5580 Centerview Dr. Suite 415, Raleigh, NC 27606
PO Box 99090 • Raleigh, NC, 27624-9090
Phone: 1-800-662-7129 • Fax: 1-919-676-0402 |
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Legislative Report - March 13, 2009 |
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The General Assembly’s sixth week ends with the introduction of 1,215 bills. With bill introduction deadlines yet to be reached, it’s hard to predict how many bills are still out there. Committees in both bodies are meeting regularly, thus we’ll begin reporting bill enactments starting this week. Bills introduced this week include:
- H 512 - Incentives for energy conservation in high performance homes
- S 52, H 519 - Local energy conservation incentives (Pender County, Brunswick County, Raleigh and Greensboro)
- Numerous bills pertaining to annexation and its oversight, including a moratoria on involuntary annexations
- H 586 - Expanding voter owned (or publicly-financed) elections to all Council of State seats
- H 605 - Requiring coastal hazard disclosure (apparently buyers haven’t been noticing the big blue blob on the map called the Atlantic Ocean that abuts coastal properties!)
- H 544 - Requiring an economic impact statement for any bill that imposes regulatory requirement
- H 531/S 498 Permitting the Edgecombe County school board to construct and provide affordable housing to teachers
Also introduced this week was S 547 Chatham TDR. This bill would authorize the transfer of development rights by Chatham County and municipalities located in that county. First, this bill makes the assumption that development rights exist in Chatham County and they don’t (ask anyone who has tried to develop property there)! Chatham County has made it a priority to be as undeveloped as possible and has attempted every possible means of eliminating development by right, including excessive setbacks, excessive environmental regulation, downzoning and other measures. A TDR program includes the establishment of sending zones (land that is environmentally sensitive, agricultural or forest land, floodplain, or aesthetically, architecturally or historically significant, to name only a few characteristics). The TDR program also requires the creation of receiving zones which allow additional density to accommodate the development rights that are transferred from the sending zones. Sounds easy, right? WRONG. Imagine trying to get the neighbors in any county, but especially Chatham, to agree to let you build more density near them. TDR has not worked in Maryland, Florida, Massachusetts or California – all states with a much higher demand for raw land. TDR will not work in Chatham County or anywhere in North Carolina.
And, moving through committee this week, H 85 Increase Raffle Prize Limit was amended to remove the prohibition on offering real property as a prize in a raffle. Yes, this means you can raffle off a house. But, there is a $500,000 maximum on the total appraised value of the house offered by any nonprofit organization or association in any calendar year. Reminder, this bill still has a long way to go.
Enacted this week as Session Law SL 2009-4, H64 Greensboro/Restore Zoning Protest Rights, which brings the City of Greensboro under the same requirements for zoning protests as the rest of the municipalities in North Carolina. |
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Ok, it’s not really nanny-like, it’s just too good. Introduced this week, SB 515 Prohibit Penning of Wildlife, prohibits the placing of live foxes or coyotes in enclosed areas for the purpose of field trials or the training of dogs. Ok, but it was introduced by Senator HUNT (get it?). Sometimes, we just crack ourselves up!
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Jack Walker, administrator of the State Health Plan stated, "I would appreciate anything the federal government can do to bring some sanity to the system."
Jack, experience shows that the federal government and sanity don’t play well together! Be careful what you ask for.
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