Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

February 22, 2007 issue

Legislative Report

Goss, Tarleton Report from Raleigh

Compiled by Kathleen McFadden

Here’s the latest from State Senator Steve Goss and State Representative Cullie Tarleton.

Senator Steve Goss

Since the beginning of the legislative session, Senator Steve Goss has sponsored seven bills in addition to two resolutions, one honoring the ASU football team and another honoring former NASCAR driver and sportscaster Benny Parsons. Goss has also co-sponsored 16 bills.

Goss is the primary sponsor on the following:

• DMV Temporary Locations—This bill would require the DMV to immediately designate a temporary location for registration document and plate acquisition when closing the only contract license plate agency in a county.

• Waiver of School Starting Date—This bill would grant the school systems in Alexander, Ashe, Watauga and Wilkes counties a permanent waiver from the required school opening and closing dates.

• Up Penalties/Sex Offenses With Child Victim—This bill would amend certain child pornography laws by changing the definition of sexual activity and expanding the scope of certain pornography laws; increasing the penalty for first, second, and third degree sexual exploitation of a minor; increasing the penalty for solicitation of a child by computer to commit an unlawful sex act; and increasing the penalty for a second or subsequent offense of taking indecent liberties with children.

• Duty to Report Child Porn—This bill would require a retail or wholesale film processor, photo finisher, or computer technician who, in the course of work, encounters an image of a minor engaging in sexual activity to report the name of the customer requesting the development of the film or in possession of the computer to the national center for missing and exploited children and to the appropriate local law enforcement office.

• Military Family Assistance Centers/Funds—This bill would appropriate $1.5 million in the 2007-08 fiscal year and $1.4 million in the 2008-09 fiscal year to fund 10 family assistance centers to benefit members of the North Carolina National Guard and their families and to benefit members of the armed forces and their families.

• Alcohol Inhalers Illegal—This bill would add ethyl alcohol as a substance specifically named as a toxic vapor and to make illegal any instrument that can be used to atomize or introduce a toxic vapor into the body unless it is used to deliver a prescription medication or an approved over-the-counter medication.

• New Fire Truck for Boone/Funds—This bill would appropriate $850,000 in the 2007-08 fiscal year to enable the Town of Boone to purchase a new fire truck so the town can adequately protect Appalachian State University from fires.

Representative Cullie Tarleton

In his weekly legislative report, Tarleton highlighted the following:

• Speaker Joe Hackney has announced 44 House committees and subcommittees that will meet during the 2007-08 session. After discussions with members of the House Democratic and Republican caucuses and consideration of their requests and suggestions, Hackney decided to create four new committees and restructure others. The House now has committees that will focus on agribusiness and agricultural economy, energy and energy efficiency, juvenile justice and mental health reform. Several committees will also focus on slightly different issues or have expanded responsibilities than in previous years, including Commerce, Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Federal Relations and Indian Affairs; Homeland Security, Military and Veteran Affairs; and Ways and Means.

• Although more bills were introduced in 2006 than in any legislative session since 1913, the General Assembly’s bill-writing staff has experienced an even heavier workload this year. In the first three weeks of the 2007 session, legislators have asked staff to draft 1,142 pieces of legislation, compared to 843 bills during the first three weeks of the 2005 session.

• Tarleton is working with the Western Legislative Caucus on a bill that would create a fairer formula for how lottery funds are dispersed. According to Tarleton, the current method shortchanges Ashe and Watauga counties.

• The recently created Military and Veterans Caucus is comprised of legislators in the House and Senate who are military veterans, who represent districts with a military presence or who have an interest in issues affecting the armed forces. The first official meeting of the new caucus was attended by 62 lawmakers, and Tarleton is a member of the new caucus. He served in the NC National Guard and US Army Reserves from 1956 to 1964.

• Tarleton introduced HB 144 that provides a tax credit for purchasing long-term care insurance. Citizens who purchase long-term care insurance, Tarleton said, will save the state money.

• Tarleton co-sponsored the following bills introduced in the House or Senate during the past week:

–House Bill 183 would ban cell phone use by school bus drivers.

–House Bill 192 would issue $250 million in bonds to help provide affordable housing.

–House Bill 213 would allow local government employees to return to work without losing retirement benefits.

–House Bill 200 would provide funds to address infant deaths.

–House Bill 214 would create children's advocacy center funds.

–House Bill 220 would authorize a special license plate for juvenile diabetes research.

–House Resolution 224 would create the House Select Committee on Sex Offender Registration and Internet Crimes Against Children.