ARTICLE
Issue Guide Education and Talent Supply Competitive Business Climate Entrepreneurship and Innovation Infrastructure and Growth Leadership Pillar 1: Education and Talent Supply: North Carolina must develop and maintain first-rate, leading education and workforce development systems that are effective, agile, accountable, flexible, and consistently produce a competitive, diverse, world-class workforce. This includes the state’s K-12 public schools, network of state community colleges, state university system and independent colleges and universities. SUPPORT: House Bill 6/Senate Bill 9: Ed. Finance Reform Task Force/PED Report are companion bills that were introduced in the House and Senate on Wednesday, Jan. 25. The House version has been referred to the House Committee on Education – K-12, while the Senate version has been referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill would establish a joint legislative task force, in consultation with the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction, to study and provide recommendations for the management of statewide school funding formulas. The NC Chamber supports this bill. MONITOR: House Bill 53: School Calendar Modification was introduced in the House on Tuesday, Feb. 7, and has been referred to the House Committee on Education – K-12. This bill would introduce measures to provide additional flexibility to North Carolina public schools in adopting school calendars. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 87: ESSA Plan Submission was introduced in the House on Monday, Feb. 13, and has been referred to the House Committee on Education – K-12. This bill would require that the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction withhold submission of North Carolina’s state plan for complying with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act until the latest possible date allowed by the U.S. Department of Education. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 133: Elect the State Board of Election was filed in the House on Thursday, Feb. 16. This bill would enact a constitutional amendment to implement an election for individuals seeking positions on the State Board of Education. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Pillar 2: Competitive Business Climate: While North Carolina is appearing near the top of an increasing number of noteworthy business climate rankings, the state is not creating enough good jobs fast enough to balance the job losses of the last decade and the influx of new people. North Carolina must continually strive to position its business climate more competitively in order to attract new investment and create and retain more good jobs for North Carolinians. MONITOR: House Bill 5/Senate Bill 7: Unemployment Insurance Technical Changes are companion bills that were introduced in the House and Senate on Wednesday, Jan. 25. On Wednesday, Feb. 15, the House version was withdrawn from the House Committee on Commerce and Job Development, and re-referred to the House Finance Committee. The Senate version remains in the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations. These bills would make a number of technical and administrative changes to the state’s unemployment-insurance laws as recommended by the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Unemployment Insurance. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills. House Bill 22: BOR/Independent Staff/Data Tracking was filed in the House on Wednesday, Jan. 25. On Wednesday, Feb. 8, it was withdrawn from the House Appropriations Committee and re-referred to the House Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations. This bill clarifies the duties and reporting requirements of the State Board of Review, including measures that would ensure its ability to act independently of the Governor, the General Assembly and state agencies in accordance with the U.S. Department of Labor. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 35: Protect North Carolina Workers Act was introduced in the House on Wednesday, Feb. 1, and has been referred to the House Committee on Commerce and Job Development. This bill would amend various measures related to business compliance with federal E-Verify laws in North Carolina, including repealing the E-Verify exemption for temporary employees and excluding farm workers from the definition of employee. The overall effect of these measures would be to increase the number of North Carolina employers required to participate in the E-Verify program. This impact has the potential to place undue and disproportionate burdens on businesses across North Carolina, particularly small businesses that often do not have the resources to manage unpredictable regulatory shifts without being hit with significant financial burdens. The NC Chamber is currently monitoring this bill. House Bill 54: Protect the Hardworking Taxpayers Act was introduced in the House on Tuesday, Feb. 7, and has been referred to the House Finance Committee. This bill would remove the limitation on the income tax deduction for mortgage expense and property tax. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 63: Citizens Protection Act of 2017 was introduced in the House on Wednesday, Feb. 8, and has been referred to the House Judiciary II Committee. This bill contains a number of cyber-security provisions that could impact businesses in North Carolina, including measures aimed at reducing identify theft by increasing penalties on the manufacture or sale of counterfeit documents. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 16: Amend Administrative Procedure Laws was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, Jan. 26. On Thursday, Feb. 2, it was withdrawn from the Senate Rules and Operations Committee and re-referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. This bill contains a number of measures that would amend the authorization of state agencies regarding the implementation of technical corrections, enabling them to make technical corrections without review by the Rules Review Commission. In addition the bill clarifies that a party may bring forth cases in a dispute with a state agency without petitioning the agency for rulemaking or obtaining a declaratory ruling. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 75: Const. Amd. – Max. Income Tax Rate of 5.5% was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee. This bill would enact a constitutional amendment that would cap the state income tax at a rate of 5.5 percent. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 81: Sales Tax Economic Nexus for Remote Sales was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and has been referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. This bill would establish “economic nexux” as the basis for sales tax collections on remote sellers, effectively ensuring that North Carolina retailers would only be taxed for sales occurring in-state. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Pillar 3: Entrepreneurship and Innovation: North Carolina must consistently foster innovation and entrepreneurship that leads to capital formation, investment, employment and good jobs. Creating the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship necessary to be a world-class jobs leader will require a high degree of economic freedom with minimum government interference, regulation and taxes. MONITOR: House Bill 61: Small Business Income Tax Relief was introduced in the House on Wednesday, Feb. 8. It has been referred to the House Finance Committee. This bill would cap taxes on business income at $50,000 for entities classified as small businesses in North Carolina, and implement a tax cap of $100,000 in the case of a married couple filing a joint return where both spouses receive or incur net business income. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 68/Senate Bill 65: BRIGHT Futures Act are companion bills that were introduced in the House and Senate, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, and Thursday, Feb. 9, respectively. The House version has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Public Utilities. On Monday, Feb. 13, the Senate version was referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. This bill would establish a number of “Bright Markets” measures intended to broaden access to digital infrastructure for economic development and innovation in key markets, including broadband health care, and training and education services. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Pillar 4: Infrastructure and Growth Leadership: North Carolina must identify ways to continue investing in the development and maintenance of sound physical infrastructure, including schools, transportation, water and sewer, energy and broadband/advanced communications to meet the demands of growth and the market. MONITOR: House Bill 81: STI/Regional & Division Weighting was introduced in the House on Thursday, Feb. 9. On Monday, Feb. 13, it was referred to the House Transportation Committee. This bill would make a number of adjustments to the weighting of state funding attributed to various agencies and departments under the Transportation Investment Strategy Formula (STI). The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Issue Guide Education and Talent Supply Competitive Business Climate Entrepreneurship and Innovation Infrastructure and Growth Leadership
Pillar 1: Education and Talent Supply: North Carolina must develop and maintain first-rate, leading education and workforce development systems that are effective, agile, accountable, flexible, and consistently produce a competitive, diverse, world-class workforce. This includes the state’s K-12 public schools, network of state community colleges, state university system and independent colleges and universities.
SUPPORT:
House Bill 6/Senate Bill 9: Ed. Finance Reform Task Force/PED Report are companion bills that were introduced in the House and Senate on Wednesday, Jan. 25. The House version has been referred to the House Committee on Education – K-12, while the Senate version has been referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill would establish a joint legislative task force, in consultation with the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction, to study and provide recommendations for the management of statewide school funding formulas. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
MONITOR:
House Bill 53: School Calendar Modification was introduced in the House on Tuesday, Feb. 7, and has been referred to the House Committee on Education – K-12. This bill would introduce measures to provide additional flexibility to North Carolina public schools in adopting school calendars. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 87: ESSA Plan Submission was introduced in the House on Monday, Feb. 13, and has been referred to the House Committee on Education – K-12. This bill would require that the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction withhold submission of North Carolina’s state plan for complying with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act until the latest possible date allowed by the U.S. Department of Education. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 133: Elect the State Board of Election was filed in the House on Thursday, Feb. 16. This bill would enact a constitutional amendment to implement an election for individuals seeking positions on the State Board of Education. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Pillar 2: Competitive Business Climate: While North Carolina is appearing near the top of an increasing number of noteworthy business climate rankings, the state is not creating enough good jobs fast enough to balance the job losses of the last decade and the influx of new people. North Carolina must continually strive to position its business climate more competitively in order to attract new investment and create and retain more good jobs for North Carolinians.
House Bill 5/Senate Bill 7: Unemployment Insurance Technical Changes are companion bills that were introduced in the House and Senate on Wednesday, Jan. 25. On Wednesday, Feb. 15, the House version was withdrawn from the House Committee on Commerce and Job Development, and re-referred to the House Finance Committee. The Senate version remains in the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations. These bills would make a number of technical and administrative changes to the state’s unemployment-insurance laws as recommended by the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Unemployment Insurance. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills.
House Bill 22: BOR/Independent Staff/Data Tracking was filed in the House on Wednesday, Jan. 25. On Wednesday, Feb. 8, it was withdrawn from the House Appropriations Committee and re-referred to the House Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations. This bill clarifies the duties and reporting requirements of the State Board of Review, including measures that would ensure its ability to act independently of the Governor, the General Assembly and state agencies in accordance with the U.S. Department of Labor. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 35: Protect North Carolina Workers Act was introduced in the House on Wednesday, Feb. 1, and has been referred to the House Committee on Commerce and Job Development. This bill would amend various measures related to business compliance with federal E-Verify laws in North Carolina, including repealing the E-Verify exemption for temporary employees and excluding farm workers from the definition of employee. The overall effect of these measures would be to increase the number of North Carolina employers required to participate in the E-Verify program. This impact has the potential to place undue and disproportionate burdens on businesses across North Carolina, particularly small businesses that often do not have the resources to manage unpredictable regulatory shifts without being hit with significant financial burdens. The NC Chamber is currently monitoring this bill.
House Bill 54: Protect the Hardworking Taxpayers Act was introduced in the House on Tuesday, Feb. 7, and has been referred to the House Finance Committee. This bill would remove the limitation on the income tax deduction for mortgage expense and property tax. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 63: Citizens Protection Act of 2017 was introduced in the House on Wednesday, Feb. 8, and has been referred to the House Judiciary II Committee. This bill contains a number of cyber-security provisions that could impact businesses in North Carolina, including measures aimed at reducing identify theft by increasing penalties on the manufacture or sale of counterfeit documents. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 16: Amend Administrative Procedure Laws was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, Jan. 26. On Thursday, Feb. 2, it was withdrawn from the Senate Rules and Operations Committee and re-referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. This bill contains a number of measures that would amend the authorization of state agencies regarding the implementation of technical corrections, enabling them to make technical corrections without review by the Rules Review Commission. In addition the bill clarifies that a party may bring forth cases in a dispute with a state agency without petitioning the agency for rulemaking or obtaining a declaratory ruling. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 75: Const. Amd. – Max. Income Tax Rate of 5.5% was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee. This bill would enact a constitutional amendment that would cap the state income tax at a rate of 5.5 percent. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 81: Sales Tax Economic Nexus for Remote Sales was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and has been referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. This bill would establish “economic nexux” as the basis for sales tax collections on remote sellers, effectively ensuring that North Carolina retailers would only be taxed for sales occurring in-state. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Pillar 3: Entrepreneurship and Innovation: North Carolina must consistently foster innovation and entrepreneurship that leads to capital formation, investment, employment and good jobs. Creating the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship necessary to be a world-class jobs leader will require a high degree of economic freedom with minimum government interference, regulation and taxes.
House Bill 61: Small Business Income Tax Relief was introduced in the House on Wednesday, Feb. 8. It has been referred to the House Finance Committee. This bill would cap taxes on business income at $50,000 for entities classified as small businesses in North Carolina, and implement a tax cap of $100,000 in the case of a married couple filing a joint return where both spouses receive or incur net business income. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 68/Senate Bill 65: BRIGHT Futures Act are companion bills that were introduced in the House and Senate, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, and Thursday, Feb. 9, respectively. The House version has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Public Utilities. On Monday, Feb. 13, the Senate version was referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. This bill would establish a number of “Bright Markets” measures intended to broaden access to digital infrastructure for economic development and innovation in key markets, including broadband health care, and training and education services. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Pillar 4: Infrastructure and Growth Leadership: North Carolina must identify ways to continue investing in the development and maintenance of sound physical infrastructure, including schools, transportation, water and sewer, energy and broadband/advanced communications to meet the demands of growth and the market.
House Bill 81: STI/Regional & Division Weighting was introduced in the House on Thursday, Feb. 9. On Monday, Feb. 13, it was referred to the House Transportation Committee. This bill would make a number of adjustments to the weighting of state funding attributed to various agencies and departments under the Transportation Investment Strategy Formula (STI). The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.