We're approaching adjournment | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally was published in the Beaufort Observer.

    My update this week comes primarily from the Speaker of the House, Thom Tillis:
    Thom Tillis speaks to representative members of the NCACC (North Carolina Association of County Commissioners) at their County Assembly Day in Raleigh, NC, May 25, 2011.     image by Stan Deatherage

    • House Bill 36 passed the House. It requires employers in the state and entities who contract with a        government agency in North Carolina and their subcontractors to use the Federal E-Verify program to        verify the work authorization of newly hired employees. This bill is designed to prohibit illegal aliens        from working illegally in North Carolina.

    I co-sponsored this bill and was glad to see it pass with five Democrats voting for it.

    • House Bill 650 was passed. It is a comprehensive bill on gun rights and includes the provision known as        the "Castle Doctrine." It spells out when a person may use defensive force and amends various laws        regarding the right to own, possess, or carry a firearm in North Carolina.

    I voted for this bill. It passed 77 to 39.

    • The "Woman's right to Know Act," H 854, passed with bipartisan support. It requires a 24-hour waiting        period and informed consent of the pregnant woman before an abortion may be performed.

    I co-sponsored this bill.

    • Senate Bill 727 was also adopted with bipartisan support. It eliminates the dues checkoff option for active        and retired public school employees thereby ensuring fairness among public teacher organizations.

    I voted for this bill.

    • The "Restore Confidence in Government Act" passed the House. Also known as the photo ID bill, H 351        requires any person wishing to vote to provide a valid photo identification before voting.

    I co-sponsored this bill. It passed 66 to 48 with all Republicans for "yes" and all Democrats voting "no."

    • The House adopted the conference report on S 8, which removes the cap on the number of charter schools        that can exist in North Carolina.

    I co-sponsored this bill. It was an interesting process. A number of Democrats tried to load the bill down with amendments that would have made it more difficult for Charter Schools but even after Republicans tried to compromise to get bipartisan support the Democrats still objected. We then went back to the original idea of simply removing the cap and it passed 108 to 5. I suspect we will hear more about the Charter School issue in future sessions.

    We are awaiting a decision from Governor Perdue on whether she will sign the budget , veto it or allow it to become law without her veto. She has until Tuesday to decide. If she vetoes the bill an attempt will be made to overturn her veto.

    We have scheduled adjournment for the session for Thursday. The budget will have to be passed for that to be accomplished.

    I'll give you a more detailed report after the session adjourns.

    I want to thank all of you who have contacted me during the session. Hearing from you is important to me and it has been very helpful. I hope you will let me hear from you, particularly with regard to how you feel the 2011 session has done. It has been a busy and sometimes hectic session but I believe we have been very productive. We would have been even more productive if we had a veto-proof House such as we have in the Senate. But there's always next time.