North Carolina General Assembly & US House of Representatives - Current Status of Key Bills

June 16, 2011

North Carolina General Assembly

1. NC Budget Override - The Senate voted along party lines to override the governor's veto in a vote of 31 to 19, on Jun 15th. The new Republican majority in the General Assembly made history, and the budget is effective on July 1, 2011. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger said, "Final passage of this bipartisan budget signals a new, more responsible era in North Carolina state government - one in which legislators spend tax dollars wisely, fuel job creation in the private sector, and refuse to settle for average results in public classrooms." The Republican Senate Caucus stated, "Bipartisan agreement rejects Governor Perdue's $1 billion tax hike and right-sizes state government."


2. Voter Photo ID (HB351/SB352) - The Senate passed the legislation in a vote of 31 to 19 last night. The bill will return to the House because it does not have a veto-proof majority there, and Governor Perdue could veto the bill which she opposes.

3. Abortion - A Woman's Right to Know Act (HB854/S769) - Passed in the Senate in a vote of 29 to 20 on Jun 15th. The bill next goes to the governor. Republican Stan Bingham (Davidson, Guilford) voted against the measure. He said he has four daughters and, "I leave it up to them to make decisions about their own bodies." [Shouldn't information from a doctor be available before making the decision?] Democrat Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, (Orange) said she found it "ironic that Republicans stand for getting government out of people's lives, except when it comes to the bedroom." [Some people say it is ironic that Democrats want no information before ending the life of a baby, but they want everything else labeled with warnings.]

4. Government Contractors Must Use E-Verify (HB36) - The bill text has had six changes since being filed. The House passed the bill on Jun 8th in a vote of 68 to 43. However amendments were added and the Senate voted on a different version in a vote of 46 to 1 on Jun 14th and the bill was returned to the House. The Senate version has been questioned by various groups. [A review of the facts is being conducted and information will be disseminated when it is complete.]

5. A view of the House calendar for today shows eight pages of bills to discuss. The Senate Calendar contains six pages of bills to act on today. The session will end tomorrow, Jun 17th.

U.S. House of Representatives

Representatives Howard Coble (R-6th) and Walter B. Jones (R-3rd) have joined a bipartisan group of legislators in a lawsuit against President Obama's unilateral military actions in Libya, without seeking Congressional approval. Under the War Powers Act, the President of the U.S. must receive authority from the Congress before embarking on military action. President Obama contends he "doesn't need congressional approval for the limited role that the United States is playing in Libya."

Rep. Coble said that President Bush sought authority from Congress before going into Iraq. In addition he stated, ". . . I'm pretty tired of funding money by the billions and then seeing our people come back either dead or disabled for life."

The group is seeking a "judge's order suspending U.S. participation without congressional approval" in Libya.
(Greensboro News & Record)

Sources: ncga.state.nc.us; NC Republican Senate Caucus, "Historic General Assembly Overrides Governor Perdue's Budget Veto," Jun 15, 2011; Senate President Pro Tempore Press Release, "Senate Approves Bill Requiring Photo ID to Vote," Jun 15, 2011; NC General Assembly, Chaptered Bills, 15 Jun 2011; Greensboro News & Record, "Senate overrides budget veto," by Mark Binker, Jun 16, 2011 and "Coble joins lawsuit on Libya," Staff and Wire Reports, Jun 16, 2011 and "GOP keeps up push for voter photo ID," AP Jun 16, 2011 and "Abortion bill sent to Perdue," AP, Jun 16, 2011.