Rep. Karl E. Gillespie
In this week’s edition of The Legislative Review, the House returns to normal legislative business after a brief spring recess, and the crossover deadline approaches.
For the legislative week of April 10 – April 15, the NC House held no vote sessions during their brief spring recess. The spring recess was held after the passage of the House budget the week prior.
For the week beginning Monday, April 17, 2023, the House held an administrative session with no votes. On Tuesday, various committees met, including:
Senate Education/Higher Education Committee which heard SB631, Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. The bill passed committee.
House Health Committee which heard various bills, including:
– HB484, Mental Health Confidential Info. Disclosure and
– HB500, NCCWBTC/Medicaid-Related Recs. Both bills passed committee.
On Wednesday, several House committees met, including House Judiciary I which considered HB574: Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, of which I am a primary sponsor. The bill passed the Judiciary I Committee and also passed the House Rules Committee that afternoon.
House session convened Wednesday afternoon and numerous bills were considered, including:
– HB319, Veteran Registration Plate Modifications, would amend the current authorization for Military Veteran special registration plates by specifying placement of design elements and by authorizing the plates to be issued on a full-color background. HB319 passed by unanimous vote.
– HB378, Firefighters Criminal History Background Check, would allow an alternative statewide criminal history record check for applicants being offered a position with a fire department to be conducted through the North Carolina Department of Public Safety or a third-party vendor if the applicant meets certain requirements. Applicants for junior membership and current junior members in a fire department under 18 years old would be exempt from the criminal history record check. The criminal record history check would only be required when a position is being offered. HB378 passed by unanimous consent.
– HB574, Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, is an act to provide opportunities for women and girls in athletics. The bill would prevent biological female athletes from being forced to compete against biological male transgender athletes in school sports designated for females. I am a primary sponsor on the bill and it passed by a vote of 73-39.
On Thursday, the House reconvened for a voting session and considered several bills, including:
– HB223, OSHR/Various State Human Resources, makes various technical and clarifying changes to the State Human Resources Act and related statutes. The bill passed with a unanimous vote.
– HB298, Criminal Falsification of Medical Records, would make it a criminal offense for a health care provider to willfully destroy, alter, or falsify a medical record, or to direct someone else to do so. HB298 passed unanimously.
Recently co-sponsored bills
From 4/10-4/21, I sponsored the following bills:
– HB579, Amend Certain DEQ/EPA Agreements/Proceedings, would amend sedimentation control permitting requirements, to establish new requirements for memorandums of agreement between the department of environmental quality and the United States environmental protection agency, to require general assembly approval for rulemaking to incorporate by reference federal environmental regulations, to revise appointments to the sedimentation control commission, to establish the environmental policy council, and to make other changes to the administration of environmental programs in North Carolina.
– HB580, Expand Day/Employment Options/IDD, would expand meaningful day and employment services options for Medicaid beneficiaries with intellectual disabilities.
– HB589, Protect Whistleblower LEOs from Retaliation, would protect from retaliation law enforcement officers that report the use of excessive force or other improper or unlawful activity.
– HB590, Increase Punishment for Cargo Theft, would amend the offense of breaking or entering or breaking out of railroad cars, motor vehicles, trailers, aircraft, boats, or other watercraft.
– HB593, Restrict Truck Length Through Cullasaja Gorge, would increase the penalty for exceeding tandem trailer and semitrailer length limitations on a certain designated road in Macon County.
– HB704, Right to Appeal Giglio Notification, would allow criminal justice officers and justice officers the right to appeal Giglio disclosure notifications.
– HB716, Career Course for Middle School, would add a career pathways course to the standard course of study and to require the completion of career plans in schools.
– HB736, Joel H. Crisp SUDEP Awareness Law, would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to compile and disseminate information on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy information to health care practitioners and provide a corresponding report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services.
Let us know what you think
Concerned about a particular issue? Contact us and we will assist you in any way we can. E-mail: Andrew.Bailey@ncleg.gov or telephone: 919-733-5859.
