N.C. Rep. Karl Gillespie
In this week’s edition of The Legislative Review, the legislature returns after crossover week, considers a veto override, and the Senate unveils its version of the State budget.
For the legislative week of May 8-12, 2023, the House held no committee meetings or voting sessions.
For the week of May 15-19, 2023, the Senate started the week off by introducing their version of the State budget. That bill can be reviewed on the ncleg.gov website.
The House will likely vote to not concur on the Senate budget. Once this happens, a conference committee of various House and Senate members will be appointed to reach a compromise solution on the State budget.
Several House committees met on Tuesday, including House Local Government, House Health, and House Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform. The Senate convened and successfully overrode the Governor’s veto of SB20, Care for Women, Children, and Families Act.
Late Tuesday afternoon I met with my colleagues for a caucus prior to the start of session. That evening, the House convened for a voting session, where, by the requisite three-fifths votes, we successfully overrode the Governor’s veto of SB20. In addition to this vote, we considered the following legislation:
– HB267, Town of Holly Springs Deannexation, would remove a tract of land from the corporate limits of the Town of Holly Springs. The bill passed with unanimous consent.
– HB462, City of Washington/Deannexation of Airport, would remove a parcel of land from the corporate limits of the City of Washington. This parcel is part of the Washington-Warren Airport. I voted in favor and the bill passed, 73-40.
Wednesday morning, I visited the College of Veterinary Medicine at NC State University with many of my colleagues on the Agriculture Committee. This is one of the top veterinarian colleges and hospitals in the United States and it was great to see firsthand the amazing work these folks are doing.
At 1 p.m., House session convened and we considered various bills, including:
– HB436, Permanent Plates for Water and Sewer Authority, would make vehicles owned by water and sewer authorities eligible for permanent registration plates issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles. I voted in favor and the bill passed, 111-1.
– HB823, Choose your School, Choose Your Future, would make all NC K-12 students eligible for opportunity scholarships, with grant amounts based on household income, beginning in 2024-2025. I voted in favor and the bill passed, 65-45.
Following the adjournment of Wednesday’s session, The House concluded its legislative business for the week.
Did You Know?
NC visitor spending soared 15% in 2022
The North Carolina tourism economy reached its highest level ever with travelers spending more than $33.3 billion on trips to and within the state.
The previous record of $29.22 billion was set in pre-pandemic 2019.
North Carolina has invested hundreds of millions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan into helping the tourism industry to recover and thrive following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The state’s tourism-supported workforce increased 9.8 percent to 216,900 jobs in 2022. Tourism payroll increased 13.5 percent to $8.7 billion. Also, as a result of visitor spending, state and local governments saw rebounds in tax revenues to nearly $2.5 billion.
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.
