|
January 26, 2007
Raleigh, NC
Your North Carolina Retail Merchants Association lobbying staff is happy to introduce a new face for our previously named "Friday Fax." We will be sending our Retail Week in Review to you each Friday throughout this newly convened NC General Assembly session!
We are also happy to announce a new addition to our Government Affairs Team. Mrs. Lindsey Kueffner will serve as the new Government Affairs Coordinator. Lindsey comes to us with over three years of experience in the political arena, having served as Director of Research at NC FREE, North Carolina Forum for Research and Economic Education. Lindsey has guided the publication of NCFREE's Almanac of North Carolina Politics, and has directed all of the research from candidate profiling to campaign tracking to special reports. She has earned a solid reputation throughout the state as a political professional and is well respected for her exceptional integrity. Lindsey will be working with Fran Preston, Andy Ellen and Elizabeth Dalton on the Government Affairs Team.
This week at the NC General Assembly:
State lawmakers headed back to town this Wednesday for the start of the 2007-08 General Assembly. The legislative session kicked off with much hustle and bustle: speeches extolling the wonders of North Carolina , families sharing in their loved ones swearing in ceremony, and lots of food at the opening day receptions. In contrast, the second day of official legislative work lasted just a few minutes. Until committees start hearing bills and sending them on to votes, much of the work by legislators and lobbyists alike will involve working on draft bills and feeling out what issues will come to the forefront in the coming months.
"One day it's the souffle, the next day it's the pancake." (N&O)
Much controversy escorted in the convening of the legislative session and onlookers speculated as to the impact this could have on the start of the session. NC House Representative Joe Hackney (D-Orange) was elected by the Democratic Caucus as their candidate for the Speaker nomination, but games have been played in the past to bypass the party nomination. However, opening day ran smoothly in both the House and Senate.
Hackney won the position of Speaker of the House in a 68-52 party-line vote as colleagues praised his integrity, experience and support for open government. He succeeds Representative Jim Black, who served four terms as Speaker. Black has been plagued by legal and ethical questions over the past year involving his legislative and campaign activities that have led to the convictions of four individuals with ties to Black. Hackney did not discuss Black's troubles, but much of his 20-minute acceptance speech spoke to restoring the public's faith in the House and its work. "The people of North Carolina want us to continue to focus on our ethical obligations, to enforce the new standards and to strive to improve them, and we will do so," Hackney said. Hackney later joked, "I've been speaker less than two hours and the price of gas is already under $2." Black says he will not seek re-election to his Mecklenburg County seat in 2008 regardless of the outcome of federal and state investigations into his campaign finances stating, "It's time to be smelling the roses before the roses are gone." Representative William Wainwright (D-Craven) was elected Speaker Pro Tem along party lines. Representative Hugh Holliman (D-Davidson) will serve as the House Majority Leader. Representative Paul "Skip" Stam (R-Wake), who Hackney defeated in the race for Speaker of the House, will serve as Minority Leader.
Senator Marc Basnight (D-Dare) was chosen for an unprecedented eighth term as President Pro Tem of the Senate. During a roll call vote, most Republicans voted for Republican Phil Berger(R-Rockingham), but Berger then made a motion that the vote for Basnight be made by acclamation, making the vote unanimous. Senator Charlie Dannelly (D-Mecklenburg) was subsequently re-elected to serve as Deputy President Pro Tem. Senator Tony Rand (D-Cumberland) will again serve as Senate Majority Leader while Senator Phil Berger will serve as Senate Minority Leader.
In adopting rules for each chamber, the issue of "blank bills" was addressed. Lawmakers often use blank bills as placeholders that they can fill in later with details and often controversial details. Critics have argued that the public has little time to respond to the measures once the details are added. The House's temporary rules adopted on Wednesday ban members from filing blank bills, while the Senate's new permanent rules limit each senator to filing two blank bills. For the first time, Senators will have limited use of laptop computers in the Senate Chamber - in the past such proposals have been defeated because Senators felt it took away from debate.
BILLS ON THE WAY: With a shortened week of just two legislative days spent mostly on swearing legislators into office and electing leaders of the respective legislative bodies, there was little time to introduce bills (see below). However, we anticipate a dump truck load of bills to be introduced over the next couple of weeks and we'll pour through them all to find bills that could help or hurt your bottom-line. We have heard mention of bills that are on their way including a "bottle bill", a prohibition against retailers selling violent video games to minors, a advance disposal tax on televisions and computers, requiring corporations to file consolidated corporate income tax returns and a proposed increase in restaurant inspection fees (grocery store delis and meat counters to be affected).
Attached are bill filing deadlines for both the Senate and the House. Every bill must be voted out of its House of Origin unless the bill raises or appropriates state money (a revenue or appropriations bill) by May 17, 2007 which is the so-called "crossover deadline."
BY THE NUMBERS: A few numbers to consider as the 2007 session of the General Assembly begins:
- House Makeup: 68 Democrats, 52 Republicans
- Senate Makeup: 31 Democrats, 19 Republicans
- House Freshmen: 16
- Senate Freshmen: 4
- Number of Former House Speakers Sworn in as Members of the Chamber: 3
- Number of House Members Chosen as Speaker: 1
- Salary of the House Speaker and Senate President Pro Tem (Per Diem and Expense Allowance Not Included): $38,151
- Salary of rank-and-file legislators, including former speakers: $13,951
- State Surplus at Halfway Point of Fiscal Year: $258 million.
- Amount a Consultant Recommended to Fix the State's Broken Mental Health System: $2.7 billion
- Cost of a Sandwich, Chips and Drink in the Legislative Cafeteria: $6.27
- Increase over 2005 Cost of a Sandwich , Chips and Drink: 77 cents
(THE INSIDER, 1/24/07)
The two-year budget, which will begin in the House this year, tops the list of priorities for legislators this session. Tax policy and state borrowing proposals could also dominate the legislative session. Multi-billion dollar bond proposals to build new schools, roads and conserve land as well as water and sewer infrastructure in North Carolina did not gain the traction they needed for passage last year and will be back for consideration.
A legislative study committee has already been examining the state's tax code and how financial responsibilities are divided among municipal, county and state government. The group, set to meet in March, will eventually make recommendations for the entire legislature to consider.
The legislature may debate over whether to allow the final phase-out of hikes in the sales tax and income tax on the wealthy adopted in 2001. The phase-out will mean $300 million less for state coffers, and Easley has suggested that he would be open to some tax trade-offs, like creating a state earned income tax credit for the working poor, in exchange for keeping the remaining quarter penny of the sales tax hike. But a budget surplus -- $285 million halfway through the fiscal year -- could make anything other than a straight phase-out a difficult sale.
RETAIL BILLS OF INTEREST INTRODUCED THIS WEEK:
Senate Bill 4 - Senator John Snow (D-Cherokee) - Sheriffs Access Rx Information. This legislation would extend the authority to inspect prescription information of patients maintained by a pharmacy to sheriffs.
Until next week -
Fran Preston (franp@ncrma.org)
Andy Ellen (andye@ncrma.org)
Elizabeth Dalton (elizabethd@ncrma.org)
Lindsey Kueffner (lindseyk@ncrma.org)
|
