By Cassie Gavin
Senior Director of Government Relations
The N.C. General Assembly continued its long session this week with no sign of adjournment in sight and without a state budget passed. Instead of a full budget, the legislators voted on so-called mini-budgets, which are bills with things like raises for state workers and law enforcement that would normally be in a state budget. To read more about this, check out this Daily Reflector article. The House is not planning on meeting next week so it’s unlikely there will be any legislative action until the second week of September.
Senate votes against positive House changes to Duke Energy bill
This week the Senate took up S 559 - Duke Energy’s multiyear ratemaking bill that the House made major changes to last week. The House had turned the controversial part of the bill into a study by the N.C. Utilities Commission. The study would require the Utilities Commission to look at a variety of modern ratemaking tools and report back to the legislature in March 2020. Sierra Club supports keeping the study approach to ensure that ratepayers are protected. The Senate voted 31-14 against accepting the House changes. Since the chambers don’t agree on this bill, a conference committee was appointed and the conferees will work (in private) on negotiating a final bill.
Opportunity for Action
Please thank the senators who voted “aye” on the motion to concur with the House changes to S 559.
Other updates
There was no movement on the Farm Act (S 315) this week. It’s passed both chambers and awaits Senate approval of amendments made in the House. There was also no move this week to vote on an override of Governor Cooper’s veto of the billboard bill (H 645).