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There’s no shortage of bills coming from Western North Carolina’s legislative delegation–including two of the more colorful and controversial laws working their way through the N.C. General Assembly right now.
Finals votes could come next week on Franklin Republican Sen. Jim Davis’ Opossum Right-to-Work Act, which changes wildlife rules to allow for Brasstown’s annual New Year’s Eve Possum Drop. Votes could also come then on Asheville Republican Rep. Tim Moffitt’s bill to clarify the definition of indecent exposure, dubbed the “Nipple Bill,” which makes it illegal for women to expose their breasts in public.
In all, legislators representing the 18 westernmost counties of the state have sponsored more than three dozen bills as of Wednesday, Feb. 21. See below for a listing and links to each bill for which the lawmaker is listed as a primary sponsor.
Sen. Tom Apodaca (R-Hendersonville), the primary sponsor of 13 bills, has been the most prolific this session among WNC legislators. He’s followed by Rep. Mike Hager (R-Rutherforton) and Moffitt, who are both primary sponsors of nine bills each.
Apodaca, chair of the Senate Rules Committee, is listed as primary sponsor of several key initiatives in the first month of the session, including bills to reject a state-run health exchange and the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and the Government Reorganization and Efficiency Act, a controversial move by the Senate to allow the General Assembly and Gov. Pat McCrory to replace all sitting members of numerous state boards and commissions.
One of the main regional efforts introduced so far this session — in a bill sponsored in the House by Rep. Joe Sam Queen (D-Waynesville) and in one sponsored in the Senate by Apodaca — funds construction of a new Western Crime Lab. Other local and regional legislation includes a bill sponsored by Rep. Michele Presnell (R-Burnsville) to give greater flexibility in setting school calendars to Haywood, Madison and Yancey counties; an Apodaca-sponsored bill to amend rules on Henderson County fire districts; a Davis-sponsored resolution honoring the founders of Hayesville for the town’s 100th anniversary; and a bill repealing the use of steel traps in Cleveland, Polk and Rutherford counties that is sponsored by Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Spruce Pine).
Also, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported this week that Moffitt said he expects to introduce a bill on a merger of the Asheville water system with the Metropolitan Sewerage District by the end of the month.
Four legislators have yet to introduce legislation, including Senate Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt (D-Asheville), Rep. Jonathan Jordan (R-Jefferson), and first-term Reps. Nathan Ramsey (R-Fairview) and Josh Dobbins (R-Nebo), who was appointed on Jan. 29 to replace Rep. Mitch Gillespie, who resigned to accept a position at the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The following is a listing of bills for which a legislator representing one of the 18 westernmost counties is listed as a primary sponsor.
House
Rep. Mike Hager (R-Rutherfordton)
H17 Gun Permits/Restaurants & Confidentiality
H27 Workers’ Comp Fund/Safety Workers Allocation
H33 Cleveland/Polk/Rutherford Trapping Repeal
H66 Captivity License and Permit Amendments.-AB
H118 Consular Documents Not Acceptable as ID
H119 Natural Gas/Rate Adjustment Mechanism
H120 Building Inspections/Local Consistency
H126 Joint Resolution Requesting Balanced Budget
Rep. Chuck McCrady (R-Hendersonville)
H28 Henderson County Fire Districts
H89 DENR Support for Regional Water Supply System
H94 Amend Environmental Laws 2013
H135 Adjust Landfill Permit Fee Timing
H136 Bernard Allen Fund Modifications
Rep. Tim Moffitt (R-Asheville)
H6 NC Right to Work/Secret Ballot Amendments
H13 State Agency Property Use/Biennial Report
H34 Clarify Indecent Exposure Law
H53 NC Right to Work/Secret Ballot Amendments
H74 Periodic Review and Expiration of Rules
H104 Charlotte Regional Airport Authority
H110 Public Contracts/Project Labor
H119 Natural Gas/Rate Adjustment Mechanism
Rep. Michele Presnell (R-Burnsville)
H121 School Calendar Flexibility/Certain Counties
Rep. Joe Sam Queen (D-Waynesville)
Rep. Roger West (R-Marble)
H66 Captivity License and Permit Amendments.-AB
H90 Honor Hayesville’s 100th Anniversary
Senate
Sen. Tom Apodaca (R-Hendersonville)
S3 Western Crime Lab Funds/Amend Evidence Laws
S4 No N.C. Exchange/No Medicaid Expansion
S10 Government Reorganization and Efficiency Act
S46 Election of UNC Board of Governors
S48 Henderson County Fire Districts
S69 Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Plate
S108 Building Inspections/Local Consistency
S110 Amend Permanent rules/resolutions
Sen. Jim Davis (R-Franklin)
S60 The Opossum Right-to-Work Act
S77 Honor Hayesville’s 100th Anniversary
Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Spruce Pine)
S80 Cleveland/Polk/Rutherford Trapping Repeal
Sen. Dan Soucek (R-Boone)
S14 Increase Access To Career/Technical Ed
Correction: Rep. Tim Moffitt’s name was misspelled once in a previous version of this story. The story has also been updated to include Rep. Chuck McGrady’s bill sponsorship.
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