Coalition Update

With the NC General Assembly beginning to gear up to get some work done, it seemed like the right time to launch the Coalition’s weekly update for the 2009 session.  
 
Before we get to the Legislative and Government news, the Coalition would like to thank
 

• The AJ Fletcher for their  continuing support - financial and otherwise  
• John Hood and the John  Locke Foundation for hosting the last meeting of the steering  committee  
• Bob Hall of Democracy NC  for his knowledge and help that make it possible to identify the legislation  that needs to be written.  
• Judge Bob Orr of NC  Institute for Constitutional Law for his knowledge, support and  ideas.  
• The members of the NC  General Assembly who take the time to work with  us.
  

Governor Beverly Perdue got things off to the right start.. On her first day at work, she issued six change orders. Two her change orders are especially important to Coalition Members
·        She directed the Office of State Budget and Management to develop and maintain a website where North Carolinians can check on state grants and contracts.   As the state receives millions of dollars from the federal stimulus program, this transparency will be even more important.

·        She called for a reorganization of the NC Department of Transportation to eliminate any possibility or perception of members of the Board of transportation being able to benefit from their position.

Coalition’s Legislative Agenda

The Coalition continues to pursue long list of issues.  We continue to work to make government at all levels more ethical, and more open and transparent..  You can find a full list of our priorities on the Coalition’s website, www.nclobbyreform.org <http://www.nclobbyreform.org/> .
 
There are five issues that seem likely to see some action in this session of the General Assembly. One of them has already passed the Senate and should be easily approved in the
House.
 
 
S 136 ( H 104) – Passed Senate in the Judiciary 1 Committee in the House having been approved by the House Committee on Ethics.
The bill makes the Legislative Ethics Committee, which had been a special committee, into a standing committee. It defines that the 12 members will be equally divided between the House and the Senate and between the minority and majority parties. It creates 4 year long staggered terms.  It also requires legislators to get their ethics training within 2 months of being elected or appointed to the General Assembly, instead of 3 in the original statute.

In the Senate it was sponsored by Senators Clodfelter, Brown, Dannelly, and Garrou.
In the House, it is sponsored by Representatives Glazier, Lucas, Stam McGee, M. Alexander, Faison, Fisher, Folwell, Harrison, Hughes, Hurley, Rapp, Spear, Tarleton, E. Warren, and Wiley
 
 
The other isssues which seem likely to be dealt with in this session include

• Pay for  Play  
• Revolving  Door  
• Disclosure of Campaign  Contributions for Appointees to Boards and  Commissions  
• A code of ethics for Local  officials.