Legislative Update April 12

 

S.B. 360 Prohibit Collusive Settlements from the Attorney General

 

This bill would require the Attorney Generals’ office and State agencies to receive approval from the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate before entering into a consent judgment or settlement agreement in a lawsuit in which the General Assembly is a party. 

One of the primary motivations for this bill was the collusive settlement between the Attorney General’s office, the State Board of Elections, and Democratic Party lawyer Marc Elias. Though the General Assembly as well as the RNC and NCGOP were intervening parties in the case, they were excluded from the closed-door negotiations and only learned of the settlement when it was publicly announced.

The settlement resulted in changes to election rules after voting was underway. By settling the case in that manner, the State Board effectively circumvented the legislative process and rewrote the rules in a way that directly contradicted the duly enacted statute. 

This bill would help prevent similar collusive lawsuits and protect the General Assembly’s lawmaking authority. 

Sponsors: Hise; Daniel; Newton (Primary), Alexander; Barnes; Britt; Edwards; Galey; Harrington; Jarvis; Johnson; Krawiec; Lee; McInnis; Perry; Sanderson; Sawyer

 

S. B.   700 Balanced Political Discussion in Classrooms

This bill would require school districts to provide balanced political discussions in classrooms. When the viewpoint of one of the two major political parties is presented in a classroom, the alternative political party’s perspective shall also be presented and given equal weight during the same class.

This bill would require a school’s governing body under Article 29A of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes to publish instructional materials and activities on the school website. Furthermore, the material displayed shall include the information necessary to identify instructional purposes’, learning materials, and activities.

H.B. 82 Summer Learning Choice for NC Families

 

Many students have fallen behind due to online learning during COVID-19. The General Assembly passed legislation to create a new summer school option for struggling students. House Bill 82 will create a six-week in-person program available to every family. 

“Parents are ready to see their children going back to school and recovering from the learning loss that has occurred during the pandemic, “said Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland).

Rep. John Torbett (R-Gaston) said, “This legislation is crucial for us to combat the learning deficit that has occurred due to the pandemic. As always, I will continue to work on legislation that will help our children during this time so that they can reach their American Dream.”

The bill passed with unanimous support in both the House and Senate and was signed by the Governor on April 9th.

Primary Sponsors: Moore; Elmore; Torbett; Zenger

Sponsors: Edwards; Krawiec; Hise (Primary), Barnes; Daniel; Galey; Jarvis; Newton; Steinburg