In everyone’s memory, there hasn’t been a slower start for a legislative session than this session. There are fewer bills filed than in recent memory, and fewer committee hearings and votes on bills. We’ve had almost no votes on Mondays and Tuesdays, and rarely votes on Thursdays. What few votes have occurred have been taken […]
Last week was the busiest week of the session so far. The reason for this hectic activity was that legislative leaders decided they wanted to adjourn in late June, so any bills of general application that would likely pass were run last week. Why? Bills of general application, in contrast to local bills only affecting […]
The adjournment resolution, SJR 692, provides that bills “proposing an amendment or amendments to the North Carolina Constitution and containing no other matter” and bills “proposing an amendment or amendments to the North Carolina Constitution and containing no other matter other than statutory conforming changes to implement such bills” may be heard when the legislature […]
For the last several months, legislators’ primary focus has been on getting bills filed, and some number of those bills have been heard in committee and came to the floor for a vote. Over the next eight days, more bills will likely be heard in committees and come to the floor for a vote than […]
A new state law passed last session helps keep small-scale urban beekeepers from being regulated out of existence by their own towns. A provision in the “Local Government Regulatory Reform of 2015” (House Bill 44) prohibits cities and counties from enforcing any ordinance or resolution that prohibits folks from owning or operating five or fewer beehives. The bill […]
My apologies for letting two months go by between communications. While lobbyists complained of a slow start to the legislative session, that isn’t my perspective. I’ve been busy from day one. Initially, some probably weren’t sure what exactly kept me so busy, but with the filing of House Bill 186 [Repeal HB2/State Nondiscrimination Policies], that should have […]
With an overwhelming bipartisan vote earlier today of 104 to 9, the North Carolina House passed House Bill 3, legislation that proposes a constitutional amendment to preserve the private property rights of citizens across the state. Representative McGrady was the primary sponsor of the legislation. The constitutional amendment would specify that any government taking of […]
On June 24, the North Carolina Senate proposed three new amendments to the North Carolina Constitution, all included in House Bill 3. One of these would create additional protections for property rights by increasing the burden on government entities seeking to take property using eminent domain. The proposed Article I § 38 of the North Carolina Constitution would read […]
As the legislative session winds down, legislators and lobbyists wonder when exactly the session will be over and what bills will be taken up before adjournment. Hardly a day goes by without some lobbyist frantically calling to find out whether I think some bill will be taken up in the House. A few years ago, […]
The clearest signs that the legislative session is almost over are increased activity to reach a budget compromise and a flurry of activity in Senate committees. Those signs were evident on Friday as budget negotiators shuttled back and forth between the House and Senate sides of the Legislative Building and almost every Senate committee met, […]
With a unanimous vote this afternoon, the House gave its final approval to the Regulatory Reform Act of 2016. The measure now goes to the Senate for its consideration. The wide-ranging legislation, which continues the legislature’s ongoing commitment to reforming the North Carolina’s burdensome and outdated system of regulations, amends a number of state laws related to business, […]
Revenues for the current year are projected to finish $330 million above initial budget projections, according to the latest figures released by the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management and the legislature’s nonpartisan Fiscal Research Division. The latest revenue forecast also boosts projections for FY 2016-17 by $231 million above the certified budget. […]
Legislation sponsored by Representative McGrady and signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory over the summer ensures that North Carolina’s farm animals are covered by a uniform standard of care throughout the state — by prohibiting cities and counties from enacting their own local ordinances in this regard. The responsibility for determining these standards now […]
Under a new law signed by Governor McCrory, your church could qualify for additional tax breaks. House Bill 229 extends property tax exemptions for churches and other religious facilities before they are open — if they are considered to be “under construction.” Normally, property tax exemptions only apply to religious property (land or structures) when […]
With the passage of a new law this year, your privacy will now be better protected when registering your security alarm system with local law enforcement. House Bill 797 would exempt from the definition of “public record” any registration or sensitive security information received or compiled by a city that has an alarm registration ordinance […]
High Profile, Will Pass Bills House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger announced late last week that the legislature would adjourn on September 30, bringing an end to one of the longer legislative sessions. Before the session ends, there appears to be consensus on the “must pass” bills, including bills reforming […]
After taking a contemplative drive around Charlotte, Governor Pat McCrory signed legislation into law last week that establishes a uniform operating framework for “ridesharing” services in North Carolina. Ridesharing companies offer consumers an alternative to traditional taxicab services by connecting passengers to private individuals who provide them with paid rides. This peer-to-peer connection is accomplished using free, easy-to-use apps on smartphones, smartwatches, and other mobile […]
There is approximately $438 million in the state’s Unclaimed Property Fund, and nearly one million North Carolinians have money or other property waiting to be claimed. You could be one of them. It may sound like some shifty internet scam, but it’s not. According to Janet Cowell, North Carolina’s State Treasurer, one in eight North Carolinians has […]
Governor Pat McCrory’s office announced yesterday that the Governor has signed the following pieces of legislation into law: House Bill 552 – A bill sponsored by Representative McGrady creating the criminal offence of graffiti vandalism (more information on the bill here). House Bill 574 – A bill providing that no state or local statues, rules, regulations […]
Today the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation limiting when a county or municipality may enact zoning ordinances to control design and aesthetics of private property. Senate Bill 25, just approved by a vote of 98 to 17, now heads to the Governor’s desk for his signature. “Government does not have the authority to tell homeowners […]
With the Senate working on its budget, the House moved to take action on a range of controversial social issues. In the span of two weeks, the House is expected to consider legislation involving guns, abortion, alcohol, gay marriage, and animal welfare. An immigration-related bill could also be heard. While the issues themselves are difficult, […]
Today the North Carolina House of Representatives voted to reaffirm its support for HB-405: The Property Protection Act, a bill that protects the rights of business owners across the State. The vote is the first step to override a veto effort by Governor McCrory. “Every day, business owners across North Carolina are faced with the daunting […]
After being overwhelmingly approved by a vote of 99 to 19 in the House on April 22, the Senate yesterday approved bipartisan legislation to protect property owners from damages that occur when an employee intentionally trespasses into a private area of a business to steal data or merchandise, secretly plant microphones or hidden cameras, or engage in activities […]
Before starting work on the budget, I thought that it might be valuable to summarize what happened with all of the bills that I introduced this session. Not counting a blank Appropriations bill that all full chairs of the Appropriations Committee file for potential use during the budget process, I introduced fourteen bills and one […]
Representative McGrady was interviewed recently by Jeremy Loeb, the host of WCQS’s “Morning Edition” show. WCQS is Western North Carolina’s public radio station. Click on the image above to listen to the informative, hour-long interview.
An almost daily occurrence for a legislator is the receipt of a huge number of email communications on some bill that bear little relationship to the legislation being considered. One good example from this week were the emails I received on House Bill 405 [Property Protection Act]. While proponents of the bill characterized it as […]
[youtube_sc url=”https://youtu.be/wwwHIg22Uk0″ width=”590″ modestbranding=”1″ autohide=”1″ fs=”1″ border=”1″ hd=”1″] Cruise around any urban neighborhood in America and you’re likely to see ample evidence of graffiti vandalism. In fact, it’s a growing problem in many cities across the country, including here in North Carolina. Last year, for example, the City of Asheville reported over 10,000 cases — […]
The House adopted its permanent rules (House Resolution 481) just before heading home for Easter break. Technically, we are still in session next week, but no votes will be taken and no committees will meet. Most members will probably not come to Raleigh, although the House Appropriations chairs, including me, will be working on the […]
[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/yaf94Cqg3nc” width=”580″ modestbranding=”1″ autohide=”1″ fs=”1″ border=”1″ hd=”1″]Representative McGrady, the primary sponsor of the eminent domain bill, further explains the legislation on “Legislative Week in Review.” The first substantive legislation of the year was filed by Representative McGrady on the same day the General Assembly convened for its 2015-2016 Session, an opening day which otherwise only saw the election […]
There’s nothing quite more thrilling for state government geeks (like us) than the annual publication of the General Assembly’s Summaries of Substantive Ratified Legislation. This weedy tome, of which only a few hundred are printed, is produced at the end of each legislative session by the good folks of the Research Division. The Research Division is a non-partisan central office […]