FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- May 18, 2007News From Raleigh
After finishing up our initial work on the budget, my colleagues
and I in the House of Representatives turned our focus this week
toward hearing the hundreds of bills that need to clear our chamber
by next Thursday if they're to be considered during this two-year
session. The approaching deadline means busy days and long floor
sessions, but the work we are doing will mean better schools and
healthier and safer communities.
Military
The House passed a bill (HB 1634) this week that will better
protect the parental rights of military members called to active
duty or deployed away from their homes. The bill crafted by Rep.
Melanie Wade Goodwin, a family lawyer, and Rep. Grier Martin, an
Army reservist who has served in the Middle East, allows service
members who are called to duty to have expedited custody hearings.
It also allows for them to speak with a judge by phone during a
hearing if they are deployed on short notice. Any custody order
issued as a result of a deployment expires within 10 days of the
soldier's return, according to this bill. It also forbids one parent
from mentioning the deployment as a reason to modify or change
custody arrangements. The bill is yet another away the House is
trying to make our state friendly to those military members who
protect us. It now goes to the Senate.
Education
The House Education Committee passed a bill (HB 1366) designed to
combat bullying in schools. It would require school administrators
to impose new policies forbidding harassment and bullying. The bill
includes ways to report bullies and guidelines for investigating
such acts and punishment for them.
The House Education Subcommittee on Pre-School, Elementary and
Secondary Education held its second public hearing recently as part
of an initiative to improve high school graduation rates.
Additional hearings may be necessary in order to develop guidelines
for how to award grants to pilot programs in hopes of reducing the
dropout rate. The budget proposed by the House includes $7 million
for dropout prevention programs.
Justice
A bill (HB 1626) approved by the House on Wednesday would require
North Carolina law enforcement agencies to record all homicide
interrogations, either by audio or video devices. The bill,
unopposed by both the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys and the
N.C. Sheriff's Association, is designed to reduce contestation of
cases because of the interrogations process. The recording must be
uninterrupted and also may be refused. If it is, that refusal must
be recorded. A survey of 500 law enforcement agencies using the
tactic found lower litigation costs, decreased number of issues
raised in appeals and an increase of cases ending in plea agreements
rather than trial. The bill now goes to the Senate.
The House passed a Senate bill (SB 26) unanimously Tuesday that
would require adults over the age of 54 to get a driver's license
that expires within five years instead of eight years. The bill is
designed to ensure safe driving practices. An amendment to raise the
cutoff age to 65 failed.
Election Laws
North Carolinians currently vote in the presidential primaries in
May of the election year. State legislators, saying the primary
elections are essentially decided at that point in the year, want
that to change. A new measure (SB 168) being considered in the
Legislature would change the primaries to February, effective for
the 2008 elections.
A new bill (SB 954) would change the way North Carolina casts its
electoral votes in national elections. The current method gives all
the state's 15 electoral votes to the candidate with the most votes
within the state. Some say this causes federal candidates to ignore
North Carolina and focus intensive media campaigns on a few swing
states. The bill proposes giving the electoral votes to the winner
of the national popular vote. The bill passed the Senate this week,
and it will likely go before the House next week.
Health
A bill (HB 1294) banning smoking in long term healthcare
facilities passed the House unanimously Tuesday. It was introduced
following a deadly fire in March at an adult-care facility in
Mocksville. The fire, caused by a resident smoking in her room,
resulted in one death and 21 injuries. The bill will affect tens of
thousands of North Carolina citizens either living in or receiving
medical care in the 635 adult care homes, 644 family care homes and
392 nursing homes licensed by the state. The bill is expected to
improve the safety and health of residents and workers in the
facilities.
A driver's license does not currently serve as a valid indication
of a person's wish to be an organ donor. A new bill (HB 1372) would
change that, making the notice on driver's licenses adequate legal
notice of a person's intentions regarding organ donation. The bill
passed the House 117-1. It now goes to the Senate.
Notes
Lottery sales in North Carolina have now passed the $1 billion
mark. Ticket sales started last May. Thirty-five percent of all
money raised by the lottery goes into education programs. |
