The N.C. General Assembly was in high gear this week as the end of the session (or perhaps just an August break) is anticipated. The budget was on the House calendar Monday through Thursday but the speaker never called for a vote. It appears that the House leadership does not have enough votes to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the budget because the majority lost their supermajority in the last election.
Cooper released a proposed budget compromise but it was not agreed to; the sticking point seems to be that the governor wants Medicaid expansion and the Senate leadership does not. Until a state budget is finalized, the legislative session will go on but an adjournment resolution filed in the Senate proposes a break from July 22 to August 27.
Duke Energy bill amended but still benefits shareholders over public
The Chapter’s legislative efforts this week focused on opposing Duke Energy’s multi-year ratemaking bill - Senate Bill 559, Storm Securitization/Alt. Rates. On Monday, the House Rules Committee approved an amendment to the bill to try to stem opposition. The House Rules chair, Rep. David Lewis (R - Harnett), described the amendment as helpful to low-income communities, but advocates for the low-income disagreed. Check out this op-ed at WRAL for more details.
S 559 was on the House calendar for much of the week but was repeatedly withdrawn. Bills may be withdrawn for any reason, but this often occurs if there are not enough votes for passage or if legislators are working on changes.
Opportunity for Action
S 559 may be up for a House vote next week so please remind your state representative that, even though it’s changed, they should oppose Duke Energy’s bill because it still would weaken accountability and transparency in the rate-making process.
Good news for electric vehicle drivers
H 329, Renewable Energy Amends, passed and was sent to the governor for his signature. This bill will be helpful to the electric vehicle charging market because it will allow charging station companies to charge fees based on energy sold.
Please thank Reps. John Szoka (R - Cumberland), Dean Arp (R - Union), Bobby Hanig (R - Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico) and Harry Warren (R - Rowan) for sponsoring H 329.
Senate amendment requires RDU Airport to stick to buffer rules
H 206, Various Transportation Changes, is a transportation-focused bill, but in June a provision was added that would have allowed the RDU Airport to skirt certain Neuse River watershed buffer requirements. Sen. John Alexander (R - Franklin, Wake) took the lead on opposing this particular provision. This week, the Senate passed several amendments to the bill that altered the RDU provision by creating a new designation for “airport impacted property”. The result is not a perfect solution but is better than the original provision. Then, on Wednesday, the House voted not to concur with the Senate’s changes to the bill which means it will go to conference and the final language will be negotiated in private by a conference committee appointed by leadership.
See this News & Observer article for more details. And please thank Sen. Alexander for his efforts on this.
Coming up
There was no movement on the billboard bill (H 645) this week although it was added to and removed from the Senate calendar repeatedly. The Chapter opposes this bill because it limits local government authority over billboards and would allow more cutting of trees along our public roads. H 645 may be voted on next week so please let your senator know that you support scenic highways over billboards.
The Farm Act (S 315) was discussed by a House committee this week but not voted on due to a disagreement between legislators on the hemp provisions. The Chapter opposes the bill due to the sections that would make public documents secret and encourage the outdated lagoon-and-sprayfield method of waste management at hog farms. Read about how the hemp provisions may doom the Farm Act.