Rep. Wray’s Raleigh report


Budget negotiators continued their work this week and moved closer to a final deal.

State government continues to operate under the two-year plan approved last year. This year’s document only makes adjustments. The intention remains for the General Assembly to finish its work on the budget soon and to adjourn session shortly after that.

We continue to move important legislation during this time. This week, the House approved a nine-month moratorium on involuntary annexation and made changes to improve our education system. We also took time to remember a war hero and some of our former colleagues.

If you have any questions about the work of the General Assembly or if I can help in any way, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your interest in state government and have an enjoyable Fourth of July.

Municipalities

The House approved a nine-month ban on involuntary annexation to allow lawmakers time to study the nearly 50-year-old law and propose changes. Original language in the bill (H2367) would have banned annexation for a year, but the time period was trimmed to allow some municipalities with pending annexation proceedings to proceed. The moratorium will run from the end of August through May 2009. The moratorium is partially the result of lobbying by people who say some municipalities don’t follow existing law and that they have no way to stop involuntary annexations. Cities and town officials say the laws allow them a way to better manage growth. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Education

School buses would no longer be subject to duplicate inspections under a House bill approved this week. Current law requires school buses to receive inspections required by the State Board of Education and the Division of Motor Vehicles. The proposal (H2265) would eliminate the requirement for the DMV inspection. The bill now goes to the Senate.

The House Education Committee has approved a bill (H15) that would allow teachers to use personal leave during teacher workdays without having to pay for a substitute. Current law requires teachers who use personal days to pay a fee that is used to pay for substitute teachers. They must also pay the fee if they use personal leave on a teacher workday, when students aren’t present.

The General Assembly has appointed two members to the board that oversees the state’s 58 community colleges. The House of Representatives appointed Wallace attorney Anita Powers to a slot that expires next June. The Senate gave former community college instructor Naomi Daggs a term that ends 2011. Daggs was the English department chair at Richmond Community College before retiring last year.

Elections

The House Committee on Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform agreed this week to extend an instant runoff voting pilot program through 2011. Instant runoff voting requires voters to rank candidates by preference, allowing vote counters to name a winner without holding a second election. Runoff elections are expensive and often have low turnout. The proposal (S1263) allows for instant runoff voting in partisan primaries and nonpartisan general elections in as many as 10 counties and 10 municipalities. The bill now goes to the House Judiciary I committee.

Justice

People who are wrongfully convicted would receive $50,000 for every year they spent in jail if they were exonerated. Existing law allows only $20,000 a year and caps the total award at $500,000. The bill (H2105) would increase the cap to $750,000 and allow free job training and tuition for community colleges and public universities.

Environment

The House agreed this week to a measure that will require the state to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles. The proposal (H2720) requires new state vehicles to be in the top 15 percent of their class in fuel efficiency. Law enforcement, emergency medical response and firefighting vehicles are exempt. The state purchased about 1,050 vehicles in the last fiscal year that would not be exempt from the requirements.

Notes

Legislators this week honored the life of Army National Guard Pfc. Adam Lee Marion, a Surry County native killed in combat in Iraq in April. Marion’s parents, family members and friends were in the gallery as lawmakers praised Marion for his service to our nation.

Former Reps. Louise Smith Brennan, Jo Graham Foster and James “Jim” Speed were remembered in the House of Representatives this week as role models and outstanding legislators. Foster left the House in 1992 after representing Mecklenburg County for 20 years. She died in December 2006 at the age of 91. Brennan represented Mecklenburg in the House for six terms, the last ending in 1984. She died in December 2007 at the age of 85. Speed was a member of the House from 1961-1972 and a member of the Senate from 1977-1996. He was from Franklin County and died in June 2006 at the age of 91.

Miss North Carolina Amanda Watson visited the General Assembly this week and shared that she planned to work during the next year to raise awareness of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Watson, who was Miss Garner, is a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She will represent North Carolina in the Miss America pageant.

Meetings/Events

I plan to attend the following meetings/events:

  • Town of Woodland-Fire Truck-Equipment Loan/Grant Closing, Town Hall-July 7
  • Roanoke Salem Missionary Baptist Church, Family Fun Day-July 12
  • Please invite me to attend your county, city, community or civic, etc. meetings or events.

    As I’ve said many times before, I hope you will continue to let me know how you feel about the issues that are being debated by the North Carolina Legislature and the challenges you and your family are facing each day.

    By working together, we can make Northampton, Vance and Warren Counties and all regions of North Carolina a better place to live, work and raise a family.

    Please remember that you can listen to each day’s committee meetings and press conferences on the General Assembly’s website. Once on the site, select “audio,” and then make your selection — Appropriations Committee Room or Press Conference Room. You can also use the website to look up bills, view lawmaker biographies and access other information.