North Carolina lawmakers worked long hours this week, scrambling to get bills passed out of at least one chamber of the General Assembly before the June 9 crossover deadline.

State legislators filed nearly 2,000 bills this session, but only a fraction will become law. While plenty of time remains for the bills to be ratified and approved by Gov. Bev Perdue, any that had not passed out of at least one chamber — the House or Senate — by June 9 are dead. Bills that include new spending, constitutional amendments, and resolutions are exempt from this deadline.

Bills making the cut

The Voter ID bill — House Bill 351 — passed Thursday, just in time. The bill requires voters to carry some form of government-issued ID at the polls. Those who cannot afford to pay for a driver’s license or state ID card will be provided one at no charge.

Opponents of the measure claimed it would disenfranchise some voters, particularly minorities and the elderly. Supporters countered that the measure is necessary to prevent voter fraud and would enhance the integrity of elections.

House Bill 344, Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities, passed the House 73-39 Tuesday. The bill would allow parents of disabled students younger than 22 to claim a tax credit of up to $6,000 a year to educate their children in private schools or at home. The credit is non-refundable, so people who pay no income tax would not be able to claim the credit. House Majority Leader Paul “Skip” Stam, R-Wake, notes that the credit would save the state money, as it costs more than $3,000 a semester or $6,000 a year to educate special-needs students in public schools.

Two Castile Doctrine bills crossed over this week – House Bill 650 and Senate Bill 679. The Castle Doctrine gives gun owners the right to use deadly force to defend their places of residence, their “castles.”

The Electoral Freedom Act — House Bill 32 — passed the House Tuesday and now is making its way through the Senate. The bill makes it easier for third parties to get on the ballot.

House Bill 281, ETJ Restrictions, passed the House Wednesday. The bill makes it more difficult for cities to claim extraterritorial zoning and planning jurisdiction over properties outside their borders, especially farms.

A Woman’s Right to Know Act — House Bill 854 — passed the House Wednesday. The bill requires a 24-hour waiting period and the informed consent of a pregnant woman before an abortion may be performed. It includes a provision that abortion providers show the patient an ultrasound of her baby.

The Government Reduction Act — Senate Bill 593 — passed the Senate Thursday. The bill reduces the size of state government by abolishing state boards, commissions and committees deemed duplicative, not critical or that have not met recently.

Three pieces of regulatory reform legislation survived crossover. Senate Bill 781, Regulatory Reform Act of 2011, passed the Senate. House Bill 237, a bill requiring an economic impact statement on all regulatory legislation, passed the House. And a regulatory reform bill written by freshman Rep. Glen Bradley, R-Franklin — House Bill 587 — is being redrafted so that it is not subject to the crossover deadline.

Three bills dealing with illegal immigration also crossed over. House Bill 36 requires employers to use an E-Verify program to ensure their employees are eligible to work legally in the country. House Bill 744 requires school principals to obtain birth certificates from new students, which would be used for fiscal and statistical information, but not to deny undocumented immigrants admission. Senate Bill 205 clarifies that illegal aliens are not eligible for any public benefits.

After a bill allowing community colleges to opt out of the William D. Ford Federal Loan program was vetoed by the governor, Republicans have broken the bill up into four “local” bills, covering colleges from four regions in the state. Local bills cannot be vetoed by the governor. All four bills made crossover.

Bills passing both chambers

After an arduous process of additions and amendments, the House and Senate have concurred on a simplified version of Senate Bill 8, No Cap on Charter Schools. The bill, which is expected win Perdue’s approval, has been stripped of many bells and whistles and does little more than lift the 100-school cap on charter schools.

Senate Bill 727, No Dues Checkoff for School Employees, has been ratified and is on its way to Perdue. As it stands, dues to the North Carolina Association of Educators are deducted from teachers’ paychecks automatically, unless they opt out. The bill would reverse the situation so that teachers must choose to join the NCAE. It also would require them to pay their dues by check, cash, or bank-account withdrawal rather than an automatic payroll deduction.

Two tort reform bills have been adopted by both chambers. House Bill 709 aims to protect employers from frivolous worker’s compensation suits. Senate Bill 33 limits the amount of compensation victims of medical malpractice can receive for non-economic damages like pain and suffering. The bills still need approval by the governor before they become law.

Sara Burrows is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.