (Sen. David Hoyle) a mends the various personnel privacy statutes (including those for cities, counties, and schools) to specify that the terms of any employment contract are a matter of public record. It also clarifies that "salary" for purposes of information that is deemed a public record includes pay, benefits, incentives, bonuses, and deferred and all other forms of compensation.
Following are some of the bills that were introduced or acted upon this week. If you need a copy of these or any other bills, please contact the Legislative Printed Bills Office at 919-733-5648 or the League office. Remember that bills and legislative calendars are now available on the Internet at http://www.ncleg.net . Please contact the League staff if you have any particular interest or concern regarding any piece of legislation. Environment
Bill: SB 1468 PROMOTE INNOVATIVE WATER PROTECTION EFFORTS Sponsors: Albertson (D10) Status:
03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Agriculture/Environment/Natural
Resources Bill: SB 1467 INCREASE PENALTIES FOR AIR POLLUTION Sponsors: Albertson (D10) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resource Increases the cap on penalties from $10,000 to $25,000 for listed air quality violations, including violations of permits and special orders. Makes same change with regard to cap on daily penalty for emissions violations and for continuous violations. Bill: SB 1525 RECOVERY OF CERTAIN I.T. EQUIPMENT Sponsors: Hagan (D27) Status: 03/28/2007 Senate Committee On Commerce, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Creates a system for disposing of, and collecting and recycling, electronic computing, display, and printing devices, including desktop or notebook computers, computer monitors, portable computers, printers, and inkjet printers (but not personal digital assistants or televisions). Provides that no manufacturer may sell or offer for sale any covered device unless the manufacturer has visibly labeled the device and implemented a recovery program whereby the manufacturer offers to collect and recover the device at no charge to the consumer. Bill: SB 1553 RECYCLING DISCARDED COMPUTER EQUIPMENT Sponsors: Cowell (D16) Status: 03/28/2007 Senate Committee On Commerce, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Prohibits the disposal of discarded computer equipment in landfills or by incineration. Requires each manufacturer of computer equipment sold in the state to register with DENR, pay a $10,000 registration fee, and pay an annual renewal fee of $5,000, with proceeds credited to the Computer Equipment Management Account. Requires manufacturers to submit a plan for DENR's approval for the recycling or reuse of the equipment. Requires manufacturers to pay the reasonable costs of operating a certified computer recycling facility that are attributable to handling discarded equipment generated by households in the state, the costs of transporting the equipment, and the actual costs of recycling the equipment. Requires counties and cities with a population exceeding 25,000 to include in their solid waste management plans an assessment of current programs and a description of intended actions with respect to the collection of discarded computer equipment. Bill: SB 1339 DELAY ECOSYSTEM ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM FEES Sponsors: Jenkins (D3) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources Provides that the effective date of the proposed rule noticed in 21 N.C. Reg. 1086 (December 15, 2006) to 15A NCAC 2R.0402 (schedule of fees) is delayed until the following: (a) the submission of the final report on the study of the merger of the Ecological Enhancement Program and the Clean Water Management Trust Fund to the Environmental Review Commission and the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee, (b) the submission of the final report on the study of the Nutrient Offset Payment Program to the ERC. Finance
& Taxation Sponsors: Haire (D119) Status: 03/27/2007 House Committee On Finance Provides that payments received by the state and local governments from the Tennessee Valley Authority in lieu of taxes are to be apportioned between local governments on the basis of each unit's percentage of the total value of TVA property in the state (rather than based on the percentage of lost taxes to each). Bill: SB 1196 MODIFICATIONS TO PROJECT DEV. FINANCING ACT Sponsors: Clodfelter (D37) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Finance Amends Project Development Financing Act to allow local governments to use the proceeds of such financings to provide parks and recreation and provides that when proceeds are used for services or facilities described under G.S. 160A-536 (municipal service districts), no municipal service district needs to be created. Amends provisions related to adjustments to base valuation to remove the requirement that the base valuation be increased when it appears at the time of a general revaluation that the property values of the district as of January 1 immediately preceding the district's effective date would be increased. Bill: SB 1197 LOCAL BONDS FOR OTHER POST-EMPLOY. BENEFITS Sponsors: Clodfelter (D37) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Finance Authorizes local governments to issues general obligation bonds to fund valid obligations of the unit with respect to other post-employment benefits as that term is defined by generally accepted accounting principles. Bill: SB 1199 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MODIFICATIONS Sponsors: Clodfelter (D37) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Finance Authorizes cities and counties to acquire or construct one or more shell buildings intended for use by one or more specific, identified industrial or commercial businesses. Bill: SB 1309 PROPERTY TAX REFORM ACT OF 2007 Sponsors: Clodfelter (D37) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Finance Eliminates octennial revaluations of real property and substitutes a requirement that reappraisals shall take place whenever the ratio of appraised value to true value of real property in a county does not exceed 90%. Eliminates fourth year horizontal adjustments. Repeals statute which grants a property tax exemption for property financed by NC Medical Care Commission bonds or notes. Provides that a cable company is a public service company for purposes of appraisal of its system property and provides for allocation of the valuation among local governments. Enacts new special residential appraisal criteria to require taxation based on use value rather than true value for certain residential property that is in a subdivision that was rezoned more than five years ago from single family residential use to another use and is predominantly characterized by single family residences. Requires that property tax receipts separately state the tax rate for public school purposes and the total rate for all other purposes. Makes numerous amendments to provisions governing tax collection on mobile homes. Bill: SB 1412 TIF DISTRICTS - UP ZONES Sponsors: Hartsell (R36) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Finance Repeals provision which requires that the base valuation of a development financing district be increased if, at the time of revaluation it appears that the property tax values of the district as they existed on the January 1 immediately preceding the effective date of the district would be increased because of the revaluation. Amends definition of urban progress zone to include the requirement that more than 15% of the population within the census tracts and block groups composing the zone is below the poverty level and the per capita income of the population is at least 10% below the income of the state. Requires that at least 50% of the area within one or more census tracts or block groups that compose part of the zone (was, of the area of the portion that is within the primary corporate limits of the municipality) be zoned nonresidential. General Government Bill: HB 1011 HOUSING CONDITIONS/INSPECTIONS Sponsors: Gibson (D69) Status: 03/26/07 House Committee On Commerce, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Amends landlord tenant law and G.S. 160A-443 [minimum housing standards] to require certain landowners to immediately repair any imminently dangerous condition after receiving notice of the condition. Amends G.S. 160A-424 [periodic inspections] to allow cities to inspect for unsafe, unsanitary or otherwise hazardous or unlawful conditions in residential or nonresidential buildings only when there is probable cause to believe those conditions exist. Defines probable cause. Bill: HB 1060 LOCAL GOVERNMENT SURPLUS PROPERTY DONATIONS Sponsors: Faison (D50) Status: 03/27/2007 House Committee On Judiciary II Enacts new G.S. 160A-280, authorizing a city or county to donate to another governmental unit any real property or personal property, including supplies, materials, and equipment, that the governing board deems to be surplus, obsolete, or unused. The governing board is to give public notice and adopt a resolution approving the donation prior to making it. Governmental unit is as defined in G.S. 160A-274(a). Bill: HB 1113 STATE TORT CLAIMS/PUBLIC DUTY DOCTRINE Sponsors: Glazier (D45); Faison (D50) Status: 03/28/2007 House Committee On Judiciary II Amends the state tort claims act to provide that the public duty doctrine is an affirmative defense on the part of the state department, institution, or agency against which the claim is asserted if and only if the injury of the claimant is the result of the alleged negligent failure of law enforcement to protect the claimant from the misconduct of others. Bill: SB 1216 NONPROFIT LICENSE EXEMPTION/BUILDING PERMIT Sponsors: Goss (D45) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Commerce, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Specifies that a nonprofit organization performing general contracting work for the construction of residential buildings whose workforce primarily consists of volunteers may be issued a building permit whether or not the nonprofit organization employs on its staff or contracts for the services of a licensed general contractor. Bill: SB 1221 NUISANCES/PORTABLE STORAGE UNITS Sponsors: Cowell (D16) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Judiciary I Requires cities and counties to adopt ordinances regulating portable storage units in residential areas, including the permitting of portable storage units. Specifies that a temporary use permit must be required before a portable storage unit can be placed in a residential area. Provides that no portable storage unit may be placed in a residential area for more than 30 days except that permits may be renewed once in the case of an emergency for an additional 30 days. No person may rent more than one portable storage unit nor have more than one renewal in a 12-month period. Does not apply to active construction or renovation sites that are having work done by a licensed builder or contractor or to commercial, industrial, or institutional sites. Bill: SB 1242 RETAINAGE PAYMENTS/CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS Sponsors: Dorsett (D28) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Commerce, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Amends G.S. 143-134.1 to require the balance due on public construction contracts requiring the estimated expenditure of $300,000 or more let by the state (except DOT) or any political subdivision thereof, to be paid in full to prime contractors 45 days after acceptance or certification. Increases the amount of interest to be paid on late payments to prime contractors and from prime contractors to subcontractors from 1% to 1 1/2 % per month. Prohibits retainage on periodic or final payments made by the owner or prime contractor on public construction contracts in which the total project costs are less than $300,000. Allows retainage when the project costs are $300,000 or more and sets requirements for the retainage including the amount to be retained and how it is released. Provides that the state or any political subdivision thereof may allow contractors to bid on bonded projects without retainage. Bill: SB 1259 NO LIABILITY/WATER MEETS WATER STANDARDS Sponsors: Rand (D19) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Judiciary I Specifies that a provider of water services shall not be deemed to be an insurer of the quality of the water provided, so long as the water meets or exceeds the enforceable standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act, and shall not be deemed to provide any warranty under the Uniform Commercial Code, including, but not limited to, an implied warranty of merchantability or an implied warranty for a particular purpose. Incorporations Bill: HB 986 BUTNER INCORPORATION Sponsors: Crawford (D32) Status: 03/26/2007 House Committee On Local Government I Incorporates the Town of Butner in Granville County . Prohibits other cities from annexing or extending ETJ into the Camp Butner reservation without written approval from the state and the Butner Town Council. Prohibits Town of Butner from annexing or extending ETJ into those portions of the Camp Butner reservation owned by the state without state approval. No portion of the lands owned by the state as of September 1, 2007, that are located in the town limits or ETJ of the Town of Butner are subject to any of the planning and zoning powers granted to the town except as to property no longer owned by the state. Bill: HB 1047 INCORPORATE SNEADS FERRY Sponsors: Grady (R15) Status: 03/27/2007 House Committee On Local Government II Incorporates the Village of Sneads Ferry in Onslow County , subject to a referendum in November of 2007. Local Bills Bill: HB 1040 SWANSBORO ROAD IMPROVEMENTS Sponsors: Cleveland (R14) Status: 03/27/2007 House Committee On Local Government I Allows the town to assess a new residential developer for sidewalks along exterior roads of a subdivision up to 50% of the costs. Bill: HB 1041 EARL ANNEXATIONS Sponsors: Moore (R111) Status: 03/27/2007 House Committee On Local Government I Adds to the corporate limits of the town the remainder of parcels that are partially in the corporate limits and that have not previously been annexed. Bill: HB 1061 CARRBORO DEANNEXATION Sponsors: Faison (D50) Status: 03/27/2007 House Committee On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Removes the area known as the Northeast Annexation of 2005-06 from the town limits. Bill: HB 1097 CHAPEL HILL ENERGY EFFICIENCY INCENTIVES Sponsors: Insko (D56) Status: 03/28/2007 House Committee On Local Government II Allows the town to provide development incentives in exchange for reduction in energy consumption Bill: HB 1101 CURRITUCK COUNTY DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS Sponsors: Owens (D1) Status: 03/28/2007 House Committee On Local Government I Authorizes the transfer of development rights in association with conservation easements in rural parts of the county. Bill: HB 1145 TOWN OF COLUMBIA /LOITER FOR DRUGS Sponsors: Owens (D1) Status: 03/28/2007 House Committee On Judiciary III Makes it a criminal offense to loiter in the town for the purpose of violating controlled substance laws. Public Safety Bill: SB 1477 INHERENTLY DANGEROUS ANIMALS Sponsors: Jones, Ed (D4) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Judiciary II Makes it unlawful to import into, possess, purchase, breed, or sell within the state an inherently dangerous animal. Defines inherently dangerous animals as any non-domesticated animal for which evidence demonstrates that unprotected human contact with the species can result in a life threatening injury or disease to those who come in direct or indirect contact. Lists examples species. Lists exceptions to the prohibition, including animal control or law enforcement officers. Allows person in legal possession of an inherently dangerous animal before January 1, 2008 to keep the animal for the remainder of its life, subject to certain conditions. Allows local governing bodies to adopt more restrictive ordinances. Bill: SB 1399 BAN MOBILE PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING Sponsors: Dannelly (D38) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Judiciary II Prohibits the operation of a motor vehicle upon a public street or highway while using a mobile telephone to engage in a call. Contains exceptions for use of a hands-free phone and for use of a mobile phone for the sole purpose of communicating with certain persons or entities in an emergency situation. Excepts a law enforcement officer; a member of a fire department; or the operator of a public or private ambulance while in performance of their duties. Prohibits local governments from regulating the use of mobile telephones. Retirement Bill: HB 1025 LOCAL GOVERN. RETIREMENT/PURCHASE OF SERVICE Sponsors: Coleman (D39) Status: 03/27/2007 House Committee On Pensions and Retirement Amends provisions regarding purchase of credit in LGERS for periods of probationary employment. In the event an employer pays all or a part of the full actuarial cost, the employer may, at its option, pay such amount either in a lump sum or by increasing its "accrued liability contribution" for the remainder of its accrued liability period. In the event an employer has satisfied its accrued liability contribution, the employer may amortize its portion of the full actuarial cost over a period not to exceed 10 years. Transportation Bill: HB 976 PUBLIC VEHICULAR AREAS DEFINED Sponsors: Boylan (R52) Status: 03/22/2007 House Committee On Transportation Adds to definition of public vehicular area the area is a road used by vehicular traffic within or leading to a gated subdivision, whether or not the subdivision roads have been offered for dedication to the public. Any person, association, or other legal entity having responsibility for a controlled access system on a road that is a public vehicular area must provide a means of access to all emergency service vehicles. Bill: SB 1200 POWELL BILL ALLOCATIONS/MUNICIPAL ELECTION Sponsors: Clodfelter (D37) Status: 03/26/2007 Senate Committee On Appropriations/Base Budget Provides that a municipality qualified to receive Powell Bill funds may elect to have some or all of its allocation reprogrammed for any Transportation Improvement Project currently on the approved project list within the municipality's limits or within the area of any metropolitan planning organization or rural planning organization. Bill: SB 1513 COUNTY FINANCING/HIGHWAY AND BRIDGE PROJECTS Sponsors: Jenkins (D3) Status: 03/28/2007 Senate Committee On Commerce, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Allows counties to participate in the cost of rights-of-way, construction, reconstruction, improvement, or maintenance of a road on the state highway system under agreement with DOT. Counties may acquire land by dedication and acceptance, purchase, or eminent domain and make improvements to portions of the state highway system lying within or outside the county limits utilizing local funds that have been authorized for that purpose.
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