AANC Legislative Update - 4/9/19
LEGISLATIVE REPORT - April 9, 2019
INTRODUCTION
It’s been a busy time at the General Assembly as hundreds of bills were rushed to be filed to meet the Senate’s bill filing deadline on April 2nd. The House will have a few more weeks to prepare for their bill filing deadline on Tuesday, April 16th (bills not related to the budget). Once both chambers’ deadlines have passed, legislators will turn their attention to meeting the May 9th crossover date, by which time bills must be passed by the chamber in which it was introduced in order to remain eligible for the remainder of the 2-year session, unless the bill has a fiscal impact on the State.
NC GOP Chairman Indicted
North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes was indicted by a federal grand jury on conspiracy and bribery charges, for allegedly attempting to influence NC Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. The indictment accuses the former congressman of funneling bribe money to Causey’s re-election campaign and of making false statements to the FBI.
On Monday, Hayes announced that he would not be seeking another term as NC GOP chairman due to health concerns. His indictment was brought on through an investigation into a major political donor, Greg Lindberg. Lindberg has given millions of dollars to Republican groups, and has given significantly to Democrats as well.
Legislative Spring Break
The House has voted to take a break from session from April 18th - 24th. This was a change from the original proposed break of April 22-26, which the Senate is still expected to take. If the two chambers take different spring breaks it would require that much of the building staff, lobbyists and staff cover the days only one chamber is in session, limiting their break to two days. While we can hope the two chambers decide to align their schedules, those who have experienced a few legislative sessions have learned not to expect it to be so just because it is logical and efficient. Regardless of what overlap (if any) the chambers choose, we will continue to be on hand for each session, even if it’s just one chamber.
This Legislative Report is a publication of Kochanek Law Group and is a member benefit of AANC. Any use or reproduction of this report is limited to AANC and its members.