Last week at the General Assembly budget negotiations continued, major legislation was on the move and committees were meeting on a busy schedule.  The end of the state fiscal year looms over budget negotiations as chief budget writers struggle to deal with the likely absence of $450 million in federal Medicaid funding.  A number of major bills were voted on in the House and Senate last week.  On Tuesday, North Carolina voters completed the primary election with voting in a handful of primary runoffs.  On Thursday, the General Assembly honored the national champion Duke University basketball team. 

Negotiations between the House and Senate on the State Budget continued last week.  It appears that lawmakers have reached agreement on the Education and Health and Human Services portions of the budget, the two largest sections, in order to complete their work on the budget.  Inaction by the Congress on legislation that would bring North Carolina $450 million in Medicaid funding has complicated their work.  Included in the budget is a set of budget reductions that would be effective if the federal funding is not approved.  Publicly, legislative leaders are maintaining the current plans to vote on the state budget on Tuesday June 29, one day before the state fiscal year ends.  Legislative leaders have indicated that if the budget is approved early this week, then the current session would end before July 15. 

The Senate has approved a revised version of legislation (House Bill 1840) that would make permanent the authorization for the E-NC Authority, an organization that focuses on access to broadband internet in rural areas.  The revisions approved by the Senate now include direction that the Revenue Laws Study Committee undertake a study on municipal authority to own and operate broadband internet services.  Municipal broadband authority has been a topic of discussion throughout the current session and the Senate passed similar legislation (Senate Bill 1209) earlier this year.  The latest move to revise House Bill 1840 to include the study sets up a standoff between the House and Senate on the issue because Senate Bill 1209 has stalled in the House.  House Bill 1840 now awaits action by the House Rules Committee and Senate Bill 1209 awaits action by the House Ways and Means/Broadband Connectivity Committee. 

The House passed revisions to the electronic recycling law last week (Senate Bill 887).  Senate Bill 887 amends the state law that requires recycling of televisions and computers.  The bill is a part of a multi-year effort to refine these laws and focuses mostly on provisions related to recycling of computers.  Disagreement between major manufacturers Dell and Apple is resolved in Senate Bill 887.  Other provisions allow for collection of fees that will fund the recycling program, education efforts to teach consumers about the new requirements, and aid local governments in their efforts to keep electronics out of landfills.  Senate Bill 887 was approved by the House on Thursday and is scheduled for a final vote in the House on Monday. 

The House also approved a sweeping reform (House Bill 1717) of the State Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) laws last week.  House Bill 1717 would enact new ethics laws for the local ABC boards, empower the State ABC Commission to evaluate the efficiency of local ABC operations, and adopt new financial reporting requirements for local ABC operations.  Many of the provisions have come in response to highly publicized allegations of conflict of interest and nepotism by local ABC board members and managers.  House Bill 1717 now goes to the Senate, where review of the legislation has already begun. 

Environmental laws were also a focus of work in the House this week.  The House approved legislation (Senate Bill 836) that anticipates the arrival of oil from BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  Senate Bill 836 removes the cap on oil spill clean up liability and calls for a study of North Carolina’s preparedness to deal with oil on the coast.  In other action, the House has approved legislation (House Bill 1804) that calls for the Energy Policy Council to conduct a “green energy study.”  After the House approved an amendment to the bill, the legislation now directs that the study include a more balanced review of the costs and benefits for energy efficiency efforts and to include an evaluation of the role of nuclear power in North Carolina’s energy future.  Lastly, the House approved a bill containing “technical corrections” to environmental laws (House Bill 1801) and a bill (House Bill 1802) consolidating the environmental reports received by the legislative research division.  These bills now go to the Senate for further action. 

In the Senate last week, lawmakers approved a major revision (Senate Bill 1213) to the State Purchase and Contract laws.  The Purchase and Contract laws detail the process of soliciting and reviewing bids from outside contractors and ultimately how the bids are awarded and overseen.  Senate Bill 1213 would enact new authority for the Secretary of Administration to oversee contracts, require the Attorney General to review certain contracts and prohibit the use of cost plus percentage of cost contracts.  Senate Bill 1213 now awaits action in the House. 

The Senate also approved a resolution (House Joint Resolution 1907) that would confirm former Representative Lucy Allen as a member of the Utilities Commission.  Representative Allen was appointed to the Commission before the current legislative session began and has already begun work pending her formal confirmation.  After a unanimous approval by the Senate last week, Mrs. Allen is officially a member of the Utilities Commission. 

In other news last week, members of the national champion Duke University basketball team were at the General Assembly on Thursday to be honored.  Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski received the honors on behalf of the team and made brief remarks before a rare joint session of the General Assembly.  The 2010 NCAA Championship was Duke’s fourth national championship. 

Outside of the legislative building and all across the state voters selected party nominees in a number of runoff elections.  Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (D-Harnett) is the Democratic nominee to face US Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) in the General Election.  Also, Republican voters selected nominees in a number of Congressional districts that are currently held by Democratic lawmakers.  In Cumberland County, Democratic voters in the 21^st Senate District chose Eric Mansfield to run in the General Election, a nomination that carries a strong advantage in the heavily Democratic district.