[Durham INC] N&O NCLeg Bill Summary

[Will Wilson]

The N&O had a nice summary of the many awful bills coming down the pipe. 
Here's the rather daunting list:


GUNS

HB111: Allows concealed handguns in parks and in restaurants that serve 
alcohol. Passed the House.
SB34: Details when a person may use defensive force if presumed to have 
reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or serious bodily harm. 
Passed the Senate.
HB582: Increases penalties for felons carrying guns. Passed the House.
HB650: Gives protection to property owners who fire at intruders, 
reduces penalty for firearm possession on school grounds, and allows 
concealed-carry permit holders to have their handguns locked in their 
cars at schools, courthouses and state highway rest stops. Passed the House.

LAWSUITS

SB33: Gives emergency-room doctors new protection against lawsuits, and 
sets a $500,000 cap on most "noneconomic" damages, including pain and 
suffering. On its way to the governor.
HB542: Expands product liability protection for FDA-approved drugs, and 
requires that juries be told how much of a plaintiff's medical expenses 
are covered by insurance. Passed the House.

VOTING

HB351: Requires voters to show photo ID at the polls. Passed the House
SB411: Eliminates straight-ticket voting. Passed the Senate.
SB456: Allows candidates to list party affiliations in nonpartisan 
elections. Passed the Senate.
SB47: Restores partisan labels in judicial elections. Passed the Senate.
HB452: Repeals public campaign financing for council of state races, 
restores partisan judicial elections and eliminates instant run-off for 
judicial offices. Passed the House.

HEALTH

HB115: Establishes a marketplace for people who have trouble getting 
insurance and for small businesses. Is required by the federal health 
insurance law. Passed the House.
HB709: Changes in workers' compensation act. On its way to the governor.
HB854: Require a 24-hour waiting period, prescribed counseling, and 
ultrasounds for women seeking abortions. Passed the House.
HB474: Requires more training in infection control for workers in 
assisted living centers. Is law.

ENVIRONMENT

SB308: State cannot regulate greenhouse gas emissions if not required by 
federal law, or if the state law is more strict than the federal law. 
Passed the Senate.
HB242: $100,000 to study "fracking." Passed the House.
SB709: Encourages offshore oil and gas exploration, allows "fracking" to 
start sooner. Passed the Senate.
SB110: Allows for small coastal jetties. On its way to the governor.
SB183: Allows for more trees to be cut around billboards. Passed the Senate.
SB781: Would impose requirements meant to clarify environmental rules 
and regulations, and give administrative law judges the final word in 
appeals of agency decisions. New environmental restrictions could not be 
more strict that federal requirements. Certain permits would be valid 
from up to eight years instead of the current maximum of five. Passed 
the Senate.

EDUCATION

HB7: Allows community college to opt out of a federal student loan 
program. Vetoed by the governor.
HB15, 58, 134, 541: Four bills that do the same thing; constructed to 
sidestep vetoes. Passed the House.
SB8: Eliminates the 100-school cap on charter schools. On its way to the 
governor.
HB344: Provides a $6,000 annual tax credit for parents of special needs 
children who send their children to private schools. Passed the House.
SB727: Prevents N.C. Association of Educators members from having dues 
deducted from their paychecks. On its way to the governor.
HB744: Requires a birth certificate and immunization record before a 
child is enrolled in kindergarten. Passed the House.
HB342: Prohibits state colleges and universities from using 
accreditation status of a high school as a factor in admissions, loans 
and scholarships for students. Also gives State Board of Education power 
to accredit high schools. Passed the House.
HB823: Sets referendum May 8, 2012, for voters to consider change to 
governance structure of State Board of Education; would give House and 
Senate appointments each to the board in addition to governor's 
appointments; would make state superintendent a voting member. Passed 
the House.
HB48: Eliminates end-of-course high school tests in U.S. history, civics 
and economics, Algebra II and physical science. Passed House and Senate, 
became law without Perdue's signature.

JUSTICE

SB9: Changes a 2009 law that gave people facing the death penalty ways 
to raise legal challenges using statistics and anecdotal evidence to 
bolster racial bias claims. Under the bill, the accused would have to 
show that the state or a juror sought to discriminate. Passed the Senate 
as a bill about synthetic marijuana. The House gutted the Senate bill 
and replaced it with the death penalty language.
HB642: Would more closely supervise people released from prison in hopes 
of keeping them out of trouble, which would theoretically save the state 
the cost of having to build new prisons. Misdemeanor offenders serving 
less than six-month sentences would be moved the county jails if there's 
room. It also creates tougher sentences for repeat breaking-and-entering 
offenses. Passed the House.
HB215: Makes it a crime to injure or murder a fetus. Is law.

IMMIGRATION

SB205: Lists documents people must use in applying for public benefits 
and makes it a misdemeanor for public employees who administer public 
benefits to fail to report immigration violations. Passed the Senate
HB33: Prohibits governments from accepting the matricula consular as ID. 
Passed the House.
HB36: Businesses in North Carolina with more than 25 employees would 
have to use the E-Verify federal database to determine that new hires 
are legal citizens of the United States. Passed the House.

OTHER

HB61: Limits the terms of House Speaker and Senate leader to two 
two-year sessions. Passed the House
SB224: Specifies that sports agents cannot give student athletes 
anything of value unless the student has signed with the agent. Sports 
agents must report contact with student athletes to the Secretary of 
State. Passed the Senate.
HB810: Increases interest rates on many consumer loans. Passed the House.
HB129: Put new restrictions on municipalities providing broadband 
services. Is law.

PROBABLY DEAD

HB31: Makes it illegal to drive while talking on cellphone. Stuck in 
committee.
HB448: Make gold and silver legal tender in the state. Stuck in committee.
SB571: Repeals a law allowing poor people to get free fishing licenses. 
Failed in the Senate.
HB232: Would allow drivers caught speeding to have gone up to 15 
miles-per-hour above the speed limit before their insurance premiums 
increased. Failed in the House.

WILD CARDS

HB200: The budget. Will Gov. Bev Perdue veto it, and what happens if she 
does?

Adjournment resolution: When will they wrap up the session and head home?

Staff writers Lynn Bonner, Craig Jarvis and Jane Stancill contributed.

Read more: 
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/06/11/1265032/a-look-at-where-legislation-stands.html#ixzz1P0XX4Zr5



>>> Here’s what you can do:
>>>
>>> 1) Email every member of your community’s legislative delegation. It
>>> doesn’t matter what district you live in, e-mail all the members of
>>> the house and senate from your town or county (changing district
>>> lines under the current redistricting have all members nervous). Tell
>>> them to vote “NO!” on the billboard bill. You can get your senate and
>>> house members’ e-mail addresses at www.ncleg.net. If you want, e-mail
>>> every member of the General Assembly!
>>>
>>> Also
>>>
>>> 2) Email Governor Perdue’s office and ask her to “Veto the billboard
>>> bill!” The governor’s e-mail address is governor.office at nc.gov.
>>>
>>> Visit www.savetheview.org for more information on the billboard bill
>>> battle.
>>>
>>> Together, NC neighborhoods will make a difference!
>>>
>>> Thank you very much.
>>>
>>> The InterNeighborhood Council of Durham
>>>