General Assembly adjourns following tumultuous final day | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Rick Henderson, who is managing editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

52 bills await action by governor

    RALEIGH     The 2015-16 session of the North Carolina General Assembly adjourned just before midnight Friday after a 14-hour legislative day that included moving tributes to retiring lawmakers and senior staff members, final approval of the state's $22.34 billion General Fund budget, numerous squabbles between House and Senate leaders over several key legislative initiatives that were not enacted, and a revolt by some of the most conservative House Republicans against what they considered heavy-handed interference in local affairs by their leaders.

    The end of legislative sessions typically features ceremonies and speeches honoring members during their final day at the General Assembly, and Friday included remembrances of and by Rep. Leo Daughtry, R-Johnston, the body's former majority and minority leader; Rep. Paul "Skip" Stam, R-Wake, the House speaker pro-tem; Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, the Rules Committee chairman; and Sen. Bob Rucho, R-Mecklenburg, a Finance Committee co-chairman. The House's principal clerk Denise Weeks, who's been a fixture in the General Assembly for more than two decades, also received accolades during her final day on the job.

    But even though the Senate had placed a resolution on Friday's calendar to adjourn that day, the back-and-forth between the bodies left that deadline uncertain until early evening. Senate Bill 821, the session's technical-corrections bill, the usual legislative vehicle for inserting must-pass measures that did not succeed as standalone bills, was bounced between the two bodies for several hours. The House passed its final amended version just before 10 p.m., but the Senate had shut down and did not take up the amended bill.

    The House also failed to take up a measure that would have placed four constitutional amendments on the November ballot. The amendments would have let voters decide if they wanted to cap the state income tax rate at 5.5 percent; require a percentage of General Fund revenues to be diverted to rainy-day savings; enhance eminent domain protections for property owners; or declare that hunting and fishing rights are protected by the state constitution. House Bill 3 never reached the House floor for a vote.

    In addition, a Senate-passed bill championed by Apodaca that would have divided the Asheville City Council into six geographic districts, rather having all members chosen at large, failed in the House by a 47-59 vote despite vigorous lobbying by House leaders.

    Several conservative House members, including Reps. John Blust, R-Guilford, and Michael Speciale, R-Craven, broke with their leaders, noting that the Asheville House delegation opposed the bill and that they would be uncomfortable imposing election rules on local areas without giving the affected residents an opportunity to voice their opinions. (An amendment proposed by Rep. Susan Fisher, D-Buncombe, that would have allowed Asheville voters to decide if they wanted geographic districts, failed by a 47-56 vote.)

    The General Assembly did amend the provision of House Bill 2, pushed by Gov. Pat McCrory, that barred lawsuits filed in state court for people who were terminated from their jobs and sought to claim unlawful discrimination. House Bill 169 allows state lawsuits and gives former employees one year to file them. The 12-month statute of limitations is twice as long as the measure in federal law but shorter than the three-year period allowed for state lawsuits before H.B. 2 became law. The provisions of H.B. 2 dealing with gender identity and sexual orientation remain in place.

    Fifty-two bills passed both the House and Senate at the end of the session. McCrory has until July 31 to sign, veto, or let them become law without his signature. If he vetoes any bills, the General Assembly will return for an override session.

    Carolina Journal Online will have additional reactions to the 2016-17 short session in the coming days.