Mar 07, 2007
Black controversy spurs new House rules
Gary Robertson - Associated Press

The state House approved a new set of rules Tuesday, including changes prompted in part by legal and ethical troubles of former House Speaker Jim Black. 
 
The rules were approved 83-34. 
 
The changes, written by the Democratic majority with input from Republican leaders, didn't satisfy some GOP members who said the rules fail to prevent a future speaker from having too much power or blocking the will of the majority in the chamber. 
 
But in the end, 18 of the 52 House Republicans approved the final changes rolled out last week by new Speaker Joe Hackney, D-Orange. 
 
Black, a Matthews Democrat who spent four terms leading the chamber, resigned his House seat in February before pleading guilty or formally accepting blame in court to charges that included bribery and obstruction of justice. 
 
The new rules prohibit the House's budget from containing policy provisions that aren't related to taxes or spending. Black was criticized last year for inserting into the budget -- with little debate -- a provision requiring public school children to get a comprehensive eye exam before kindergarten. 
 
Hackney's rules would also eliminate the right of a handful of House members to sit on any committee to help push through legislation. And the speaker won't be able to change committee memberships after the end of the month. 
 
Black packed a finance committee with new members in 2005, to get a cigarette tax increase to the floor.