General Assembly Now In Session

Special Report - May 12, 2010
As the General Assembly begins its “Short Session” today, only certain types of bills will be eligible for consideration, and much of the legislature’s time will be consumed with efforts to balance the state’s budget in light of the recession, which has brought anemic revenue numbers for the third year in a row. Governor Bev Perdue unveiled her budget proposal three weeks early, and legislative leaders have already been working to reconcile differences between admininistration, House, and Senate proposals. The Senate has consistently committed to having a budget passed and sent to the House by the end of next week. After raising taxes last year to plug a multi-billion dollar budget hole, most observers expect the legislature to rely on budget cuts and federal stimulus dollars to meet the state’s constitutional requirement to maintain a balanced budget.

Changes to the state’s ethics, campaign finance, gambling, and Alcoholic Beverage Control laws are also expected to receive attention this session. Continuous and growing scandals surrounding current and past elected officials and candidates have the State Board of Elections, legislators, the Governor, and party leaders calling for changes to the state’s ethics and campaign finance laws in order to limit the opportunity for and appearance of corruption.

The plethora of new sweepstakes gambling activities spreading across the state have municipalities, law enforcement, the courts, and businesses looking to the General Assembly for clarification on the games’ legalities. For more on this topic, see attorney Christopher Derrick’s feature article in the Spring issue of our quarterly magazine, Family North Carolina.

The North Carolina Family Policy Council has also been closely monitoring discussions and recommendations of the Joint Study Committee on Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) during the legislature’s interim. As we previously reported, the Committee sought to address deficiencies in ethics, standards, and efficiency in the state’s ABC system. Legislators are expected to take up the Committee’s weakened proposal before they adjourn session.

Pro-family citizens can expect the Defense of Marriage bill—which would ask voters whether or not they want to include the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman in the State constitution—to again be introduced.

Also, pro-life advocates will be making another push for the passage of a “Choose Life” specialty license plate, which would raise funds for pregnancy resource centers around the state. A “Free Speech, Why Not NC?” rally will be held in Raleigh on May 25 to lobby for the bill’s passage.

Read our “2010 Session Preview” on what issues are expected to see action in 2010.

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