Republican Majority Hits Roadblocks In Boisterous Legislative Week

The action in the General Assembly was in the House of Representatives this week as it pushed ahead with legislation to require voters present a photo ID before casting a ballot and charter school reform.

Even though polling shows both proposals have significant public support, the Republican majority ran into resistance from Democrats and interest groups aligned with them.

Voter ID

House Bill 351, Restoring Confidence in Government, not only would require voters to present a government-issued identity document at the polls when voting, it also has provisions ending some campaign contributions by entities linked to state contractors and holding campaign officials more liable personally for election law violations.

“I can think of no plausible argument to oppose requiring voters to establish their identity before casting their ballot other than one more opportunity to defraud elections,” wrote Dwayne Aaron of Fayetteville in a submission through a public comments section of the General Assembly’s website.

Opponents of the measure are equally passionate. “I believe it categorically denies voting to the poor and disenfranchised members of our society, and democracy wasn’t intended to serve only the privileged,” said Katherine Abrams of Blowing Rock, also through the website.

The bill had its first public hearing Tuesday afternoon. The committee room was packed with supporters and opponents. Those favoring the bill pointed to anecdotes suggesting the current system enables voter fraud. Opponents said the bill would return North Carolina to the days of Jim Crow laws and other racist limits on the right to vote. They also say it would be too expensive to implement in light of the state’s impending deficit.

The committee did not take a vote this week. It may vote as early as Wednesday.

Charter school reform

Another controversial debate this week was on Senate Bill 8, a measure reforming the state’s charter schools. The bill passed the House Committee on Education. Its next stop will be in the Committee on Finance. The bill already has passed the Senate, although changes in the House may require a conference committee to work out differences.

Charter advocates are hoping for expanded access to the independent public schools. “Charter schools are the best in the business of education, and they are helping traditional public schools raise their standards as well,” said eighth grader Will Campbell in a press conference Millennium Charter Academy held at the General Assembly March 10.

Democrats objected that the original bill did not address funding for food service and transportation for low-income students. Republicans agreed to a compromise inserting language addressing both issues.

The current version of the bill now would require charter schools approved after July 1, 2011, to make efforts to develop a transportation plan for poor students living near the school and also develop a plan to ensure food service is not a barrier to poor students attending the school.

Other Democratic-led amendments on charter school oversight and accountability failed.

Sunshine Amendment

A bill making public access to government records a constitutional right hit a speed bump on the House floor. Rep. Stephen LaRoque, R-Lenoir, sponsored House Bill 87.

As originally introduced, H.B. 87 would have placed on the 2012 ballot a constitutional amendment elevating the public’s right to access government records and public meetings. Concealing government proceedings from public scrutiny would have required a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly. (This requirement later was reduced to three-fifths.)

Rep. Bill Faison, D-Orange, introduced an amendment that delayed debate on the bill. “Legislation we pass doesn’t drive a constitutional amendment,” Faison said. “It’s the other way around. Constitutional provisions drive the legislation that we pass.”

Faison’s amendment would strip the constitutional protections from the bill and instead create a statutory requirement that changes to the state’s open record laws would require a three-fifths majority in the General Assembly. LaRoque said the amendment would strip the bill of its entire intent to protect access to public records.

Further debate on the bill is scheduled Tuesday.

Current year budget cuts

Republican leaders may have conceded to Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto of Senate Bill 13, a measure aimed at cutting nearly $800 million from current spending. On Tuesday the House gave final approval to Senate Bill 109. It gives Perdue additional authority to limit spending in the current budget by almost $538 million.

The ratified bill stripped directives to claw back money from a variety of state programs and funds. Perdue vetoed the original legislation because it included diversions from economic incentive funds like the One North Carolina Fund and Job Development Investment Grants.

The Senate voted last week to override Perdue’s veto of the original legislation. The House did not attempt to override the veto. The passage of S.B. 109 suggests an override is unlikely.

Anthony Greco is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.