Civitas Review » veto override

Three Vetoes, Three Overrides

Brian Balfour — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 13:55:02 +0000

Late last night (and into this morning), state lawmakers were able to complete a hat trick of veto overrides. Following the successful override of Perdue’s veto of a bill limiting the Racial Justice Act, the legislature was able to override the state budget and hydraulic fracturing vetoes.

As the N&O reports, however, the override vote regarding fracking included a little controversy:

But at least one of the successful override votes – on the natural gas exploration, or fracking, bill – was the result of an error by a Democratic lawmaker who pushed the wrong button, and a GOP maneuver prevented her from changing it and gave them a one-vote margin of victory.

Rep. Becky Carney, a Democrat from Mecklenburg County, pushed the wrong button and a GOP maneuver by Wake County Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam prevented her from changing it, giving the GOP a one-vote margin of victory.

‘It was a huge mistake,” Carney said afterward. “I take full responsibility.”

Perhaps overlooked in the frenzy is the deal-making involved in getting these override votes lined up. According to (subscription-only) news source The Insider:

A final budget technical corrections bill included a few sweeteners that may have been critical to obtaining the necessary Democratic votes to override Gov. Beverly Perdue’s veto of the budget bill and hydraulic fracturing legislation. A key provision gave state employees an additional five days of annual leave. Prior to voting for the budget override, Rep. Darren Jackson, D-Wake, had noted how many state employees lived in his district. He wasn’t alone among those Democrats voting for the budget. The district of Rep. Marion McLawhorn, D-Pitt, is also home to East Carolina University faculty and other workers. “We’re glad to see the legislature did something in the last hours to boost morale,” said Artis Watkins of the State Employees Association of N.C. “People would rather have had their paychecks changed more, but that wasn’t going to happen.” Another provision shifted $2 million to the Rural Center and $1 million to regional economic development commission. Those changes were seen as critical to keep the support of Reps. Jim Crawford, D-Granville; Bill Brisson, D-Bladen; and Dewey Hill, D-Columbus.

Also included was a deal to extend tax credits to movie makers, reportedly intended to appease Reps. Danny McComas and Susi Hamilton from the New Hanover area – a part of the state that benefits greatly from the tax credits.

House Goes Along with the Senate on Three Veto Overrides

Matt Willoughby — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:43:23 +0000

The House voted to override the Governor’s veto of SB781, the Regulatory Reform Act of 2011. The new law is an attempt to take some of the burden of rules off businesses and people. A rule would have to be authorized by federal or state law. An agency would also be obligated to lessen the burden of rules that already exist. The Office of State Budget and Management would have to do an annual review of all rules.

The House went along with the Senate veto override by a vote of 76-42.

The House also agreed with the Senate and overrode the veto of SB496, Medicaid and Health Choice Provider Requirements. It changes some requirements for providers in the Medicaid program. It also gives the final decision of any appeals to an administration law judge.

That veto was overriden by a vote of 74-41

Later the House also rejected the Governor’s veto of SB33, Medical Liability Reforms.

The House still has seven more vetoed bills on the calendar it could consider this week. The word from House Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenberg) is he won’t put a bill up for a veto override vote if he doesn’t have the votes to approve the motion to override. An exception is the voter ID bill, HB351, Restore Confidence in Government. Tillis spokesman Jordan Shaw says the Speaker will put that bill on the floor for an override to make sure the lawmakers’ votes are on the record. Shaw says the Speaker wants people to know who votes against a law most voters in the state want.

Voter Fraud: Detection or Coverup?

Susan Myrick — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:13:54 +0000

Civitas Institute Intern, Will Garvey has a great op-ed in the Lincoln Tribune this week. Will explains why he is a proponent of voter photo ID and describes his experience at a Wake County polling place in 2008 when he was told he had already voted…

Tune in to Charlotte’s WBT 1110 AM today at 5 pm - Will is being interviewed by Vince Coakley.

Conservatives, Liberals Hold Opposing Rallies at Legislature

Neal Inman — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:19:55 +0000

Liberal and Conservative groups held opposing rallies at the North Carolina General Assembly today. Each side had dozens of participants, all attempting to influence the veto-override votes the General Assembly will be holding during the July session.

Conservatives and Tea Party members gathered at the Halifax mall to encourage lawmakers to override Governor Bev Perdue’s vetoes, including regulatory reform, malpractice reform, energy jobs, and voter identification legislation. The rally was created by Americans for Prosperity’s (AFP) North Carolina branch, with the Civitas Institute and the John Locke Foundation co-sponsoring the event.

Speakers included Dallas Woodhouse of AFP-North Carolina and the Civitas Institute’s own Francis De Luca. The event featured a large inflatable oil rig to highlight North Carolina’s potential for energy jobs. Attendees held signs asking Perdue to “Save Our Jobs and Not Your Own!” and “What are You Thinking Perdue?, among others.

Just minutes after the AFP rally concluded, the Senate voted to override the governor’s vetoes of regulatory and medical malpractice reform, an energy jobs act, an elimination of teacher union dues check-off, and Medicaid payment reforms. (Click here for more info on 6 Senate vetoes). More veto override votes are scheduled to be held in both the state House and Senate this month.

The opposing rally was held near the front steps of the legislative building by a variety of groups, including Democracy North Carolina, the North Carolina NAACP, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and the North Carolina AFL-CIO. The gathering was held primarily to protest proposed changes to voting laws, including a photo identification requirement.

The rally featured angry denunciations of the Republican-led voting reforms. North Carolina AFL-CIO President James Andrews questioned the motives behind voting reform. “Let’s not get it twisted-this is about raw, greed power,” said Andrews. “These are not the normal Republicans we are used to in North Carolina. This is about a right-wing, conservative, Tea Party movement.”

“This is about a group against democracy, and I would say, the democratic process. But they are also anti-civil rights.”
William Barber of the NC NAACP was similarly hostile to the measures. “We intend to fight this all the way-in the streets, in the [legislative] suites, and in the courts,” said Barber.

Civitas polling has consistently revealed large majorities of North Carolina voters are in favor of a photo ID requirement. Voter ID laws have recently passed in several state legislatures, including the Democratic-controlled Rhode Island legislature, where the measure was cosponsored by an African-American Democrat.

NC Senate Overrides 6 Vetoes in One Hour

Karen Duquette — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:41:13 +0000

It’s not even 2pm and already, the state Senate has voted to override six vetoes that Gov. Perdue rejected last month. The legislature is back in session, beginning today, to focus on vetoes and redistricting. The session will resume until July 28th.

SB 33, the Medical Liability Reforms Act was the first on the table. This legislation was offered as an effort to curb frivolous medical malpractice cases and rising medical costs. The bill would limit awards for non-economic damages (pain and suffering) to $500,000 but refrain from putting a threshold on actual damages like lost wages and medical expenses. It was overridden 35-12.

Other overrides quickly followed. SB 781, the Regulatory Reform Act of 2011, was a major priority for the business community. It would cut back state agencies’ regulatory authority and make the rule-making process more transparent. The override passed 48-0 with bi-partisan support.

SB 496 would alter some provider requirements for the state’s Medicaid program (passed 47-1) and SB 532 would modify unemployment benefit requirements and move the Employment Security Commission to the Department of Commerce (passed 31-17).

SB 727, No Dues Checkoff for School Employees, fell down party lines by a 30-18 vote. This bill would end the NCAE’s ability to use the state to collect automatic dues from members’ paychecks.

Finally, SB 709, the Energy Jobs Act, would allow opportunities for energy exploration and possible job creation but also includes a provision to study the pros and cons of the controversial fracking process (passed 31-17).

The Senate has now adjourned until Friday at 10am. The override will next be debated by House legislators who return tomorrow at 9am. However, so far, no votes on any overrides have been scheduled in the House.