Hunting, cider, autism efforts meet crossover deadline. Flexible schedules for schools did not.
The North Carolina General Assembly, in Raleigh. File photo by Angie Newsome/Carolina Public Press
RALEIGH — With the frenzy of last week’s crossover rush behind them, North Carolina legislators return to Raleigh this week to begin part two of the job: crunching new revenue numbers and hammering out a state budget.
But the fallout from another year in which a large number of bills crossed over — which means that they were passed by at least one chamber — will continue through both this session and into next year’s short session as well.
In all, the state House took action on 507 pieces of legislation over four days, winding up work around 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning. The state Senate held a somewhat less intense marathon but managed to take action on 372 bills.
Although the crossover deadline does not apply to budget-related bills, it’s the first hurdle most local bills and policy issues must clear before becoming law.
Bills clearing crossover that were sponsored by lawmakers from Western North Carolina included:
- a long-sought change, sponsored by Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, requiring insurance coverage for autism (the bill is similar to legislation passed last year in the House that was sponsored by Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson);
- a win for Henderson County’s apple growers found in legislation from McGrady that allows for hard cider to be sold in growlers; and
- a sweeping set of hunting law changes co-sponsored by Rep. Michelle Presnell, R-Yancey, that allows hunting on private land on Sundays and encourages “cooperative and neighborly agreements” for retrieval of hunting dogs.
Key bills for the region that did not clear the crossover hurdle were several measures aimed at school flexibility. In all, legislators filed more than 40 bills to try and win greater calendar flexibility for school systems in their districts. None of them passed either chamber. WNC school systems affected by the bills included Asheville city schools and Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, Mitchell, Transylvania, Yancey and Watauga county schools.
In 2004, the legislature, under pressure from a coalition of real estate and tourism interests and parent groups, set the school year start date in late August and the close date in early June.
While it’s always good to remember that bills considered dead for the rest of the session can reanimate, the crossover deadline is a fair indicator of what legislation is still in play, especially local bills.
The official crossover list of bills still viable should be published early this week. Here’s a partial list of the WNC-related bills that related to local governments that recently cleared either the House or Senate.
H875 — Restrict Municipal Eminent Domain: Changed from a statewide bill late last week, the legislation was narrowed to a local bill that applies only to Ashe and Watauga counties. The bill, which passed the House on Thursday, would require municipalities or units of local government in those counties to obtain the consent of the county commission before acquiring land by condemnation.
H415 — Fontana Dam Electric Power Board: The bill would allow the town of Fontana Dam to establish an electric power board to manage electricity generation, sales and distribution. The board would be required to have two members from the town and two residents of Graham County. The bill requires agreement by the Fontana Village Resort to transfer the ownership of its power grid and the approval by the Fontana Dam Town Council to set up the new power board.
S218 — Town of Franklin/Satellite Annexation: The bill, which passed the Senate last Tuesday, would lift certain restrictions on the town’s use of satellite annexation.
H370 and H122 — Add Counties/Towns to State Health Plan: Two House bills authorizing local government employees to participate in the State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees also passed ahead of crossover. Local governments in WNC eligible for the change under the bills include Haywood, Madison, Polk, Transylvania and Yancey counties and the towns of Burnsville, Canton, Clyde, Hot Springs, Maggie Valley, Marshall, Mars Hill, Waynesville and the city of Saluda.
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