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. On Thursday, Feb. 23, the House version passed on third reading in the House with a vote of 106-5. After passing on first reading in the Senate, it has been referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee for further consideration. 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 these bills. Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Bills are various bills raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction in North Carolina to include youthful offenders aged 16 and 17 have been filed this session, including Senate Bill 146, Senate Bill 549, Senate Bill 564 and House Bill 280 which passed Judiciary 1 on Wednesday, May 10, Appropriations on Thursday, May 11, and second and third reading on Wednesday, May 17. These bills would bring North Carolina into alignment with the vast majority of other states and ensure juvenile offenders are treated appropriately through the juvenile justice system, rather than being treated as adults. The NC Chamber Legal Institute previously indicated our support for the implementation of such “raise the age” measures in order to reduce juvenile recidivism, improve public safety and mitigate rising costs in North Carolina’s criminal justice system. In addition to the tangible economic benefits accruing from this legislation, these bills would also have a positive impact on education and talent supply systems across the state. The NC Chamber supports these bills. Senate Bill 8: Ease Occ. Lic. Burdens on Military Families was introduced in the Senate on January 25. After favorable reports in Judiciary, Finance and Rules Committees, it passed second and third reading on March 15. It passed on the first reading in the House on March 21 and was then referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, Military & Veterans Affairs, where if it receives a favorable report it will move to the Finance committee. This bill eases occupational licensing burdens on military families by allowing military members and their spouses to practice their professions under licensure from another state while transitioning to the requirements of the licensing boards of North Carolina. The NC Chamber supports this bill. House Bill 359: CC/High School Enrollment in CTE Courses passed first reading in the House on March 16 and was referred to Committee on Education K-12. This bill extends dual enrollment opportunities for high school students in community college courses that lead to industry recognized credentials. The NC Chamber supports this bill. Senate Bill 234: SBA Pay/Needs-Based Pub. Sch. Capital Fund was filed in the Senate on Thursday, March 9. The bill passed on the first reading in Senate on March 14 and was referred to the Education/Higher Education Committee. This bill appropriates a portion of NC Education Lottery revenues to reform the compensation structure for school-based administrators and for K-12 school construction. The appropriations would be based upon county need and ability to pay for school construction projects, while also making changes to advertising cost limitations in the NC Education Lottery. The NC Chamber supports this bill. House Bill 450: Future Ready Student Act of 2017 was filed in the House on Wednesday, March 22. It then received a favorable report in the Education K-12 committee on March 23 and was sent to the Education-Community Colleges committee. On Thursday, April 6 the bill passed on the second and third reading with a vote of 111-0. The bill was then introduced in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations on April 10. This legislation establishes Business Advisory Councils for each local education agency to assist in the development of demand-driven career and technical education and work-based learning opportunities, including job shadowing, internships, pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships. It also establishes a competitive grant program for the expansion of career and technical education to earlier middle school grades administered by the Workforce Innovation Commission. The NC Chamber supports this bill. Senate Bill 515: NC Skills Gap Study was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. This bill establishes the North Carolina Skills Gap Study to be conducted by the NC Works Commission in consultation with the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, the Department of Public Instruction, the UNC and Community College Systems. The study will review and evaluate North Carolina’s anticipated workforce demand and educational supply for such demand. The NC Chamber supports this bill. Senate Bill 380: Encourage High Schoolers to Attend CC’s was introduced in the Senate on Monday, March 27 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill encourages high school students to attend their local community colleges for academic or vocational classes in an effort to increase dual enrollment. The NC Chamber supports this bill. House Bill 556: Office of Early Childhood Education was introduced in the House on Wednesday, April 5 and referred to the Committee on Education-K-12 where it received a favorable report on Thursday, April 20. On April 25 the bill was re-referred to Rules where it received a favorable report on the proposed committee substitute. In the committee substitute the bill changed from establishing the office of early childhood education within the Department of Public Instruction to a study bill to determine a solution for developing and implementing a plan for a coordinated system of early care, education, and child development services. It passed second and third reading in the House on April 26. It will be sent to the Senate. The NC Chamber supports this bill. House Bill 681: Teacher Licensure/Military Spouses was introduced in the House on Tuesday, April 11 and referred to the Committee on Education-K-12. On April 25 the committee substitute was reported favorable and it was sent to the floor where it passed second and third reading on April 26. It will be sent to the Senate. This legislation provides for procedures to decrease the burden on military spouses in obtaining NC teacher licenses. The NC Chamber supports this bill. House Bill 600: School Construction Flexibility was filed in the House on Wednesday, April 5 and referred to the Committee on Education – K-12 where it received a favorable report on April 25. It was then referred to the Committee on Finance where it received a favorable report on April 25 and passed second reading in the House on the same day. It passed third reading in the House on April 26 and will be sent to the Senate. This bill provides additional flexibility to local boards of education to enter into leases for school buildings and other facilities and revise the procedures for qualified zone academy bonds. The NC Chamber supports this bill. House Bill 751: Career and College Ready/High School Grads was introduced in the House on April 13 and referred to the Committee on Education – K-12 with a favorable report on April 25. On April 26, it passed second and third readings and was sent to the Senate. This bill requires all students who receive a high school diploma endorsement to demonstrate a certain level of reading achievement and to require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to study best practices to ensure students complete high school with the necessary literacy skills for career and college readiness. The NC Chamber supports this bill. OPPOSE: House Bill 417: Actually Get Rid of Common Core Act was introduced in the House on Wednesday, March 22 and referred to the Committee on Education K-12 with a serial referral to Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. This legislation repeals North Carolina’s Mathematics Standard Course of Study that was adopted by the State Board in 2010 and replaces them with Minnesota math standards. The NC Chamber opposes this bill. MONITOR: School Calendar Modification Bills various local and statewide school calendar flexibility bills have been filed this session, including House Bill 389 and House Bill 375 both on the House calendar on Thursday, April 6 after passing committee. House Bill 389 passed on the second reading with a vote of 104-6 on April 6, while House Bill 375 passed on the second and third reading with a vote of 100-8. They introduce measures to provide additional flexibility to North Carolina public schools in adopting school calendars and an opportunity for schools to expand dual enrollment offerings and apprenticeship opportunities in partnership with local community colleges. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills. House Bill 87: ESSA Plan Submission was introduced in the House on Monday, Feb. 13. On Wednesday, March 1, the bill passed on third reading in the House, and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations after passing on first reading in that chamber. 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 Education was filed in the House on Thursday, Feb. 16. On Monday, Feb. 20, it was referred to the House Committee on Elections and Ethics Law. 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. House Bill 135: Technical Changes to Courses of Study Statute was introduced in the House on Thursday, Feb. 16. On March 3, the bill received a favorable report in Education K-12 House Committee. It then passed on the second and third reading in the House on March 15 and later passed on the first reading in Senate, where it was referred to Rules & Operations of the Senate on March 16. On May 16 it was re-referred to the Education/Higher Education Committee, where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on Wednesday, June 14 and was re-referred to Rules. This bill would make a number of organizational and technical changes to course of study statutes. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. School Performance Grade Bills multiple school performance grade bills have been filed this session, including House Bill 322, House Bill 458, House Bill 826 and Senate Bill 149. House Bill 322 and 458 passed on their second and third reading in the House on March 15 and March 30 respectively. They were then sent to the Senate, where they were referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. These bills make various changes to North Carolina’s current formula in evaluating schools A-F summative grade. With the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, North Carolina must submit a state education plan including how the state plans to measure school performance. School accountability is a critical component of workforce development and the NC Chamber is working with the General Assembly to produce a school accountability plan that works best for North Carolina while also complying with ESSA. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills. House Bill 333: Local Option Sales Tax Flexibility was introduced in the House on March 14 and referred to the Committee on Finance. This bill gives counties additional flexibility with regard to the local option sales and use tax without increasing the existing maximum tax rate, potentially allotting more money to public education. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 517: North Carolina New Teacher Support Act was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. The bill was reported favorable by the Committee on Education/Higher Education to the committee substitute on April 10. It was then re-referred to the committee on Appropriates/Base Budget. This bill establishes the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program and reimburses initial teacher licensure fees for certain graduates of an approved North Carolina educator preparation program. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 461/House Bill 532: Modify UNC Laboratory Schools are companion bills that were introduced in the Senate and House on Thursday, March 30. The Senate version was referred to the Education/Higher Education Committee where it received a favorable report on Wednesday, April 19 and was re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget. The House version was referred to the Committee on Education - Universities. On March 30, the bill was reported favorable in the Committee on Education-Universities. It then passed on the second and third reading on April 11 and was sent to the Senate. On May 16, the House version was re-referred to the Education/Higher Education Committee after a brief stop in Rules and Operations of the Senate. It received a favorable report on Wednesday, June 14 in Ed./Higher Ed. and was re-referred to Rules. This legislation modifies the governance and operation of the University of North Carolina Laboratory Schools, including the establishment of the UNC Board of Governors Subcommittee on Laboratory Schools to oversee the establishment and operations of laboratory schools in North Carolina. The Subcommittee shall be led by the President of The University of North Carolina. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills. Senate Bill 597/House Bill 646: ApprenticeshipNC were companion bills introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, April 5 and the House on Thursday, April 6. The Senate version was referred to the Education/Higher Education Committee where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on April 19. It has been referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. The House version was referred to the Education-Community Colleges Committee and received a favorable to the committee substitute on April 19. It was re-refereed to the Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House where it received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 21 and added to the calendar. It passed second and third reading on April 24 and will be send to the Senate. This legislation transfers the administration of the state apprenticeship program from the Department of Commerce to the Community College System Office. 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. SUPPORT: 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 Tuesday, Feb. 28, the House version passed unanimously on third reading in that chamber, and has been referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee after passing on first reading in the Senate. On March 23 it was withdrawn from the Senate Rules and Operations Committee and re-referred to the Finance Committee with serial referral to the Rules and Operations committee of the Senate. It was then reported favorable by the Finance committee on April 5 and the Rules Committee on April 6. The legislation passed on the second reading on April 10 and the third reading on April 11. It was later ordered enrolled on April 11 as well. 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 supports these bills. House Bill 356: Tax Reduction Act of 2017 was introduced in the House on March 16 and referred to the Finance Committee. This bill increases the standard deduction, exempts mill machinery from tax, and simplifies the franchise tax calculation. The NC Chamber supports this bill. Senate Bill 325: Billion Dollar Middle Class Tax Cut was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 22 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. The bill was withdrawn from the Senate Rules and Operations committee and placed in the Finance committee, where it received a favorable report on March 29 and was sent back to the Rules and Operations committee. On April 10, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations. The bill received a favorable report in the Rules and Operations committee on March 30. It then passed on the second reading on April 4 and the third reading on April 5. On April 6, the bill was sent to the House. This legislation reduces the personal income tax rate and increases the standard deduction among other changes to the tax code. The NC Chamber supports this bill. Senate Bill 470: Personal Injury Bankruptcy Trust Claims was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. On April 4, the bill was re-referred to the Judiciary Committee where it received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 25. It was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate and reported favorable on April 26. It passed second and third reading in the Senate on the same day and will be sent to the House. On April 27, it passed first reading in the House and was referred to the Committee on Judiciary II. It received a favorable report in Judiciary II on May 24 and will be added to the calendar. This bill amends Rule 26 of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure relating to discovery in bankruptcy trust claims, establishing measures to increase transparency and fairness in North Carolina’s costly civil liability and bankruptcy trust system. The NC Chamber supports this bill. House Bill 142: Reset of S.L. 2016-3 was filed in the House on February 21 and passed in the House and Senate on Thursday, March 30. The bill was signed into law on the same day. This bipartisan bill repeals House Bill 2, which passed during the 2016 session. The NC Chamber supported bipartisan efforts to move toward a resolution on this issue, including House Bill 186, and supports this bill. House Bill 460/Senate Bill 155: Economic & Job Growth for NC Distilleries was introduced in the House on Monday, March 27 and referred to the Committee on Alcoholic Beverage Control. It was introduced in the Senate on March 2 and referred to the Commerce and Insurance Committee on Thursday, March 23. On March 30 it was reported favorable in Commerce and Insurance and referred to Finance where it received a favorable report on the committee substitute on May 31 and was referred to Rules and Operations of the Senate. On June 1, it received a favorable report in Rules and passed second and third reading in the Senate. This bill will amend the Alcoholic Beverage Control permits and allow restaurants to sell alcohol before noon on Sundays, subject to local government approval. The NC Chamber supports these bills. Senate Bill 460/House Bill 467: Agriculture and Forestry Nuisance Remedies are companion bills filed in the Senate and House on Thursday, March 30 and Monday, March 27 respectively. The House version has been referred to the Committee on Judiciary III and the Senate version to Rules and Operations of the Senate. The Senate version of the bill was re-referred to the Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources Committee on April 4. The House version was referred to the Judiciary II Committee on March 27, received a favorable report on April 5, passed on the second reading in the House on April 6 with one amendment and passed on the third reading on April 10. The Senate referred the House version to the Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources Committee where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on April 25. It was then reported favorable in Judiciary and placed on the Senate calendar on April 26 where it passed second and third reading. The House concurred on April 27 and was enrolled. Governor Cooper vetoed the bill on May 5. The House overrode the Governor’s veto on Wednesday, May 10 and the Senate did the same on Thursday, May 11. This legislation clarifies the remedies available in private nuisance actions against agricultural and forestry operations. The NC Chamber supports these bills. Senate Bill 654: Make NC Better for Business/Revenue Laws was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, April 5 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. The bill would identify and implement more business friendly practices in NC. The NC Chambers supports this bill. Senate Bill 631: Protect Right to Work/Conforming Changes and Senate Bill 632: Protect NC Right to Work Constitutional Amend are companion bills introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, April 4 and the House on April 13. House Bill 820 was reported favorable in Judiciary I on April 13 and sent to the floor. House Bill 819 was reported favorable in Judiciary I on April 13 and re-referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. The Senate versions have been referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. These bills create a constitutional amendment clarifying the state’s labor laws protecting a person’s right to work. The NC Chamber supports these bills. House Bill 578: Revisions to Outdoor Advertising Laws and House Bill 580 were introduced in the House and referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations. On April 11, House Bill 578 was re-referred to the Finance Committee and House Bill 580 was re-referred to the Committee on State and Local Government II where it received a favorable report on Thursday, April 20. These bills make certain changes to billboard advertising laws to include more consistency, fairness and improved property rights. The NC Chamber supports these bills. House Bill 374/Senate Bill 501: 2017 DOL Technical Changes. – AB was introduced in the House on March 16 and referred to the Committee on State and Local Government II. On April 5, it received a favorable report in State and Local Gov’t II and was placed on the calendar where it passed second and third reading on April 6. On June 6, it was referred to the Commerce and Insurance Committee in the Senate with a serial referral to Rules. This bill makes technical, conforming, and other changes to the labor laws of North Carolina. The NC Chamber supports this bill. Senate Bill 16/House Bill 162: Amend Administrative Procedure Laws are companion bills introduced in the House and Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 21 and Thursday, Jan. 26 respectively. On Thursday, Feb. 23, it passed on third reading in the Senate with unanimous support; after passing on first reading in the House on Tuesday, Feb. 28, it has been referred to the House Judiciary III Committee. On June 7, the bill was re-referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform where it received a favorable report on June 14. After the passage of seven amendments, the bill passed second and third reading in the House on Thursday, June 15 and was ordered engrossed. These bills contain 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 these bills clarify 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 supports these bills. OPPOSE: House Bill 238/Senate Bill 174: Economic Security Act of 2017 are companion bills that were filed in the House and Senate on Wednesday, March 1. The Senate version has been referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee, while the House version has yet to be referred to a committee. This bill would change a number of North Carolina laws by introducing specific mandates on North Carolina employers, decreasing their ability to have full certainty over the day-to-day operations of their businesses. Chief among these measures would be an increase to the state minimum wage which would phase to $15 per hour over five years. The NC Chamber opposes these bills. House Bill 289/Senate Bill 210: Living Wage by 2022 are companion bills that were filed in the House and Senate on Wednesday, March 8. On March 9, the legislation passed the first reading in House and was referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House. This legislation increases North Carolina’s minimum wage in phases until 2022 when the wage shall be adjusted automatically each year by increases in the cost of living. The NC Chamber opposes these bills. 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. It received a favorable report on the proposed committee substitute in Commerce on April 24 and sent to the floor. The bill passed second and third reading on April 25 and will be sent to the Senate. 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 opposes this bill. Senate Bill 324: Repeal Certificate of Need Laws was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 22 and referred to Rules and Operations of the Senate. The House companion bill was introduced on April 10 and referred to the Committee on Health. This legislation repeals North Carolina’s certificate of need (CON) laws aimed at restraining health care facility costs and facilitating coordinated planning of new services and facility construction. In advancing recommendations contained in the Roadmap to Value-Driven Health to make North Carolina a top-ten state for healthcare value, the NC Chamber supports reforms, not outright repeal, to CON laws. Therefore, the NC Chamber opposes this bill. House Bill 687: Amend Various Coal Ash Provns. and House Bill 721: Omnibus Act Regarding Coal-Based Energy were introduced in the House on Monday, April 10 and referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. These bills amend various provisions related to coal ash cleanup. The NC Chamber opposes these bills. MONITOR: House Bill 22/Senate Bill 44: BOR/Independent Staff/Data Tracking are companion bills that were filed in the House on Wednesday, Jan. 25 and the Senate on Tuesday, February 7. On Wednesday, Feb. 8, House Bill 22 was withdrawn from the House Appropriations Committee and re-referred to the House Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations, while Senate Bill 44 passed the first reading and was referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations. These bills clarify 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 these bills. 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. It received a favorable report in the House Judiciary II Committee and was re-referred to the Finance 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 75: Const. Amd. – Max. Income Tax Rate of 5.5% was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 14. The bill received a favorable report in the Committees on Finance and Rules and Operations, where it then went on to pass on the second and third readings in the Senate on March 14. The bill was then sent to the House, where it was introduced on March 16 and referred to the Committee on Finance. 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. On Wednesday, March 1, it was withdrawn from the Senate Rules and Operations Committee and sent to the Senate Finance Committee. On June 7 it was reported favorable to the committee substitute and re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. It received a favorable report in Rules on June 8. This bill would establish “economic nexus” 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. Senate Bill 131: Regulatory Reform Act of 2016 was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, Feb. 23, a proposed committee substitute was adopted and it passed out of the Senate Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee on March 2. It was re-referred to Senate Rules where it received a favorable report. It passed on the second and third reading in the Senate on March 15 and later passed on the first reading in the House on March 21, where it was referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform. On March 23 a committee substitute was adopted and the Regulatory Reform committee reported the bill favorable. It was then re-referred to the Finance committee and reported favorable and will be calendared. On April 5, the legislation received seven amendments in the House and passed on the second reading. It passed on the third reading and engrossed on April 6. On April 11, it was concurred on the second reading in the Senate but failed concurrence on the third reading on April 9. On April 24 the conference reported was adopted in the House on April 25 and in the Senate on April 26. It was ordered enrolled. This bill would make a number of changes to certain environmental, natural resources and other laws in North Carolina. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 243/Senate Bill 175: Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention (STOP) Act are companion bills that were filed in the House and Senate on Tuesday, March 6. Both versions have been referred to Committees on health. The bill was reported favorable to the Committee Substitute in the House Committee on Health and was re-referred to Appropriations committee on March 30. Two amendments were adopted in the House on April 10. On the same day the bill passed on the second and third reading. On April 11, it was introduced in the Senate and sent to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill strengthens opioid misuse prevention through a number of provisions. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills. House Bill 206/Senate Bill 152: NC Cancer Treatment Fairness are companion bills introduced in the House and Senate on Wednesday, March 1. On April 6, the bill was reported favorable in the House Committee on Health and ordered to the calendar. The House version of the bill passed on the second and third reading on April 10. It was sent to the Senate on April 11, where it was referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations on April. This legislation requires health benefits plans to cover orally administered anticancer drugs. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills. House Bill 379: Task Force on Regulatory Reform was introduced in the House on Thursday, March 16 and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform. The bill was reported favorable to the committee substitute on March 28. It then passed on the second and third reading in the House on the same day. It was introduced in the Senate on March 29 and referred to the Rules and Operations committee of the Senate. The bill passed on the second and third reading on March 28 and was then sent to the Senate, where it was referred to the Rules Committee. This bill establishes a joint legislative task force on regulatory reform. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 366: Retail Workers’ Bill of Rights was introduced in the House on Thursday, March 16 and referred to Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. This bill enacts the retail workers’ bill of rights to ensure the fair scheduling and treatment of retail employees. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 384/Senate Bill 409: Increase Penalties/Organized Retail Theft was filed in the House on Wednesday, March 15 and was referred to the Committee on Judiciary III on March 22. The House version of the bill was withdrawn from the Committee on Judiciary II and was re-referred to the Committee on the Judiciary III on March 22. The Senate version was introduced on March 29 and was referred to the Rules and Operations committee. It was then re-referred to the Judiciary III Committee, where it was reported favorable on April 6 and placed on the calendar for April 10. The House version passed on the second and third reading of the bill on April 10. It was sent to the Senate and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations on April 11. This bill strengthens the organized retail theft laws. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills. Senate Bill 344: Combine Adult Correction & Juvenile Justice was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 22 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. It was withdrawn from Rules and re-referred to the Judiciary Committee where it received a favorable report on April 19. It was then re-referred to Rules with a favorable report on April 20. It was placed on the Senate calendar for April 24 where it passed second and third reading. It was sent to the House on April 26 and referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. This legislation consolidates the division of adult correction and the division of juvenile justice into a single division within the Department of Public Safety as recommended by the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 394: Legislative Cybersecurity Committee was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, March 28 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill establishes the Legislative Cybersecurity Committee to conduct an information security assessment of the State agency’s information systems. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 500: ABC Omnibus Legislation was introduced in the House on Wednesday, March 29 and referred to the Committee on Alcoholic Beverage Control. On April 25 it received a favorable report to the proposed committee substitute and was re-referred to the Committee on Finance. It received a favorable report in Finance on April 25 and was placed on the calendar for consideration on April 26. It passed second and third reading April 26 and was sent to the Senate. This bill would make a number of updates and modernize North Carolina’s ABC laws. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 522/Senate Bill 126: Change the LOST Adjustment Factor was introduced in the House on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Finance and in the Senate on Feb. 23 and referred to the Finance committee. On April 26 the Senate version received a favorable report in Finance and was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate where it was reported favorable on April 26. It passed second and third reading in the Senate on April 26 and will be sent to the House. This legislation would change the local option sales tax adjustment factor to one that varies by economic development tiers. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills. Senate Bill 378: Update NC False Claims Act.-AB was introduced in the Senate on Monday, March 27 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. On April 10, the bill was re-referred to the Judiciary Committee and received a favorable report on April 25. It has been re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. This bill would align the state false claims statutes to the federal false claims act. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 407: Employee Misclassification Reform was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 29 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. On April 6, it was referred to the Finance Committee where it received a favorable report on April 25. It was then re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate and reported favorable on April 26. It was placed on the calendar and passed second and third readings the same day. This bill will increase oversight and enforcement of employee misclassification by the Industrial Commission. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 539: Environmental Regulatory Reform Act of 2017 was filed in the Senate on Thursday, March 30. This bill provides further environmental regulatory relief to North Carolina citizens and businesses. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 544: Business Regulatory Reform Act of 2017 was filed in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Commerce and Insurance Committee on April 13. This bill would make various changes to the laws governing businesses and business transactions. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 563: Business Court Changes was filed in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and re-referred to the Judiciary Committee on April 6. On April 25, it was reported favorable to the committee substitute and re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. On April 26, it received a favorable report in Rules and passed second and third readings in the Senate. This bill amends the law governing the North Carolina Business Court to provide that a tax contestation case must involve an amount in controversy of at least ten thousand dollars in order to be designated a mandatory complex business case. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 480: Protection From Government Overreach Act was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill places restrictions on rules adopted by given agencies that result in substantial financial costs. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 489: Clarify Workers’ Comp. Policy Cancellation was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. On April 11, the bill was re-referred to the Judiciary Committee and received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 25. It was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate and reported favorable on April 26. It passed second and third readings in the Senate on April 26. It will be sent to the House for consideration. This bill clarifies when notices of cancellation of workers’ compensation policies are presumed effective and complete. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 660: Economic Development Incentives Modifications was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, April 5 and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Insurance where it received a favorable report on Thursday, April 20. On April 25, it received a favorable report to the committee substitute in Finance and was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. On April 26, it received a favorable report in Rules and passed second and third readings. This bill will make certain changes to the economic development incentives of the state to allow for more incentive dollars to flow to distressed areas of the state and makes other changes to EDPNC. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 543/Senate Bill 463: Caregiver Relief Act was introduced in the House on Monday, April 3 and referred to the Committee on Aging. The Senate version was introduced March 30 and referred to Rules and Operations of the Senate. These bill provides equal protections for caregivers under the Family Medical Leave Act. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bill. Senate Bill 628: Various Changes to the Revenue Laws was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, April 5 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill would make various technical changes to revenue laws. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 662: Carolina Cares was introduced in the House on Tuesday, April 11 and referred to the Committee on Health Care Reform. This bill provides health coverage to residents of North Carolina that are ineligible for Medicaid due to their income levels but who are otherwise unable to afford health insurance under the Carolina Cares program. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 726: Repeal Sales Tax on RMI was introduced in the House on Tuesday, April 11 and referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. This bill repeals the sales and use tax on repairs, maintenance, and installation services. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 633: Small Business Retirement Program was introduced in the House on Monday, April 10 and referred to the Committee on Pensions and Retirement. This bill creates the North Carolina Voluntary Small Business Retirement Accounts Program as part of the Department of Commerce. The Program would provide a cost-effective group retirement option for small nongovernmental employers and employees. The North Carolina Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 613: Attorney’s Fees & Costs/State Prevails was introduced in the Senate on April 5 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. This bill clarifies and standardizes the requirements to award attorney’s fees in actions involving the state. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 795: Economic Development Incentives Modifications was introduced in the House on April 13 and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Job Development with a serial referrals to Finance and Appropriations. This will makes certain changes to the economic development incentives of the state and the use of development tiers and rankings. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 384/House Bill 466: The Pharmacy Patient Fair Practices Act are companion bills both introduced on Monday, March 27. The Senate version was referred to the Health Care Committee where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on Thursday, April 20. The bill was re-referred to Judiciary where it received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 25. On April 26, it received a favorable report in Rules and Operations of the Senate and passed second and third readings. The House version has been referred to the Committee on Insurance where it received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 25. The bill was re-referred to the Committee on Health and reported favorable on April 26. The House version passed second and third readings on April 26. This legislation regulates pharmacy benefit managers. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills. House Bill 887: Health Insurance State Mandates Study/Funds was introduced in the House on Wednesday, April 26. This bill creates the Join Legislative Committee on State-Mandated health Insurance Coverage Requirements to study all health insurance mandates imposed by the State upon health insurance sold in North Carolina. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 901: Amend Certificate of Need Laws was introduced in the House on Wednesday, April 26. This bill exempts ambulatory surgical facilities and certain activities by smaller community hospitals from certificate of need review. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 904: North Carolina Rural Job Creation Fund was introduced in the House on Wednesday, April 26. This legislation establishes the North Carolina Rural Job Creation Fund to assist in expanding capital access to small business in rural North Carolina. 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. SUPPORT: House Bill 867: Coastal Fisheries Conservation/Econ. Dev. was introduced in the House on April 21 and referred to the Committee on Wildlife Resources with a serial referral to Appropriations. This bill ensures the economic development of coastal North Carolina through the restoration and long-term conservation of North Carolina’s public, coastal fisheries resources by management changes to the Marine Fisheries Commission. The NC Chamber supports this bill. 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 was referred to the Committee on Energy and Public Utilities where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on April 19. It passed second and third reading in the House on April 20 and will be sent to the Senate. 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 these bills. 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. SUPPORT: House Bill 92: Blue Ribbon Committee/Transportation Funding was introduced in the House on Tuesday, Feb. 14. On Wednesday, March 1 it passed with near-unanimous support in the House, and has since been referred to the Rules and Operations Committee in the Senate after passing on first reading in that chamber. This bill would establish a Blue Ribbon Committee to consider issues related to long-term transportation infrastructure funding in order to continue exploring new options and opportunities to secure strategic transportation investments for North Carolina. The NC Chamber supports this bill. House Bill 220: State Infrastructure Bank Revisions was introduced in the House on Wednesday, March 1, and has been referred to the House Transportation Committee. It received a favorable report to the committee substitute in Transportation on April 19 and has be re-referred to the Committee on Finance. This legislation would establish an Oversight Board for the State Infrastructure Bank. This bank provides the state with a source of money from which funds can be lent out to agencies or localities, enabling the timely completion of essential transportation and infrastructure projects, including road, bridges and railways. The board would allow the State Infrastructure Bank to maximize efficiency in its operations, ensuring its continued ability to support strategic investments and protect the future of North Carolina’s transportation and infrastructure network. The NC Chamber supports this bill. House Bill 351/Senate Bill 339: Water & Wastewater Utilities Fair Valuation Determination are companion bills introduced in the House on Tuesday, March 14 and in the Senate on Wednesday, March 22. The bills have been referred to Rules and Operations committee of the Senate and the House Committee on Energy & Public Utilities. The House version received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 25 in Energy & Public Utilities. After one amendment, it passed second and third readings in the House on April 26. This legislation would authorize water and waste water public utilities to elect to use a fair valuation for determining rate-making purposes when acquiring utilities owned by counties, municipalities or other governmental entities. The NC Chamber supports these bills. House Bill 352/Senate Bill 340: Rate Making/Water/Wastewater Public Utilities are companion bills introduced on Wednesday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 22 in the House and Senate respectively. The Senate version has been referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. The House version was referred to the Committee on Energy & Public Utilities where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on April 19. It will be calendared. This legislation will authorize the Utilities Commission to use a full projected future test period in rate making for water and wastewater public utilities. The NC Chamber supports these bills. House Bill 110: DOT/DMV Changes – Megaproject Funding are companion bill introduced in the House on February 16 and the Senate on January 26. The House version received favorable reports to the committee substitute in Transportation on April 4, State and Local Government II on April 19. On April 20 it passed the second and third reading in the House and was sent to the Senate. The Senate version received a favorable report on the committee substitute in Transportation on March 30, favorable in Judiciary on April 11, favorable in Rules and Operations of the Senate on April 19, and passed second and third readings on April 20. This legislation makes changes to state law related to the Department of Transportation and the Division of Motor Vehicles as recommended by the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee. It also establishes a megaproject fund for high-cost and larger-scale transportation projects as recommended by the House Select Committee on Strategic Transportation Planning and Long Term Funding Solutions. The NC Chamber supports these bills. House Bill 310/Senate Bill 377: Wireless Communications Infrastructure Siting are companion bills that were filed in the House on Thursday, March 9 and in the Senate on Thursday, March 23. It passed on the first reading in the House and was then referred to the Committee on Energy & Public Utilities on March 13. On May 18, it received a favorable report in Finance and will be added to the calendar. On June 1, the legislation passed on the third reading and was ordered engrossed. On June 5, it was introduced in the Senate and was re-referred to the State and Local Government Committee after briefly landing in Rules. This legislation reforms wireless communications infrastructure licensing and permitting to aid in development of new technologies. The NC Chamber supports these bills. House Bill 589: Competitive Energy Solutions for NC was introduced in the House on April 6 and referred to the Committee on Energy and Public Utilities with a serial referral to Finance. On June 6 it received a favorable report on the committee substitute and was reported favorable in Finance. On April 7, it passed second and third reading after one amendment and was sent to the Senate. It is now in the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. This bill reforms North Carolina’s integration of renewable electricity generation through amendment of laws related to energy policy and to enact the Distributed Resources Access Act. The NC Chamber supports this bill. OPPOSE: House Bill 266: Terminate Agreement for Tolling of I-77 was introduced in the House on Wednesday, March 8 and referred to the House Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations. This bill directs the NC Department of Transportation to terminate the contract on the I-77 HOT lane project. This would not only set a bad precedent in North Carolina but it would also create a large amount of project uncertainty. The NC Chamber opposes this bill. House Bill 267: Utilities/Amend REPS Requirements was introduced in the House on Wednesday, March 8. This bill cuts the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) requirement from 10% to 8% of retail sales in year 2018 and thereafter. The NC Chamber opposes this bill. House Bill 652: Freeze New Toll Contracts was introduced in the House on Tuesday, April 11 and referred to Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations. This bill prohibits the Department of Transportation and the Turnpike Authority from entering into further partnership agreements with private entities to construct and operate toll road facilities. The NC Chamber opposes this bill. MONITOR: House Bill 81: STI/Regional & Division Weighting was introduced in the House on Thursday, Feb. 9. It passed the House on third reading on Wednesday, March 1, and has since been referred to the Senate Rules and Operations 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. Senate Bill 236: Efficient and Affordable Energy Rates was filed in the Senate on Thursday, March 9 and passed on the first reading on March 14, where it was then referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. This bill requires the North Carolina Utilities Commission to established tiered electricity rates for residential, commercial, public and industrial customers to encourage energy conservation and energy efficiency, create the energy efficiency bank, and create an incentive for customers to purchase energy star qualified household products. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 321: Study Solid Waste Disposal Tax was filed in the House on Wednesday, March 9. The bill later passed on the first reading and was then referred to the Environment Committee on March 13. On April 6, the committee reported the bill favorable. The bill passed on the second and third reading on April 10 and was sent to the Senate, where it was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill would require the Environmental Management Committee to study the NC Solid Waste Tax. The study would evaluate how much revenue is generated from the tax and the distribution of the tax dollars. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 208/House Bill 390: Counties/Internet Infrastructure was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 8 and as referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate on the same day. House Bill 390 was added as the companion bill on March 20 and was referred to the Committee on State and Local Government II. This bill would authorize counties to provide high speed internet access service as a public enterprise. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills. Senate Bill 337/House Bill 469: Regulation of Fully Autonomous Vehicles are companion bills that were introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 22 and in the House on Monday, March 27. The Senate version of the bill was referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations and the House version was referred to Committee on Transportation. On April 24, the House version received a favorable report on the committee substitute and was added to the calendar, where it passed second and third readings. The House version was then introduced in the Senate on April 26. On May 16, it was referred to the Committee on Transportation where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on Wednesday, June 14. There is a serial referral to Judiciary. This legislation regulates the operation of fully autonomous motor vehicles on North Carolina public highways. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills. Senate Bill 469: Preserve Municipal Solid Waste Capacity was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. It was then re-referred to the State and Local Government Committee on April 4. The bill was reported favorable in the Committee on State and Local Government and was re-referred to the Committee on Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources. The bill received a favorable report on April 20 in the Committee on Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources and was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. On April 24, it was reported favorable in Rules and after one amendment, it passed second and third readings on April 25. This legislation conserves municipal solid waste landfill capacity by preventing the enactment of certain flow control measures. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. Senate Bill 487: Increase Energy Efficiency was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill encourages the increase of energy efficiency in North Carolina by removing certain caps and limits in the renewable energy portfolio standards. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 583: Pay-As-You-Go Capital & Infrastructure Fund was filed in the House on Wednesday, April 5. This bill will create a state fund that uses debt savings to make improvements to the ongoing capital and infrastructure needs. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 909: Sound Energy & Renewables Policy Act was introduced in House on Wednesday, April 26 and referred to the Committee on Energy & Public Utilities with a serial referral to Finance and Appropriations. This bill establishes sound policies for increased utilization of renewable energy sources, reforms North Carolina’s implementation of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and provides for utility cost recovery for new qualifying facility generators and assures long-term reliable energy for North Carolina customers at fair and reasonable rates. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill. House Bill 900: Safe Infrastructure & Low Property Tax Act was introduced in the House on Wednesday, April 26 and referred to the Committee on Finance. This legislation provides municipalities with locally controlled options to produce revenue that can be invested in infrastructure and economic development projects. 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. On Thursday, Feb. 23, the House version passed on third reading in the House with a vote of 106-5. After passing on first reading in the Senate, it has been referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee for further consideration. 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 these bills.
Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Bills are various bills raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction in North Carolina to include youthful offenders aged 16 and 17 have been filed this session, including Senate Bill 146, Senate Bill 549, Senate Bill 564 and House Bill 280 which passed Judiciary 1 on Wednesday, May 10, Appropriations on Thursday, May 11, and second and third reading on Wednesday, May 17. These bills would bring North Carolina into alignment with the vast majority of other states and ensure juvenile offenders are treated appropriately through the juvenile justice system, rather than being treated as adults. The NC Chamber Legal Institute previously indicated our support for the implementation of such “raise the age” measures in order to reduce juvenile recidivism, improve public safety and mitigate rising costs in North Carolina’s criminal justice system. In addition to the tangible economic benefits accruing from this legislation, these bills would also have a positive impact on education and talent supply systems across the state. The NC Chamber supports these bills.
Senate Bill 8: Ease Occ. Lic. Burdens on Military Families was introduced in the Senate on January 25. After favorable reports in Judiciary, Finance and Rules Committees, it passed second and third reading on March 15. It passed on the first reading in the House on March 21 and was then referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, Military & Veterans Affairs, where if it receives a favorable report it will move to the Finance committee. This bill eases occupational licensing burdens on military families by allowing military members and their spouses to practice their professions under licensure from another state while transitioning to the requirements of the licensing boards of North Carolina. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
House Bill 359: CC/High School Enrollment in CTE Courses passed first reading in the House on March 16 and was referred to Committee on Education K-12. This bill extends dual enrollment opportunities for high school students in community college courses that lead to industry recognized credentials. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
Senate Bill 234: SBA Pay/Needs-Based Pub. Sch. Capital Fund was filed in the Senate on Thursday, March 9. The bill passed on the first reading in Senate on March 14 and was referred to the Education/Higher Education Committee. This bill appropriates a portion of NC Education Lottery revenues to reform the compensation structure for school-based administrators and for K-12 school construction. The appropriations would be based upon county need and ability to pay for school construction projects, while also making changes to advertising cost limitations in the NC Education Lottery. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
House Bill 450: Future Ready Student Act of 2017 was filed in the House on Wednesday, March 22. It then received a favorable report in the Education K-12 committee on March 23 and was sent to the Education-Community Colleges committee. On Thursday, April 6 the bill passed on the second and third reading with a vote of 111-0. The bill was then introduced in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations on April 10. This legislation establishes Business Advisory Councils for each local education agency to assist in the development of demand-driven career and technical education and work-based learning opportunities, including job shadowing, internships, pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships. It also establishes a competitive grant program for the expansion of career and technical education to earlier middle school grades administered by the Workforce Innovation Commission. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
Senate Bill 515: NC Skills Gap Study was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. This bill establishes the North Carolina Skills Gap Study to be conducted by the NC Works Commission in consultation with the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, the Department of Public Instruction, the UNC and Community College Systems. The study will review and evaluate North Carolina’s anticipated workforce demand and educational supply for such demand. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
Senate Bill 380: Encourage High Schoolers to Attend CC’s was introduced in the Senate on Monday, March 27 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill encourages high school students to attend their local community colleges for academic or vocational classes in an effort to increase dual enrollment. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
House Bill 556: Office of Early Childhood Education was introduced in the House on Wednesday, April 5 and referred to the Committee on Education-K-12 where it received a favorable report on Thursday, April 20. On April 25 the bill was re-referred to Rules where it received a favorable report on the proposed committee substitute. In the committee substitute the bill changed from establishing the office of early childhood education within the Department of Public Instruction to a study bill to determine a solution for developing and implementing a plan for a coordinated system of early care, education, and child development services. It passed second and third reading in the House on April 26. It will be sent to the Senate. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
House Bill 681: Teacher Licensure/Military Spouses was introduced in the House on Tuesday, April 11 and referred to the Committee on Education-K-12. On April 25 the committee substitute was reported favorable and it was sent to the floor where it passed second and third reading on April 26. It will be sent to the Senate. This legislation provides for procedures to decrease the burden on military spouses in obtaining NC teacher licenses. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
House Bill 600: School Construction Flexibility was filed in the House on Wednesday, April 5 and referred to the Committee on Education – K-12 where it received a favorable report on April 25. It was then referred to the Committee on Finance where it received a favorable report on April 25 and passed second reading in the House on the same day. It passed third reading in the House on April 26 and will be sent to the Senate. This bill provides additional flexibility to local boards of education to enter into leases for school buildings and other facilities and revise the procedures for qualified zone academy bonds. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
House Bill 751: Career and College Ready/High School Grads was introduced in the House on April 13 and referred to the Committee on Education – K-12 with a favorable report on April 25. On April 26, it passed second and third readings and was sent to the Senate. This bill requires all students who receive a high school diploma endorsement to demonstrate a certain level of reading achievement and to require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to study best practices to ensure students complete high school with the necessary literacy skills for career and college readiness. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
OPPOSE:
House Bill 417: Actually Get Rid of Common Core Act was introduced in the House on Wednesday, March 22 and referred to the Committee on Education K-12 with a serial referral to Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. This legislation repeals North Carolina’s Mathematics Standard Course of Study that was adopted by the State Board in 2010 and replaces them with Minnesota math standards. The NC Chamber opposes this bill.
MONITOR:
School Calendar Modification Bills various local and statewide school calendar flexibility bills have been filed this session, including House Bill 389 and House Bill 375 both on the House calendar on Thursday, April 6 after passing committee. House Bill 389 passed on the second reading with a vote of 104-6 on April 6, while House Bill 375 passed on the second and third reading with a vote of 100-8. They introduce measures to provide additional flexibility to North Carolina public schools in adopting school calendars and an opportunity for schools to expand dual enrollment offerings and apprenticeship opportunities in partnership with local community colleges. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills.
House Bill 87: ESSA Plan Submission was introduced in the House on Monday, Feb. 13. On Wednesday, March 1, the bill passed on third reading in the House, and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations after passing on first reading in that chamber. 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 Education was filed in the House on Thursday, Feb. 16. On Monday, Feb. 20, it was referred to the House Committee on Elections and Ethics Law. 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.
House Bill 135: Technical Changes to Courses of Study Statute was introduced in the House on Thursday, Feb. 16. On March 3, the bill received a favorable report in Education K-12 House Committee. It then passed on the second and third reading in the House on March 15 and later passed on the first reading in Senate, where it was referred to Rules & Operations of the Senate on March 16. On May 16 it was re-referred to the Education/Higher Education Committee, where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on Wednesday, June 14 and was re-referred to Rules. This bill would make a number of organizational and technical changes to course of study statutes. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
School Performance Grade Bills multiple school performance grade bills have been filed this session, including House Bill 322, House Bill 458, House Bill 826 and Senate Bill 149. House Bill 322 and 458 passed on their second and third reading in the House on March 15 and March 30 respectively. They were then sent to the Senate, where they were referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. These bills make various changes to North Carolina’s current formula in evaluating schools A-F summative grade. With the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, North Carolina must submit a state education plan including how the state plans to measure school performance. School accountability is a critical component of workforce development and the NC Chamber is working with the General Assembly to produce a school accountability plan that works best for North Carolina while also complying with ESSA. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills.
House Bill 333: Local Option Sales Tax Flexibility was introduced in the House on March 14 and referred to the Committee on Finance. This bill gives counties additional flexibility with regard to the local option sales and use tax without increasing the existing maximum tax rate, potentially allotting more money to public education. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 517: North Carolina New Teacher Support Act was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. The bill was reported favorable by the Committee on Education/Higher Education to the committee substitute on April 10. It was then re-referred to the committee on Appropriates/Base Budget. This bill establishes the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program and reimburses initial teacher licensure fees for certain graduates of an approved North Carolina educator preparation program. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 461/House Bill 532: Modify UNC Laboratory Schools are companion bills that were introduced in the Senate and House on Thursday, March 30. The Senate version was referred to the Education/Higher Education Committee where it received a favorable report on Wednesday, April 19 and was re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget. The House version was referred to the Committee on Education - Universities. On March 30, the bill was reported favorable in the Committee on Education-Universities. It then passed on the second and third reading on April 11 and was sent to the Senate. On May 16, the House version was re-referred to the Education/Higher Education Committee after a brief stop in Rules and Operations of the Senate. It received a favorable report on Wednesday, June 14 in Ed./Higher Ed. and was re-referred to Rules. This legislation modifies the governance and operation of the University of North Carolina Laboratory Schools, including the establishment of the UNC Board of Governors Subcommittee on Laboratory Schools to oversee the establishment and operations of laboratory schools in North Carolina. The Subcommittee shall be led by the President of The University of North Carolina. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills.
Senate Bill 597/House Bill 646: ApprenticeshipNC were companion bills introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, April 5 and the House on Thursday, April 6. The Senate version was referred to the Education/Higher Education Committee where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on April 19. It has been referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. The House version was referred to the Education-Community Colleges Committee and received a favorable to the committee substitute on April 19. It was re-refereed to the Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House where it received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 21 and added to the calendar. It passed second and third reading on April 24 and will be send to the Senate. This legislation transfers the administration of the state apprenticeship program from the Department of Commerce to the Community College System Office. 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 Tuesday, Feb. 28, the House version passed unanimously on third reading in that chamber, and has been referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee after passing on first reading in the Senate. On March 23 it was withdrawn from the Senate Rules and Operations Committee and re-referred to the Finance Committee with serial referral to the Rules and Operations committee of the Senate. It was then reported favorable by the Finance committee on April 5 and the Rules Committee on April 6. The legislation passed on the second reading on April 10 and the third reading on April 11. It was later ordered enrolled on April 11 as well. 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 supports these bills.
House Bill 356: Tax Reduction Act of 2017 was introduced in the House on March 16 and referred to the Finance Committee. This bill increases the standard deduction, exempts mill machinery from tax, and simplifies the franchise tax calculation. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
Senate Bill 325: Billion Dollar Middle Class Tax Cut was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 22 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. The bill was withdrawn from the Senate Rules and Operations committee and placed in the Finance committee, where it received a favorable report on March 29 and was sent back to the Rules and Operations committee. On April 10, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations. The bill received a favorable report in the Rules and Operations committee on March 30. It then passed on the second reading on April 4 and the third reading on April 5. On April 6, the bill was sent to the House. This legislation reduces the personal income tax rate and increases the standard deduction among other changes to the tax code. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
Senate Bill 470: Personal Injury Bankruptcy Trust Claims was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. On April 4, the bill was re-referred to the Judiciary Committee where it received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 25. It was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate and reported favorable on April 26. It passed second and third reading in the Senate on the same day and will be sent to the House. On April 27, it passed first reading in the House and was referred to the Committee on Judiciary II. It received a favorable report in Judiciary II on May 24 and will be added to the calendar. This bill amends Rule 26 of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure relating to discovery in bankruptcy trust claims, establishing measures to increase transparency and fairness in North Carolina’s costly civil liability and bankruptcy trust system. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
House Bill 142: Reset of S.L. 2016-3 was filed in the House on February 21 and passed in the House and Senate on Thursday, March 30. The bill was signed into law on the same day. This bipartisan bill repeals House Bill 2, which passed during the 2016 session. The NC Chamber supported bipartisan efforts to move toward a resolution on this issue, including House Bill 186, and supports this bill.
House Bill 460/Senate Bill 155: Economic & Job Growth for NC Distilleries was introduced in the House on Monday, March 27 and referred to the Committee on Alcoholic Beverage Control. It was introduced in the Senate on March 2 and referred to the Commerce and Insurance Committee on Thursday, March 23. On March 30 it was reported favorable in Commerce and Insurance and referred to Finance where it received a favorable report on the committee substitute on May 31 and was referred to Rules and Operations of the Senate. On June 1, it received a favorable report in Rules and passed second and third reading in the Senate. This bill will amend the Alcoholic Beverage Control permits and allow restaurants to sell alcohol before noon on Sundays, subject to local government approval. The NC Chamber supports these bills.
Senate Bill 460/House Bill 467: Agriculture and Forestry Nuisance Remedies are companion bills filed in the Senate and House on Thursday, March 30 and Monday, March 27 respectively. The House version has been referred to the Committee on Judiciary III and the Senate version to Rules and Operations of the Senate. The Senate version of the bill was re-referred to the Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources Committee on April 4. The House version was referred to the Judiciary II Committee on March 27, received a favorable report on April 5, passed on the second reading in the House on April 6 with one amendment and passed on the third reading on April 10. The Senate referred the House version to the Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources Committee where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on April 25. It was then reported favorable in Judiciary and placed on the Senate calendar on April 26 where it passed second and third reading. The House concurred on April 27 and was enrolled. Governor Cooper vetoed the bill on May 5. The House overrode the Governor’s veto on Wednesday, May 10 and the Senate did the same on Thursday, May 11. This legislation clarifies the remedies available in private nuisance actions against agricultural and forestry operations. The NC Chamber supports these bills.
Senate Bill 654: Make NC Better for Business/Revenue Laws was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, April 5 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. The bill would identify and implement more business friendly practices in NC. The NC Chambers supports this bill.
Senate Bill 631: Protect Right to Work/Conforming Changes and Senate Bill 632: Protect NC Right to Work Constitutional Amend are companion bills introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, April 4 and the House on April 13. House Bill 820 was reported favorable in Judiciary I on April 13 and sent to the floor. House Bill 819 was reported favorable in Judiciary I on April 13 and re-referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. The Senate versions have been referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. These bills create a constitutional amendment clarifying the state’s labor laws protecting a person’s right to work. The NC Chamber supports these bills.
House Bill 578: Revisions to Outdoor Advertising Laws and House Bill 580 were introduced in the House and referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations. On April 11, House Bill 578 was re-referred to the Finance Committee and House Bill 580 was re-referred to the Committee on State and Local Government II where it received a favorable report on Thursday, April 20. These bills make certain changes to billboard advertising laws to include more consistency, fairness and improved property rights. The NC Chamber supports these bills.
House Bill 374/Senate Bill 501: 2017 DOL Technical Changes. – AB was introduced in the House on March 16 and referred to the Committee on State and Local Government II. On April 5, it received a favorable report in State and Local Gov’t II and was placed on the calendar where it passed second and third reading on April 6. On June 6, it was referred to the Commerce and Insurance Committee in the Senate with a serial referral to Rules. This bill makes technical, conforming, and other changes to the labor laws of North Carolina. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
Senate Bill 16/House Bill 162: Amend Administrative Procedure Laws are companion bills introduced in the House and Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 21 and Thursday, Jan. 26 respectively. On Thursday, Feb. 23, it passed on third reading in the Senate with unanimous support; after passing on first reading in the House on Tuesday, Feb. 28, it has been referred to the House Judiciary III Committee. On June 7, the bill was re-referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform where it received a favorable report on June 14. After the passage of seven amendments, the bill passed second and third reading in the House on Thursday, June 15 and was ordered engrossed. These bills contain 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 these bills clarify 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 supports these bills.
House Bill 238/Senate Bill 174: Economic Security Act of 2017 are companion bills that were filed in the House and Senate on Wednesday, March 1. The Senate version has been referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee, while the House version has yet to be referred to a committee. This bill would change a number of North Carolina laws by introducing specific mandates on North Carolina employers, decreasing their ability to have full certainty over the day-to-day operations of their businesses. Chief among these measures would be an increase to the state minimum wage which would phase to $15 per hour over five years. The NC Chamber opposes these bills.
House Bill 289/Senate Bill 210: Living Wage by 2022 are companion bills that were filed in the House and Senate on Wednesday, March 8. On March 9, the legislation passed the first reading in House and was referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House. This legislation increases North Carolina’s minimum wage in phases until 2022 when the wage shall be adjusted automatically each year by increases in the cost of living. The NC Chamber opposes these bills.
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. It received a favorable report on the proposed committee substitute in Commerce on April 24 and sent to the floor. The bill passed second and third reading on April 25 and will be sent to the Senate. 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 opposes this bill.
Senate Bill 324: Repeal Certificate of Need Laws was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 22 and referred to Rules and Operations of the Senate. The House companion bill was introduced on April 10 and referred to the Committee on Health. This legislation repeals North Carolina’s certificate of need (CON) laws aimed at restraining health care facility costs and facilitating coordinated planning of new services and facility construction. In advancing recommendations contained in the Roadmap to Value-Driven Health to make North Carolina a top-ten state for healthcare value, the NC Chamber supports reforms, not outright repeal, to CON laws. Therefore, the NC Chamber opposes this bill.
House Bill 687: Amend Various Coal Ash Provns. and House Bill 721: Omnibus Act Regarding Coal-Based Energy were introduced in the House on Monday, April 10 and referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. These bills amend various provisions related to coal ash cleanup. The NC Chamber opposes these bills.
House Bill 22/Senate Bill 44: BOR/Independent Staff/Data Tracking are companion bills that were filed in the House on Wednesday, Jan. 25 and the Senate on Tuesday, February 7. On Wednesday, Feb. 8, House Bill 22 was withdrawn from the House Appropriations Committee and re-referred to the House Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations, while Senate Bill 44 passed the first reading and was referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations. These bills clarify 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 these bills.
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. It received a favorable report in the House Judiciary II Committee and was re-referred to the Finance 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 75: Const. Amd. – Max. Income Tax Rate of 5.5% was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 14. The bill received a favorable report in the Committees on Finance and Rules and Operations, where it then went on to pass on the second and third readings in the Senate on March 14. The bill was then sent to the House, where it was introduced on March 16 and referred to the Committee on Finance. 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. On Wednesday, March 1, it was withdrawn from the Senate Rules and Operations Committee and sent to the Senate Finance Committee. On June 7 it was reported favorable to the committee substitute and re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. It received a favorable report in Rules on June 8. This bill would establish “economic nexus” 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.
Senate Bill 131: Regulatory Reform Act of 2016 was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, Feb. 23, a proposed committee substitute was adopted and it passed out of the Senate Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee on March 2. It was re-referred to Senate Rules where it received a favorable report. It passed on the second and third reading in the Senate on March 15 and later passed on the first reading in the House on March 21, where it was referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform. On March 23 a committee substitute was adopted and the Regulatory Reform committee reported the bill favorable. It was then re-referred to the Finance committee and reported favorable and will be calendared. On April 5, the legislation received seven amendments in the House and passed on the second reading. It passed on the third reading and engrossed on April 6. On April 11, it was concurred on the second reading in the Senate but failed concurrence on the third reading on April 9. On April 24 the conference reported was adopted in the House on April 25 and in the Senate on April 26. It was ordered enrolled. This bill would make a number of changes to certain environmental, natural resources and other laws in North Carolina. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 243/Senate Bill 175: Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention (STOP) Act are companion bills that were filed in the House and Senate on Tuesday, March 6. Both versions have been referred to Committees on health. The bill was reported favorable to the Committee Substitute in the House Committee on Health and was re-referred to Appropriations committee on March 30. Two amendments were adopted in the House on April 10. On the same day the bill passed on the second and third reading. On April 11, it was introduced in the Senate and sent to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill strengthens opioid misuse prevention through a number of provisions. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills.
House Bill 206/Senate Bill 152: NC Cancer Treatment Fairness are companion bills introduced in the House and Senate on Wednesday, March 1. On April 6, the bill was reported favorable in the House Committee on Health and ordered to the calendar. The House version of the bill passed on the second and third reading on April 10. It was sent to the Senate on April 11, where it was referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations on April. This legislation requires health benefits plans to cover orally administered anticancer drugs. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills.
House Bill 379: Task Force on Regulatory Reform was introduced in the House on Thursday, March 16 and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform. The bill was reported favorable to the committee substitute on March 28. It then passed on the second and third reading in the House on the same day. It was introduced in the Senate on March 29 and referred to the Rules and Operations committee of the Senate. The bill passed on the second and third reading on March 28 and was then sent to the Senate, where it was referred to the Rules Committee. This bill establishes a joint legislative task force on regulatory reform. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 366: Retail Workers’ Bill of Rights was introduced in the House on Thursday, March 16 and referred to Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. This bill enacts the retail workers’ bill of rights to ensure the fair scheduling and treatment of retail employees. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 384/Senate Bill 409: Increase Penalties/Organized Retail Theft was filed in the House on Wednesday, March 15 and was referred to the Committee on Judiciary III on March 22. The House version of the bill was withdrawn from the Committee on Judiciary II and was re-referred to the Committee on the Judiciary III on March 22. The Senate version was introduced on March 29 and was referred to the Rules and Operations committee. It was then re-referred to the Judiciary III Committee, where it was reported favorable on April 6 and placed on the calendar for April 10. The House version passed on the second and third reading of the bill on April 10. It was sent to the Senate and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations on April 11. This bill strengthens the organized retail theft laws. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills.
Senate Bill 344: Combine Adult Correction & Juvenile Justice was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 22 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. It was withdrawn from Rules and re-referred to the Judiciary Committee where it received a favorable report on April 19. It was then re-referred to Rules with a favorable report on April 20. It was placed on the Senate calendar for April 24 where it passed second and third reading. It was sent to the House on April 26 and referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. This legislation consolidates the division of adult correction and the division of juvenile justice into a single division within the Department of Public Safety as recommended by the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 394: Legislative Cybersecurity Committee was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, March 28 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill establishes the Legislative Cybersecurity Committee to conduct an information security assessment of the State agency’s information systems. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 500: ABC Omnibus Legislation was introduced in the House on Wednesday, March 29 and referred to the Committee on Alcoholic Beverage Control. On April 25 it received a favorable report to the proposed committee substitute and was re-referred to the Committee on Finance. It received a favorable report in Finance on April 25 and was placed on the calendar for consideration on April 26. It passed second and third reading April 26 and was sent to the Senate. This bill would make a number of updates and modernize North Carolina’s ABC laws. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 522/Senate Bill 126: Change the LOST Adjustment Factor was introduced in the House on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Finance and in the Senate on Feb. 23 and referred to the Finance committee. On April 26 the Senate version received a favorable report in Finance and was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate where it was reported favorable on April 26. It passed second and third reading in the Senate on April 26 and will be sent to the House. This legislation would change the local option sales tax adjustment factor to one that varies by economic development tiers. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills.
Senate Bill 378: Update NC False Claims Act.-AB was introduced in the Senate on Monday, March 27 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. On April 10, the bill was re-referred to the Judiciary Committee and received a favorable report on April 25. It has been re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. This bill would align the state false claims statutes to the federal false claims act. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 407: Employee Misclassification Reform was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 29 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. On April 6, it was referred to the Finance Committee where it received a favorable report on April 25. It was then re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate and reported favorable on April 26. It was placed on the calendar and passed second and third readings the same day. This bill will increase oversight and enforcement of employee misclassification by the Industrial Commission. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 539: Environmental Regulatory Reform Act of 2017 was filed in the Senate on Thursday, March 30. This bill provides further environmental regulatory relief to North Carolina citizens and businesses. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 544: Business Regulatory Reform Act of 2017 was filed in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Commerce and Insurance Committee on April 13. This bill would make various changes to the laws governing businesses and business transactions. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 563: Business Court Changes was filed in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and re-referred to the Judiciary Committee on April 6. On April 25, it was reported favorable to the committee substitute and re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. On April 26, it received a favorable report in Rules and passed second and third readings in the Senate. This bill amends the law governing the North Carolina Business Court to provide that a tax contestation case must involve an amount in controversy of at least ten thousand dollars in order to be designated a mandatory complex business case. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 480: Protection From Government Overreach Act was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill places restrictions on rules adopted by given agencies that result in substantial financial costs. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 489: Clarify Workers’ Comp. Policy Cancellation was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. On April 11, the bill was re-referred to the Judiciary Committee and received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 25. It was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate and reported favorable on April 26. It passed second and third readings in the Senate on April 26. It will be sent to the House for consideration. This bill clarifies when notices of cancellation of workers’ compensation policies are presumed effective and complete. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 660: Economic Development Incentives Modifications was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, April 5 and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Insurance where it received a favorable report on Thursday, April 20. On April 25, it received a favorable report to the committee substitute in Finance and was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. On April 26, it received a favorable report in Rules and passed second and third readings. This bill will make certain changes to the economic development incentives of the state to allow for more incentive dollars to flow to distressed areas of the state and makes other changes to EDPNC. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 543/Senate Bill 463: Caregiver Relief Act was introduced in the House on Monday, April 3 and referred to the Committee on Aging. The Senate version was introduced March 30 and referred to Rules and Operations of the Senate. These bill provides equal protections for caregivers under the Family Medical Leave Act. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bill.
Senate Bill 628: Various Changes to the Revenue Laws was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, April 5 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill would make various technical changes to revenue laws. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 662: Carolina Cares was introduced in the House on Tuesday, April 11 and referred to the Committee on Health Care Reform. This bill provides health coverage to residents of North Carolina that are ineligible for Medicaid due to their income levels but who are otherwise unable to afford health insurance under the Carolina Cares program. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 726: Repeal Sales Tax on RMI was introduced in the House on Tuesday, April 11 and referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House. This bill repeals the sales and use tax on repairs, maintenance, and installation services. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 633: Small Business Retirement Program was introduced in the House on Monday, April 10 and referred to the Committee on Pensions and Retirement. This bill creates the North Carolina Voluntary Small Business Retirement Accounts Program as part of the Department of Commerce. The Program would provide a cost-effective group retirement option for small nongovernmental employers and employees. The North Carolina Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 613: Attorney’s Fees & Costs/State Prevails was introduced in the Senate on April 5 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. This bill clarifies and standardizes the requirements to award attorney’s fees in actions involving the state. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 795: Economic Development Incentives Modifications was introduced in the House on April 13 and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Job Development with a serial referrals to Finance and Appropriations. This will makes certain changes to the economic development incentives of the state and the use of development tiers and rankings. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 384/House Bill 466: The Pharmacy Patient Fair Practices Act are companion bills both introduced on Monday, March 27. The Senate version was referred to the Health Care Committee where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on Thursday, April 20. The bill was re-referred to Judiciary where it received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 25. On April 26, it received a favorable report in Rules and Operations of the Senate and passed second and third readings. The House version has been referred to the Committee on Insurance where it received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 25. The bill was re-referred to the Committee on Health and reported favorable on April 26. The House version passed second and third readings on April 26. This legislation regulates pharmacy benefit managers. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills.
House Bill 887: Health Insurance State Mandates Study/Funds was introduced in the House on Wednesday, April 26. This bill creates the Join Legislative Committee on State-Mandated health Insurance Coverage Requirements to study all health insurance mandates imposed by the State upon health insurance sold in North Carolina. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 901: Amend Certificate of Need Laws was introduced in the House on Wednesday, April 26. This bill exempts ambulatory surgical facilities and certain activities by smaller community hospitals from certificate of need review. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 904: North Carolina Rural Job Creation Fund was introduced in the House on Wednesday, April 26. This legislation establishes the North Carolina Rural Job Creation Fund to assist in expanding capital access to small business in rural North Carolina. 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 867: Coastal Fisheries Conservation/Econ. Dev. was introduced in the House on April 21 and referred to the Committee on Wildlife Resources with a serial referral to Appropriations. This bill ensures the economic development of coastal North Carolina through the restoration and long-term conservation of North Carolina’s public, coastal fisheries resources by management changes to the Marine Fisheries Commission. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
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 was referred to the Committee on Energy and Public Utilities where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on April 19. It passed second and third reading in the House on April 20 and will be sent to the Senate. 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 these bills.
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 92: Blue Ribbon Committee/Transportation Funding was introduced in the House on Tuesday, Feb. 14. On Wednesday, March 1 it passed with near-unanimous support in the House, and has since been referred to the Rules and Operations Committee in the Senate after passing on first reading in that chamber. This bill would establish a Blue Ribbon Committee to consider issues related to long-term transportation infrastructure funding in order to continue exploring new options and opportunities to secure strategic transportation investments for North Carolina. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
House Bill 220: State Infrastructure Bank Revisions was introduced in the House on Wednesday, March 1, and has been referred to the House Transportation Committee. It received a favorable report to the committee substitute in Transportation on April 19 and has be re-referred to the Committee on Finance. This legislation would establish an Oversight Board for the State Infrastructure Bank. This bank provides the state with a source of money from which funds can be lent out to agencies or localities, enabling the timely completion of essential transportation and infrastructure projects, including road, bridges and railways. The board would allow the State Infrastructure Bank to maximize efficiency in its operations, ensuring its continued ability to support strategic investments and protect the future of North Carolina’s transportation and infrastructure network. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
House Bill 351/Senate Bill 339: Water & Wastewater Utilities Fair Valuation Determination are companion bills introduced in the House on Tuesday, March 14 and in the Senate on Wednesday, March 22. The bills have been referred to Rules and Operations committee of the Senate and the House Committee on Energy & Public Utilities. The House version received a favorable report on the committee substitute on April 25 in Energy & Public Utilities. After one amendment, it passed second and third readings in the House on April 26. This legislation would authorize water and waste water public utilities to elect to use a fair valuation for determining rate-making purposes when acquiring utilities owned by counties, municipalities or other governmental entities. The NC Chamber supports these bills.
House Bill 352/Senate Bill 340: Rate Making/Water/Wastewater Public Utilities are companion bills introduced on Wednesday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 22 in the House and Senate respectively. The Senate version has been referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. The House version was referred to the Committee on Energy & Public Utilities where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on April 19. It will be calendared. This legislation will authorize the Utilities Commission to use a full projected future test period in rate making for water and wastewater public utilities. The NC Chamber supports these bills.
House Bill 110: DOT/DMV Changes – Megaproject Funding are companion bill introduced in the House on February 16 and the Senate on January 26. The House version received favorable reports to the committee substitute in Transportation on April 4, State and Local Government II on April 19. On April 20 it passed the second and third reading in the House and was sent to the Senate. The Senate version received a favorable report on the committee substitute in Transportation on March 30, favorable in Judiciary on April 11, favorable in Rules and Operations of the Senate on April 19, and passed second and third readings on April 20. This legislation makes changes to state law related to the Department of Transportation and the Division of Motor Vehicles as recommended by the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee. It also establishes a megaproject fund for high-cost and larger-scale transportation projects as recommended by the House Select Committee on Strategic Transportation Planning and Long Term Funding Solutions. The NC Chamber supports these bills.
House Bill 310/Senate Bill 377: Wireless Communications Infrastructure Siting are companion bills that were filed in the House on Thursday, March 9 and in the Senate on Thursday, March 23. It passed on the first reading in the House and was then referred to the Committee on Energy & Public Utilities on March 13. On May 18, it received a favorable report in Finance and will be added to the calendar. On June 1, the legislation passed on the third reading and was ordered engrossed. On June 5, it was introduced in the Senate and was re-referred to the State and Local Government Committee after briefly landing in Rules. This legislation reforms wireless communications infrastructure licensing and permitting to aid in development of new technologies. The NC Chamber supports these bills.
House Bill 589: Competitive Energy Solutions for NC was introduced in the House on April 6 and referred to the Committee on Energy and Public Utilities with a serial referral to Finance. On June 6 it received a favorable report on the committee substitute and was reported favorable in Finance. On April 7, it passed second and third reading after one amendment and was sent to the Senate. It is now in the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. This bill reforms North Carolina’s integration of renewable electricity generation through amendment of laws related to energy policy and to enact the Distributed Resources Access Act. The NC Chamber supports this bill.
House Bill 266: Terminate Agreement for Tolling of I-77 was introduced in the House on Wednesday, March 8 and referred to the House Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations. This bill directs the NC Department of Transportation to terminate the contract on the I-77 HOT lane project. This would not only set a bad precedent in North Carolina but it would also create a large amount of project uncertainty. The NC Chamber opposes this bill.
House Bill 267: Utilities/Amend REPS Requirements was introduced in the House on Wednesday, March 8. This bill cuts the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) requirement from 10% to 8% of retail sales in year 2018 and thereafter. The NC Chamber opposes this bill.
House Bill 652: Freeze New Toll Contracts was introduced in the House on Tuesday, April 11 and referred to Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations. This bill prohibits the Department of Transportation and the Turnpike Authority from entering into further partnership agreements with private entities to construct and operate toll road facilities. The NC Chamber opposes this bill.
House Bill 81: STI/Regional & Division Weighting was introduced in the House on Thursday, Feb. 9. It passed the House on third reading on Wednesday, March 1, and has since been referred to the Senate Rules and Operations 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.
Senate Bill 236: Efficient and Affordable Energy Rates was filed in the Senate on Thursday, March 9 and passed on the first reading on March 14, where it was then referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. This bill requires the North Carolina Utilities Commission to established tiered electricity rates for residential, commercial, public and industrial customers to encourage energy conservation and energy efficiency, create the energy efficiency bank, and create an incentive for customers to purchase energy star qualified household products. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 321: Study Solid Waste Disposal Tax was filed in the House on Wednesday, March 9. The bill later passed on the first reading and was then referred to the Environment Committee on March 13. On April 6, the committee reported the bill favorable. The bill passed on the second and third reading on April 10 and was sent to the Senate, where it was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill would require the Environmental Management Committee to study the NC Solid Waste Tax. The study would evaluate how much revenue is generated from the tax and the distribution of the tax dollars. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 208/House Bill 390: Counties/Internet Infrastructure was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 8 and as referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate on the same day. House Bill 390 was added as the companion bill on March 20 and was referred to the Committee on State and Local Government II. This bill would authorize counties to provide high speed internet access service as a public enterprise. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills.
Senate Bill 337/House Bill 469: Regulation of Fully Autonomous Vehicles are companion bills that were introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, March 22 and in the House on Monday, March 27. The Senate version of the bill was referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations and the House version was referred to Committee on Transportation. On April 24, the House version received a favorable report on the committee substitute and was added to the calendar, where it passed second and third readings. The House version was then introduced in the Senate on April 26. On May 16, it was referred to the Committee on Transportation where it received a favorable report to the committee substitute on Wednesday, June 14. There is a serial referral to Judiciary. This legislation regulates the operation of fully autonomous motor vehicles on North Carolina public highways. The NC Chamber is monitoring these bills.
Senate Bill 469: Preserve Municipal Solid Waste Capacity was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. It was then re-referred to the State and Local Government Committee on April 4. The bill was reported favorable in the Committee on State and Local Government and was re-referred to the Committee on Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources. The bill received a favorable report on April 20 in the Committee on Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources and was re-referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. On April 24, it was reported favorable in Rules and after one amendment, it passed second and third readings on April 25. This legislation conserves municipal solid waste landfill capacity by preventing the enactment of certain flow control measures. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
Senate Bill 487: Increase Energy Efficiency was introduced in the Senate on Thursday, March 30 and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations. This bill encourages the increase of energy efficiency in North Carolina by removing certain caps and limits in the renewable energy portfolio standards. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 583: Pay-As-You-Go Capital & Infrastructure Fund was filed in the House on Wednesday, April 5. This bill will create a state fund that uses debt savings to make improvements to the ongoing capital and infrastructure needs. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 909: Sound Energy & Renewables Policy Act was introduced in House on Wednesday, April 26 and referred to the Committee on Energy & Public Utilities with a serial referral to Finance and Appropriations. This bill establishes sound policies for increased utilization of renewable energy sources, reforms North Carolina’s implementation of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and provides for utility cost recovery for new qualifying facility generators and assures long-term reliable energy for North Carolina customers at fair and reasonable rates. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.
House Bill 900: Safe Infrastructure & Low Property Tax Act was introduced in the House on Wednesday, April 26 and referred to the Committee on Finance. This legislation provides municipalities with locally controlled options to produce revenue that can be invested in infrastructure and economic development projects. The NC Chamber is monitoring this bill.