While various bills made their way through committees and chambers this week, the highlight was the release of Governor Cooper's proposed Budget Recommendations for fiscal years 2017-2018.
Secretary Hall Confirmed
After three declined invitations to testify before a Senate Committee and weeks of legal standoff, Military and Veteran Affairs Secretary Larry Hall was approved Thursday by both the Senate Commerce and Insurance Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Nominations. The recommendation will go before the full Senate for a vote on Monday night.
Partisan Elections (HB100)
A bill sponsored by Representative Justin Burr (R-Montgomery) that would require the political party of a judicial candidate be listed on the ballot passed through the Senate Elections and Rules Committees this week. The bill will now go to the Senate floor, and if approved, to the Governor.
Sunday Brunch (SB155)
A bipartisan bill filed this week seeks to change the blue law that bans the sale of alcohol before noon on Sundays. The proposed law wouldn't allow sale of beer and wine at grocery or convenience stores, but would give restaurants the ability to serve alcoholic beverages beginning at 10am on Sunday.
Regulatory Reform (SB131)
A bill entitled Regulatory Reform Act of 2016, which seeks to adopt all of the regulatory provisions agreed upon by the Senate last year, passed the Senate Natural and Environmental Resources Committee yesterday with an amendment that included changes related to private wells, storm water control, stream mitigation, and Sentinel Landscapes.
Governor's Budget
State Budget Director, Charles Perusse, introduced Governor Cooper's Budget Recommendations to the joint Appropriations Committee yesterday. The proposed $24.4 billion in spending would amount to a $1 billion increase over the current fiscal year, representing a 5.1 percent increase in FY 2017-18, followed by a 1.6 percent increase in FY 2018-19. Notably, the recommendations call for the installation of a Film and Entertainment Tax Credit along with a Child-Care and Dependent Tax Credit. Click here for a full version of the Governor's Budget Recommendations.
- Education: The Governor's goals to increase early childhood education rates from 22 percent to 55 percent, raise the high school graduation rate from 85 to 91 percent, and increase the number of adults with higher education degrees from 38 to 55 percent aim to put North Carolina in the top 10 most educated states by the year 2025. Specifics on how to reach this goal include public school teachers receiving a 10 percent pay increase over the next two years (with an included $150 stipend for classroom materials), establishing a scholarship program to forgive $10,000 in loans for students who commit to teaching in public schools for four years, or three years at a low-income or low-preforming school, and a commitment to fully fund the NC Promise Program.
- Health and Human Services: Cooper's proposed budget calls for the state to fully fund the Medicaid rebase with expansions, increase spending on mental health services by $152.8 million, and to develop and implement North Carolina Families Accessing Services through Technology (NC FAST), a case management system that seeks to improve the way the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the 100 county departments of social services conduct business while enabling staff to spend less time performing administrative tasks and more time assisting families.
- Economic Development: The proposed budget calls for $85 million for local government infrastructure and assistance, $10 million for a development fund to assist large manufacturing site projects, $30 million to attract new projects, $10 million for downtown revitalizations, and $20 million to expand broadband— specifically in far west and north east tier 1 and tier 2 counties. The recommendations also call for the higher of a 2 percent or $800 raise to state employees who are not teachers, along with a $500 bonus. The proposal calls for a 1.5 percent COLA for retirees.
- Public Safety: The proposal would appropriate $13 million towards reducing recidivism rates, $1.8 million to the State Crime Lab, and $2 million in grants to assist local law enforcement in the fight against opioids. The proposal also includes the hiring of 56 new probation officers, a $5 an hour pay increase for private counsel representing persons declared indigent, and funding to support Raise the Age legislation including $13 million to support operating costs of a new youth detention center for 16 and 17 year olds in the case that the legislation is approved.
- Environment: In addition to investments in the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, and the Agriculture and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, the proposal calls for $2 million to build capacity in areas of erosion control, dam safety, and water quality including coal ash management.
- Transportation: The proposed budget would provide an additional $76 million in FY 2017-18 and over $114 million in FY 2018-19 to the Highway Fund for highway maintenance, system preservation, and contract resurfacing and over $153 million in FY 2017-18 and over $181 million in FY 2018-19 to enhance transportation infrastructure supporting economic growth and job creation. The plan also calls for $3 million to DMV to help meet customer needs through online services, additional staff, and a new license office as well as $11 million to the ferry and rail facilities to upgrade equipment.
- Disaster Relief: The Governor has recommended an additional $100 million be appropriated to assist with disaster relief relating to Hurricane Matthew and the wildfires in the west in addition to adding $300 million to the state's Savings Reserve.
Bills Filed
| House Bills | |
| H198 | Repeal Centerville Charter. |
| H199 | Establish Standards for Surgical Technology. |
| H200 | Nonpartisan Redistricting Commission. |
| H201 | NC Constitutional Carry Act. |
| H202 | School Calendar Flex./Rutherford County. |
| H203 | School Calendar Flex./Watauga County. |
| H204 | School-Justice Partnership/Training SROs. |
| H205 | Workers' Compensation/Prison Inmates. |
| H206 | NC Cancer Treatment Fairness. |
| H207 | Motorcycle License/Exempt Antique Scooters. |
| H208 | Occup. Therapy/Choice of Provider. |
| H209 | School Calendar Flex./Certain School Systems. |
| H210 | School Calendar Flexibility/Guilford County. |
| H211 | Increase Sampson County Occupancy Tax Auth. |
| H212 | Zeta Phi Beta Special Registration Plate. |
| H213 | School Calendar Flexibility/Wake County. |
| H214 | Autocycles/No Helmet Required. |
| H215 | State of State. |
| H216 | DOC and JJ Combined Records. |
| H217 | Domestic Violence Fatality Review in Buncombe. |
| H218 | Prohibit Hunting From ROW/Buncombe County. |
| H219 | Transportation Megaproject Funding. |
| H220 | State Infrastructure Bank Revisions. |
| H221 | Repeal HB2. |
| H222 | State Auditor/Sharing Records.-AB |
| H223 | Disabled Veteran Plate for Motorcycles. |
| H224 | Warrant Check of Inmates in Custody. |
| H225 | Property Taken Not Preclude Attempted Robbery. |
| H226 | Consultation Requirements for DHHS. |
| H227 | Preserve Tenancy by the Entirety. |
| H228 | Postpone Assumed Name Revisions. |
| H229 | GSC Technical Corrections 2017. |
| H230 | Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act. |
| H231 | School Calendar Flex./Martin County. |
| H232 | Main Street Funding for Poorest Counties. |
| H233 | Ban the Box. |
| H234 | School Calendar Flex./Caldwell County. |
| H235 | Teacher Mentor Qualifications. |
| H236 | NCAOC Omnibus Bill. |
| H237 | Amend Expunction. |
| H238 | Economic Security Act of 2017. |
| H239 | Reduce Court of Appeals to 12 Judges. |
| H240 | GA Appoint for District Court Vacancies. |
| H241 | Special Sup. Ct. Judgeship Appointed by GA. |
| H242 | License Plate Reader Systems in State ROWs. |
| H243 | Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention (STOP) Act. |
| H244 | Public Participation/Composting Facilities. |
| H245 | Amend W-S Charter/Certain Candidates. |
| H246 | Forsyth Tech Multicampus Funds. |
| H247 | Limit Soldiers' Community College Tuition. |
| H248 | Establish Aging Subcommittee of JLOC HHS. |
| H249 | Economic Terrorism. |
| H250 | Body Art Regulation Changes. |
| H251 | Allow Concealed Carry on UNC & CC Campuses. |
| H252 | Building Code Regulatory Reform. |
| H253 | School Calendar Flex./Certain School Systems. |
| Senate Bills | |
| S133 | Senate 2017 UNC BOG Vacancy Election. |
| S134 | Senate 2017 UNC Board of Governors Election. |
| S135 | Domestic Violence Fatality Review in Buncombe. |
| S136 | Restore Partisan Elections/Sup. & Dist. Court. |
| S137 | Surcharge Transparency. |
| S138 | Accountability for Taxpayer Investment Board. |
| S139 | 47th Senatorial District Local Act-1. |
| S140 | Revise State Nature and Historic Preserve. |
| S141 | Designate Official State Gold Festival. |
| S142 | Designate Official State Spider. |
| S143 | CDBG: Modify Uses to Include Scattered Sites. |
| S144 | Fayetteville/Small Business Enterprise Pgm. |
| S145 | Government Immigration Compliance. |
| S146 | Juvenile Reinvestment Act. |
| S147 | Reenact School Sales Tax Holiday. |
| S148 | Juror Excused by Clerk of Sup. Ct. |
| S149 | Modify School Performance Grades. |
| S150 | Auto Ins./Notice to Lienholder of Termination. |
| S151 | Inaccessible Liquid Resources/D-SNAP. |
| S152 | NC Cancer Treatment Fairness. |
| S153 | Military State Income Tax Relief. |
| S154 | Charitable Fundraising for Nonprofit Orgs. |
| S155 | Economic & Job Growth for NC Distilleries. |
| S156 | Plumbing & Heating Contractors Changes. |
| S157 | Amend Laws Regarding Mental Commitment Bars. |
| S158 | English Proficiency Req./Massage Therapy Lic. |
| S159 | Access to Sports/Extracurr. for All Students. |
| S160 | Handicap Parking Privilege Certification. |
| S161 | Conforming Changes LME/MCO Grievances/Appeals. |
| S162 | LEO Assistance and Protection Act of 2017. |
| S163 | Solid Waste Amendments. |
| S164 | 27th Senatorial District Local Act-1. |
| S165 | Workers' Comp./Clarify Medicare Methodology. |
| S166 | Expand Local Option Sales Tax for Education. |
| S167 | 30th Senatorial District Local Act-1. |
| S168 | Subsidy Recipients to Cooperate/Child Support. |
| S169 | Teaching Excellence Bonus Expansion. |
| S170 | Remove Limits on Light Rail Funding. |
| S171 | Remove Limits on Light Rail Funding. |
| S172 | Remove Limits on Light Rail Funding. |
| S173 | Housing Juveniles Under 18 in County Facility. |
| S174 | Economic Security Act of 2017. |
| S175 | Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention (STOP) Act. |
| S176 | Modernize Physical Therapy Practice. |
| S177 | Modernize Physical Therapy Practice. |
| S178 | Ltd. Driving/Remove Wait for First Offense. |
For more information, contact the Brooks Pierce Government Affairs Team, linked below.
