Support
for session limits
builds as legislature adjourns
longest session in state’s history
Nearly
11 months after the legislature convened for this year’s
budget-writing session, the General Assembly completed the
redistricting process, cleaned up a few other loose ends and
hurriedly adjourned Dec. 6, ending the longest legislative
session in state history. The session, which convened on Jan.
24, lasted 317 calendar days; during that time the House was
in session 179 legislative days while the Senate was in
session 173 legislative days. Gov. Mike Easley was lighting
the official state Christmas tree as legislators wrapped up to
go home.
The General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene next May 28 but
some observers are speculating that Gov. Mike Easley may have
to call an emergency session before then to deal with the
worrisome budget situation. See related
story.
Lawmakers filed 2,587 pieces of legislation during the session
– 1,478 in the House, 1,109 in the Senate and 36 joint
resolutions. Of those, 555 bills passed both chambers and were
signed by the governor. As this was written, 34 bills passed
by the legislature awaited the governor’s signature. Gov.
Easley did not veto any bill during the session. See ratified
bills list.
The interminable length of the session, which was supposed to
end with the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1, spurred
renewed interest in a constitutional limit imposing session
limits. The NCCBI Board of Directors voted to make session
limits the association’s top legislative priority in next
year’s legislative session.
NCCBI’s decision to push session limits received extensive
coverage in several recent newspaper articles. A Page One
story in the Sunday Raleigh News & Observer noted that the
just-ended session cost taxpayers about $20 million, about
twice the cost of last year. Interviewed for the story, NCCBI
President Phil Kirk said ”I think the process has definitely
broken down. “I’ve never seen such a waste of time on the
part of most legislators as I did this year. So much was done
haphazardly and in secret. They violated so many principles of
sound government. Frankly, this session was an insult to the
people,” Kirk added. More on session
limits.
The session might have lasted even longer if the Senate had
not backed away from efforts to tinker with the congressional
redistricting plan adopted by the House. The Senate initially
wanted to redraw district lines to favor Democrats but
reluctantly backed down when it became apparent that only the
House’s redistricting plan, which generally protects
incumbents in both parties while carving out a heavily
Democratic new 13th Congressional District anchored in Wake
County, had any chance of being adopted. See
related story.
The Senate’s plan for redrawing the districts for its 50
members should further solidify the Democratic Party’s hold
on the chamber. The Democrat’s 35-15 majority there could
widen even further, observers said. The House plan is more
difficult to decipher, although Republicans have sued to have
it overturned. The same generally is true about the House
redistricting plan. Analysis.
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