Legislative roundup for week of April 29-May 3
The General Assembly spent a busy week working as the crossover deadline (the last day for a bill to move out of the chamber in which it was introduced and “cross over” into the other chamber for consideration) of May 9 approaches. The House of Representatives was also hard at work on its budget for the 2019-21 fiscal biennium.
Both chambers also voted on numerous previously introduced bills.
House of Representatives
(Budget) HB966: 2019 Appropriations Act — The House passed its version of the budget Friday, following weeks of negotiation and changes. The nearly $24 billion budget includes funding for improvements to the Brody School of Medicine at ECU, and for a food processing plant in Ayden. Rep. Chris Humphrey (R- Lenoir) said this budget is, in a word, “responsible.” He said it balances providing the needed services to the citizens of the state with maintaining fiscal responsibility. The budget process will now move to the Senate, and the two chambers will spend the next weeks negotiating a compromise between their two versions. They will also have to take into account Gov. Cooper, who will be able to veto any budget he does not agree with. HB966 passed the House on a 61-55 vote, with all Republicans present voting Aye. Reps. John Bell (R-Wayne), Humphrey and McElcraft (R-Carteret) all voted Aye. One Democrat, Elmer Floyd of Cumberland County, also voted in favor.
Other Votes:
HB520: Firefighters Fighting Cancer Act — This bill, sponsored by Bell and co-sponsored by Humphrey, passed the House on a unanimous 114-0 vote Thursday. You can read Neuse News’ previous summary of the bill here.
HB770: Freedom to Work Act — Bell was a primary sponsor and Humphrey a co-sponsor of this bill that also passed the House on a unanimous vote. Friday’s vote was 112-0. You can read Neuse News’ previous summary of the bill here.
HB724: Truth in Caller ID Act — Humphrey was a primary sponsor of this bill that passed the House unanimously on a 113-0 vote Friday. Read Neuse News’ previous summary of the bill here.
HB633: Strengthen Criminal Gang Laws — The House voted on this legislation to increase penalties for participation in gang activity, including increasing the penalties for possession of firearms by convicted felons and allowing evidence of gang activity to be used as evidence in criminal trials. The vote was 86-28 in favor, with Bell, Humphrey and McElcraft all voting Aye. Read the text of the bill here.
Senate Votes:
SB310: Electric Co-op Rural Broadband Services — The Senate voted in favor of this legislation sponsored by Sen. Harry Brown (R-Onslow) and cosponsored by Sen. Don Davis (D- Greene). The vote on Thursday was 49-0 in favor, with Sens. Brown, Davis and Jim Perry (R- Lenoir) voting Aye. Read Neuse News’ previous summary of the bill here.
SB375: Death by Distribution Act — The Senate voted on this piece of legislation sponsored by Brown and cosponsored by Perry on Thursday. The vote was 35-14 in favor. Brown, Davis and Perry all voted Aye. Read Neuse News’ previous summary of the bill here.
SB374: Repeal Risky Retirement Payments — The Senate voted Thursday along party lines to pass this bill sponsored by Brown. The legislation closes some retirement plan options to state employees who retire after July 1, 2020. The options being repealed are two that are unpredictable and make it difficult for the state to plan expenditures, and also are complex to administer. One plan that would be scrapped under the legislation is Social Security leveling, which provides early retirees with higher payments prior to Social Security eligibility and then lowers pension payments once a retiree beings to receive social security, keeping the income stable. The other plans to be repealed are “pop-up options” that pay out at a lower rate, but increase if the retiree’s designated beneficiary (a spouse or child) predeceases the retiree. The higher rate is paid to the retiree since the pension would no longer have to pay benefits to a beneficiary after the retiree’s death. Read the text of the bill here.
The vote was 28-21 in favor, with Brown and Perry voting Aye and Davis voting No.
SB359: Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (Veto Override Vote) — The Senate voted Tuesday to override Cooper’s veto of SB359 (Previous summary of the bill here). In the initial Senate vote, two Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the legislation. One of those Democrats, Ben Clark of Cumberland County, voted to uphold the veto. Davis voted to override the veto, giving the final vote necessary to provide a three-fifths margin to override. Davis was the target of intense criticism from fellow Democrats and progressive organizations for his vote on the bill, with some progressives calling for a primary challenge against him.
Perry also voted to override the veto and said that he supported Davis’ decision.
“Sen. Davis has experienced immense pressure during this process,” Perry said. “In my opinion, he did not vote against the governor and he did not vote for Republicans. I believe Sen. Davis only did what he has done for many years — he voted as he felt he was led.”
The veto override now goes to the House. Humphrey said House leaders are working to ensure they have the votes to override the veto there as well. Family situations and illnesses have kept some House Republican members away from Raleigh, so consideration of the veto override has been pushed back. Republicans will need at least some Democratic votes in the House to reach a three-fifths majority.
Check back with Neuse News later this week for more updates on the General Assembly.
