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Crossover Day has come and gone. All non-money bills (which neither appropriate funds nor change taxes or fees) must have passed one house and “crossed over” to the other one to remain alive for this two-year session. Non-money bills not making Crossover will probably not be seen again until 2009. Amazingly, both houses had adjourned by 5:30 on Crossover Day.

The status reports which follow show action taken during the past two weeks. Any bill which is now in the house in which it did not originate (e.g., Senate Bill 8 in a House committee) has crossed over and remains alive for consideration. Any bill which spends money or alters taxes or fees remains alive, though work on the budget is drawing to a close, and money matters not in the budget bill are not likely to be considered until next summer’s “short session.” Any bill which is still in its house of origin and doesn’t affect spending or revenue is probably dead (e.g. House Bill 493 in a House Committee).

[Those who receive Raleigh Report via e-mail will have already received information about some of these bills.]

S 353, Presidential Electors by District, is in the House Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform Comm.

S 670, Use of Solar Collectors, is in the House Energy and Energy Efficiency Comm. It was amended in the Senate so that the protection from zoning ordinances offered by the bill now applies only to solar collectors (not “any energy device based on renewable resources,” so you can kiss your protected clothesline good-bye) and only on detached single-family residences. In addition, it allows prohibitions on locating solar collectors where they are visible from areas open to common or public access.

S 862, UNC Smoke Free, is in House Health.

S 948, Small Dairy Sustainability, is in House Agriculture. Current law prohibits the sale of fresh, unpasteurized milk directly to consumers. S 948 would allow small farmers to sell shares in cows, goats, and other milk animals. These shareholders would get fresh milk, along with warnings about the dangers of unpasteurized milk.

S 1466, Migrant Housing Health/Safety, is in House Agriculture.

H 30, Raise Cap on Charter Schools, has been amended so that it now creates a study commission to consider issues related to the performance of charter schools. Its work is to be done in time for the 2008 legislative session. The bill has been re-referred to House Appropriations.

H 47, Violate Order, Possess Deadly Weapon, is in Senate Judiciary I.

H 183, Ban Cell Phone Use by School Bus Drivers, is in Senate Judiciary II.

H 341, Proportionality Review, is in Senate Judiciary II.

H 461, Lottery Advertising Compliance Act, is in Senate Appropriations. It was amended in the House so that it no longer prohibits lottery advertising or sponsorship in connection with collegiate sports or in collegiate sports venues, only with high school sports and venues.

H 483, Chapel Hill Campaign Finance Options, is in the Senate State and Local Govt. Comm.

H 485, Amend Health Education Curriculum, is in Senate Health Care.

H 492, Juvenile Jurisdiction to Age 18 Years, was re-referred to House Rules, where it is likely to become a study.

H 493, Defense of Marriage, was re-referred to House Judiciary I. It had been reported out of the House Rules Committee during Crossover Week “without prejudice,” i.e., without the endorsement of Rules, but also without being killed by Rules. Speaker Hackney then re-referred it to a Judiciary committee.

H 554, Assault Disabled Person/Institutional Setting, is in the Senate Judiciary II Comm.

H 824, Improve Gender Equity Reporting Statute, is in the Senate Judiciary I Comm.

H 973, Mental Health Equitable Coverage, is in Senate Health Care. It was amended so that it no longer applies to insurance provided by employers with 25 or fewer employees. It was also amended to remove equitable coverage of substance abuse treatment. Even though the bill is less favorable to those with mental illness or substance abuse needs than it was when introduced, it still marks the first time that a mental health parity bill has passed one house in the General Assembly.

H 1291, NC Racial Justice Act, is in the Senate Judiciary II Comm.

H 1366, School Violence Prevention Act, is in the Senate Judiciary II Comm. The House defeated an effort to remove the entire list of groups of students most likely to be harassed and an effort to remove sexual orientation from that list.

H 1526, Streamlined and Cost Effective Capital Case Act, has been amended to include a $30,000 appropriation to study the costs of the death penalty. (Remember, if a bill contains an appropriation, it doesn’t have to meet the crossover deadline.)

H 1550, Educational Assistance for Minimum Wage Workers, was re-referred to House Appropriations.

H 1682, Study/NC No Place for Torture Act, is in the House Rules Comm.

H 1686, Juvenile Justice Commission Established, was re-referred to House Appropriations.

H 1691, Suspend Execution for Two Years, has been amended to include a $30,000 appropriation to study the costs of the death penalty. (See H 1526, above, regarding appropriations and crossover.)

H 1713, Study Racial Disparities in Juvenile System, was re-referred to House Rules.

H 1788, UNC/Report on Minority Medical and Dental Students, is in House Rules Comm.

H 1790, Task Force Compulsory Attendance to 18, is in the Senate Rules Comm. It would only create a task force to study the compulsory attendance age, not actually change the age.

H 1847, Report Lost or Stolen Gun, was defeated in the House on second reading.

H 1906, Navy OLF, is in Senate Rules.

To find out more about any of these bills, go to the General Assembly’s website, www.ncleg.net.