The Raleigh Report
from the office of Representative Marian McLawhorn
May 22, 2008

The General Assembly held a historic session in Greensboro on Thursday to help the state's third-largest city celebrate its bicentennial. Members of both the House and Senate came to the session, where both chambers passed a resolution honoring the city and its institutions of higher education. The session was held on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University. It marked only the fourth time the legislature has met outside of Raleigh since it became the state capitol.

Appropriations committee members continue to make progress on revising the state's budget. We remain confident we will have the bill ready by June 2 and approved by the end of this fiscal year. We have less money in over collections that we have had in past years when the economy was growing more rapidly, so we are looking even more carefully for spending cuts and efficiencies.

We have also made some progress this week on anti-gang legislation, which is significant for many of our communities. I anticipate that the pace of our work will quicken in the weeks ahead. Below is a summary of some of the significant items that have been addressed so far.

As always, thank you for this opportunity to share information with you. Please contact me if I can be of any assistance.

Public Safety

_ A version of an anti-gang bill that passed the House last session was approved in the Senate this week. The differences between the bills will be worked out in a conference committee. One of the sponsors of the bill (H274) said the General Assembly will probably allocate $10 million for gang prevention and intervention to help law enforcement and communities head off potential crimes.

Environment

_ A bill intended to address the overuse of water supplies during droughts and to create consistent water restrictions throughout the state has been introduced in the General Assembly.  The bill (H2499) would require minimal restrictions to be followed if municipal water supplies became too low and would give the governor expanded authority to act in the event of a drought.  The bill also says that farmers who are large water users would be required to register with the state.  The bill would also allow the use of “grey water” from showers, tubs, and sinks to water yards and plants.

_ Any retailer in the state that provides plastic shopping bags and has 10,000 square feet or more of retail space would be required to establish a plastic bag recycling program under a bill (H2527) filed this week. The state already requires all retailers who provide plastic bags assure that they be recyclable. The proposed law would also change the state's goal for recycled bags from 25 percent to 75 percent.

Mental Health

_ A budget subcommittee overseeing mental health approved draft recommendations this week to improve crisis response in communities and staffing and training at state hospitals. The joint committee of House and Senate members also wants more money for in-home services for mentally retarded and disabled patients. The final amounts available for the plan will be determined as lawmakers draw up their proposed budget.

Please remember that you can listen to each day’s committee meetings and press conferences on the NC General Assembly website. Once on the site, select “audio,” and then make your selection – Appropriations Committee Room or Press Conference Room. You can also use the website to look up bills, view lawmaker biographies and access other information.