The budget and redistricting will dominate discussion and debate this week at the General Assembly. Tort reform, property rights, a tax credit for private education, and offshore drilling also are on the agenda.

Budget

The House will have its hands full hammering out its version of the budget this week – debating the details in committee meetings Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and attempting to publish the final product by Friday. The full House hopes to take a final vote on the bill May 3, and then hand it over to the Senate.

So far, House Republicans have found $1.4 billion more in savings than Gov. Bev Perdue did in her budget proposal. They propose making additional cuts to education, Medicaid, transportation, and prisons.

Redistricting

House and Senate committees on redistricting will hear input from citizens across the state this week on how congressional and state legislative districts should be drawn.

Colleges across the state will serve as satellite locations where members of the public may appear and submit their comments via video to members of the committees.

Public hearings will be held at locations in Winston-Salem, Jamestown and Wentworth on Thursday at 7 p.m.; in Kinston, Asheboro, and Buies Creek on Friday at 7 p.m.; in Charlotte, Shelby, Hickory, and Kannapolis on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.; and in Asheville, Boone, and Cullowhee on Saturday at 4 p.m.. See the NCGA website for more details.

Tort reform

The Senate will vote Tuesday on whether to concur with changes the House made to Senate Bill 33, Medical Liability Reform.

The bill that initially came out of the Senate put a cap on non-economic damages – such as pain, suffering and emotional distress – in medical malpractice cases. An amendment by Rep. Grey Mills, R-Iredell, in the House, made exceptions for scars, disfigurement, loss of use of part of the body, permanent injuries, and death. If the Senate accepts the changes, the bill will be sent to Perdue.

Property rights

Three bills strengthening property rights are expected to move this week.

The House will vote on House Bill 8, Eminent Domain, today. The bill clarifies that private property cannot be taken for any reason other than public “use” and provides that just compensation be paid for the property. It eliminates public “benefit” as an acceptable reason for taking property.

Senate Bill 380 would exempt farms from extraterritorial jurisdiction and annexation. If the bill were passed, cities no longer could force farmers to become urban, neither by annexing them into city limits and taxing them, nor by claiming extraterritorial jurisdiction over them and controlling how they use their land. The bill will get its first committee hearing today.

Senate Bill 676 would give landowners more control over water on their own property, by lightening regulations on existing wells and easing the permitting process for drilling new wells. The bill will get its first committee hearing today.

A bill that could have a positive impact on some property owners and a negative impact on others is also up for a vote on the House floor today. Senate Bill 110, Permit Terminal Groins, would allow select coastal communities to build jetty-like structures to protect real estate from erosion. Critics say the structures could end up costing taxpayers millions and cause worse erosion on neighboring beaches.

Private school tax credit

House Bill 344, Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities, will be heard in the House Education Committee today. The bill would give a tax break to parents of disabled children who qualify for special education. The tax credit is intended to help pay the child’s tuition, whether at a private school or public school.

Offshore drilling

Senate Bill 709, the Energy Jobs Act, would shift the state’s energy policy, which has been in place since 1975, from energy conservation to energy exploration. The bill proposes to make North Carolina and the United States more energy-independent by exploring and exploiting offshore and onshore energy sources including natural gas, oil shale, inedible biofuel crops, and wind. The Senate Commerce Committee will be first to take it up on Tuesday.

MAJOR LEGISLATION

House Bill 845, Reform Annexation Laws, Rep. Steven LaRoque, R-Lenoir

Senate Bill 8, No Cap on Number of Charter Schools, Sen. Richard Stevens, R-Wake

Senate Bill 33, Medical Liability Reforms, Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson

House Bill 8, Eminent Domain, Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam, R-Wake

Senate Bill 110, Permit Terminal Groins, Sen. Harry Brown, R-Onslow

KEY COMMITTEE HEARINGS

A list of the regularly scheduled House Committee meetings can be found here.

• The House Education Committee will hear House Bill 344, Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities, on Tuesday at 10 a.m.

• The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources will hear Senate Bill 380, ETJ/ Clarify Definition of Bona Fide Farm, and Senate Bill 676, Clarify Water and Well Rights/Private Property, on Tuesday at 11 a.m.

• The Senate Commerce Committee will hear Senate Bill 125, NC School of Biotechnology and Agriscience, and Senate Bill 709, Energy Jobs Act, on Tuesday at 11 a.m.

NEW BILLS

House Bill 871, Root Out Poverty Task Force Funds, Rep. Garland Pierce, D-Scotland

Senate Bill 662, Midwifery Licensing Act, Sen. Stan Bingham, R-Davidson

Senate Bill 671, Smart Grid Job Creation and Retention Act, Sen. Fletcher Hartsell, R-Cabarrus

Senate Bill 711, Eliminate Film Industry Production Credit, Sen. Eric Mansfield, D-Cumberland

Senate Bill 731, Zoning/ Design and Aesthetic Controls, Sen. Dan Clodfelter, D-Mecklenburg

Sara Burrows is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.