FROM THE OFFICE OF STEVE JARVIS
Dear Friends,
Last week was eventful in the chambers of the General Assembly. I was pleased to be a part of
enabling meaningful legislation during our voting session. Vetoes were overridden, clearing the logjam for several bills to
become laws shortly.
A Press Release gives
details about the three House and two Senate bills which the Governor had vetoed. The highlights of the mini-budget bill is
also described below.
Five bills that were
vetoed by Governor Cooper earlier this summer were overridden by Senate votes on Monday. The bills included several new laws
dealing with off-road vehicles, tenancy regulations and digital currency. The NC legislators have now overridden 25 vetoes
using the supermajority’s influence in the House and Senate last year. Gov. Cooper keeps his standing as the Governor
who has vetoed more bills than any other Governor in NC history.
Three of the vetoes overridden Monday were already voted on by the House, meaning they now become law. On Wednesday,
the House took up one of the two remaining bills and voted to override Cooper’s veto. Senate Bill 445 was on the calendar,
but was withdrawn from voting.
One of the newly
enacted laws, House Bill 155, deals with titles for off-road vehicles. It lets the Division of Motor Vehicles issue title
certificates for all-terrain and utility vehicles and allows off-site safety inspections of low-speed vehicles.
Another of the new laws, HB 556, amends tenancy rules. Among
other things, it prohibits local governments from passing any ordinance that would forbid landlords from refusing to rent
to tenants whose income includes funding from a federal, housing-assistance program. When he vetoed the bill in July, Cooper
wrote “This bill would make it harder for low-income families, the elderly and people with disabilities to find affordable
rental housing by preventing local governments from protecting against rent discrimination based on lawful income.”
The third bill voted into law, HB 690,
prohibits any state agency from accepting a payment using central bank digital currency. It also forbids agencies from participating
in any potential tests of such currency by a branch of the Federal Reserve. In Governor Cooper’s Veto Statement he wrote
“This legislation is premature, vague and reactionary and proposes an end result on important monetary decisions that
haven’t even been made yet. Instead of this bill, the legislature should have passed a budget to provide more funding
for cybersecurity threats that actually exist now.”
Senate Bill 166, primarily sponsored by Sen.’ Jarvis, Krawiec and Lowe, reforms many regulations surrounding
building codes. The bill makes various changes such as changing insulation requirements and prohibiting the state from requiring
electric water heaters to be elevated.
The
bill also reorganizes the NC Building Code Council, which currently consists of 17 members appointed by the governor. Starting
in January, the council will consist of 13 members, three appointed by the House Speaker and three by the Senate’s President.
The remainder will be appointed by the governor.
As
stated in provisions of SB 916, if no sine die (final day of meeting) adjournment is adopted, reconvening by both the House
and the Senate can occur on the following dates:
• Monday, Sept. 9 to
Wednesday, Sept. 11
• Wednesday, Oct. 9
• Tuesday, Nov. 19 to Friday Nov. 22
• Wednesday, Dec. 11
to Friday Dec. 13
The NC Youth Legislative
Assembly is eager to begin its mock sessions after the biennium begins. If you know a high schooler who wants to learn more
about state politics and legislative procedures, encourage them to look into the application process for YLA.
The NC Rural Center would like to hear from people in our district.
They are requesting that you take an online survey to provide feedback about rural living. You can also attend an in-person
listening session at Davidson-Davie Community College next week.
Davie County has announced that smoke testing for sewer systems will occur in Bermuda Run and Cooleemee next week.
The smoke is non-toxic and it is a routine maintenance test, so do not be alarmed.
NC DOT is sponsoring their semiannual clean up event for the roadways next week. This two week
period is popular with people who want to volunteer for environmental and aesthetic reasons. If you have time to spare, please
consider registering to help.
Stay safe and
be happy until we talk again.
