Based on the number of email messages, phone calls and legislative visits I receive, nonpartisan redistricting is the #1 issue on the minds of District 41 residents. On Thursday, May 18 please join me and other Cary, Apex and Morrisville elected officials for a Town Hall Meeting on this hot topic.
Historically crossover week is a flurry of extra committee meetings, long daily House and Senate calendars, and lengthy floor sessions. This year’s crossover week was no exception.
HB 2 repeal The March 30 vote on HB 142 (Reset S.L. 2016-3) was one of the most gut-wrenching votes I have taken since being elected to the House. After hours of caucus deliberation, introspection, and after talking with and listening to many people including the Governor, I voted for the bill which passed the […]
The LONG session begins Legislators were sworn in en masse Jan 11, then returned Jan 25 for the official start of legislative business. The odd-year legislative session (aka the long session) typically starts in late Jan and ends in July. Legislative sessions have been anything but typical for several years and it’s anyone’s guess when we’ll […]
Conference budget passes July 1 The major objective of the even-year short session is to adjust the biennial budget passed the previous year in the long session. This year’s budget adjustment was on the positive side, with money added for salaries, education, infrastructure and health services. While not perfect the budget that passed the House […]
Two special sessions called A ruling by the US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina that two of North Carolina’s 13 Congressional districts were racially gerrymandered required the legislature to come back into session February 16-19 to approve a new Congressional district map. Although only two districts were challenged, the House Redistricting […]
General Assembly adjourns, at last The House adjourned in the wee hours of September 30. I received the most constituent emails about these four bills taken up during the few weeks between the budget vote and adjournment: Economic incentives/sales taxes HB 117, NC Competes Act, had seven parts. Two were specific to economic incentives; the […]
Eleven weeks after the start of the fiscal year, during which time select House and Senate budget writers worked behind closed doors to negotiate huge differences between the House and Senate budgets, the House passed the conference budget after midnight on Friday, September 18 on a 81-33 vote. Homework begins Over the three legislative days […]
I am one of 24 legislators to win the 2015 Sunshine Award from Democracy North Carolina, in recognition of filing complete, accurate and timely campaign finance reports. In the announcing the award recipients, Bob Hall, Democracy North Carolina’s Executive Director, said, “…we commend legislators across the ideological spectrum who respect the public’s right to know […]
After the House budget passed at the end of May, House committees kicked back into high gear and House sessions got very interesting—again. Here’s a sample of what we discussed and voted on in June. SB2, Magistrates Recusal for Civil Ceremonies. Believe it or not this was just one bill that resulted in heated debate […]
