Legislative roundup for week of April 15-18
House:
HB770: Freedom to Work — N.C. Rep. John Bell (R-Wayne) is a primary sponsor and Rep. Chris Humphrey (R- Lenoir) is a cosponsor of this legislation that seeks to lower some of the barriers to employment for those with criminal records. The legislation would require administrative agencies, government officials and courts to consider a Certificate of Relief (more information here) favorably when determining whether a conviction should result in disqualification for a privilege. Previously, those entities could consider a Certificate of Relief, but were not required to do so. The bill would also update the standards which a licensing board should apply when considering an applicant’s criminal history, giving boards more leeway. Additionally, the legislation requires licensing boards to recognize certain apprenticeships and training experiences for educational requirements. Read the text of the bill here.
HB751: Reenact Film Credit — Humphrey is a cosponsor of this legislation that would reenact North Carolina’s film tax credit. The previous tax credit expired in 2015, and this legislation would restore it, retroactive to January 1, 2019. Tax credits to offset the cost of film and television production are believed to help boost the N.C. film industry. Read the text of the bill here.
HB912: School Safety Changes for Nonpublic Schools — Bell is the primary sponsor for this legislation that would encourage nonpublic schools to coordinate school safety plans with local law enforcement and hold lockdown drills at least once per year. The legislation would also allow nonpublic schools to authorize concealed weapon permit holders to carry on school school premises, with the consent of the local sheriff. The bill also makes it legal for concealed weapon permit holders to carry on the premises of religious schools that are also places of worship when school is not in session, if the permit holder is attending a religious function. Read the text of the bill here.
Senate votes:
SB359: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act — The Senate voted on this bill that would establish protections for any babies born alive following a failed abortion attempt. The act required doctors or any health care providers present to provide life-saving measures for born-alive babies, and established criminal penalties for failing to do so, or failure to report any instances to authorities. The act also clarified that any overt actions to harm a baby born alive following a failed abortion would be classified as murder. The bill passed the Senate on Monday, with a vote of 28-19. Sen. Jim Perry (R- Lenoir) and Sen. Don Davis (D- Greene) both voted in favor. Davis was one of only two Democrats to vote aye. Perry was a cosponsor of the bill. The bill went to the House, where it passed on a 65-46 vote, with all local representatives voting in favor.
The bill then went to Gov. Roy Cooper, who chose to veto the legislation. His veto message stated, “Laws already protect newborn babies and this bill is an unnecessary interference between doctors and their patients. This needless legislation would criminalize doctors and other healthcare providers for a practice that simply does not exist.” A three-fifths majority would be required to override the governor’s veto.
Read the text of the bill here and the governor’s veto here.
SB476: Reaffirm Local Control of Discipline Policies — Perry was a cosponsor of this bill that came up for a vote in the Senate Thursday. The bill requires school districts that created discipline policies in accordance with federal guidelines that have since been revoked to create new policies in accordance with local standards and complying with all state and federal nondiscrimination standards. The bill passed with a vote of 21-16. Perry voted in favor; Davis voted against it. It will now go to the House for consideration. Read the text of the bill here.
Check back with Neuse News next week for more updates on activity from local legislators.
