Based on published committee agendas, we expected this to be a week with activity on at least two bills of interest to the environmental community. Instead, we got a week of unfulfilled expectations.
The Senate State & Local Government Committee had been scheduled to discuss
HB 369 - Parking Lot Reform and Modernization Act on Tuesday. The bill removes outdated minimum off-street parking requirements and gives certain local governments new authority to better manage runoff during redevelopment. That bill was pulled from the committee calendar less than 24 hours before the meeting. It’s back on the calendar for this coming Tuesday.
Also this week, legislative leaders
announced the basics of a budget deal. Many, many more details are still to be negotiated, but House and Senate Republicans have agreed on salary increases for teachers and state employees, and on state income tax rates, the key issue that had delayed budget talks going back to last year.
With that logjam broken, there’s a real chance this legislative session wraps up by early July, which may make for warp-speed legislating, and may mean many bills go unheard. Still, introducing bills in the short session can serve as a test balloon of sorts - and talking with lawmakers about them can help define the agenda for next year’s long session.
On Wednesday, a capacity crowd gathered in the Legislative Building in anticipation of a discussion on
SB 401 - NC Farm Act of 2025. As you might have guessed, that didn’t happen. Legislative committee chairs hold the ultimate authority over what bills do and don’t get heard in any committee meeting and, in this case, presiding co-chair Jeffrey McNeely told a disappointed crowd not to worry – advice that doesn’t always put people at ease – lawmakers are simply taking a little more time to sort out a thing or two.
Before adjourning, the committee did briefly discuss and vote forward
HB 1154 - Expand the FarmSHARE Food Hub Program, which includes several provisions to make it easier for food insecure people to access locally grown food. The bipartisan support for this bill provides a good reminder that consensus can still be reached at times to enact win-win policy solutions.
We had a great time with our first Wednesdays on Jones St. participants, who came from as near as Raleigh and as far as Pitt County to meet with legislators.
Highlights included an informative meeting with Sen. Jay Chaudhuri’s legislative aide and a thought provoking discussion between Sen. Kandie Smith and Cypress Group chair Jeff Monico about environmental issues of particular importance to people in her district.
