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Bad Bill of the Week

  • HB 1516: Throwing Good Tax Dollars After Bad

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Francis De Luca on July 3, 2009

    While sounding like a benign “technical” bill – House Bill (HB) 1516 ( Senate Bill 576) – JDIG Technical Modifications sponsored by Reps. Jim Crawford (D-Granville), Margaret Dickson (D-Cumberland) and Pryor Gibson (D-Anson) keeps North Carolina moving ahead on a failed “job creation” strategy.

  • HB 1050: Consumers Will Pay So Bureaucrats Can Play

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Taylor Holgate on June 25, 2009

    This bill is designed to hide a tax increase under the guise of improving energy efficiency, but all HB 1050, Independent Energy Efficiency Administrator, by Reps. Blue D-Wake, Tolson D-Edgecombe, Glazier D-Cumberland and Harrison D-Guilford, will really do is squeeze North Carolinians already struggling with the 8th highest unemployment rate in the country.

  • HB 1122: Good for your Colon?

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Francis De Luca on June 18, 2009

    While it does not appear that this bill will go anywhere, (I will try and resist any and all jokes about this one) House Bill 1122, NC Colon Hydrotherapy Licensure, by Rep. Verla Insko (D-Orange) illustrates the problem with licensure bills. While this may be a therapeutic procedure some people desire, is it necessary to put the North Carolina official seal of approval on it by licensing colon hydrotherapists?

  • SB 202: Budget Bill Blows a Hole in Your Wallet!

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Chris Hayes on June 11, 2009

    It was a very easy choice this week for our Bad Bill of the Week – Senate Bill 202, the House’s version of the 2009-2011 budget. What other bill pending in the General Assembly would destroy jobs, raise taxes on all North Carolinians and potentially kill any attempt at an economic recovery in our state?

  • HB 1521: A $4.6 Billion Budget Hole and You Want to Spend Money on What?

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Brian Balfour on June 4, 2009

    Representative Shirley Randleman has introduced into the General Assembly House Bill 1521 (Randleman R-Wilkes) which requests $50,000 to “construct an environmentally friendly visitor's center in Wilkes County.” To paraphrase former tennis star John McEnroe, “You can not be serious!”

  • HB 762/SB 516: Homeowners Association Run Amok

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Francis De Luca on May 28, 2009

    Almost everybody who has bought a home in an urban/suburban area built in the last 30 years is familiar with a “Homeowners Association (HOA).” They either live in one, or know somebody who does. They also probably have heard a HOA horror story or experienced the wrath of an overly aggressive HOA themselves. This “Bad Bill of the Week” hits a triple in restricting competition and raising costs, expanding government and not really solving the problems of HOA’s running amok.

  • SB 642: The Government Wants to Know About Your ATV

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Chris Hayes on May 22, 2009

    The state of North Carolina wants to know if you own an “All Terrain Vehicle” (ATV), dirt bike, or any other vehicle. And they don’t just want to know about it, they want you to register it with the state and pay $15 per year for the privilege of owning one. Require Off-Road Vehicles to be Registered – SB642 – is sponsored by Sen. Doug Berger (D-Franklin) and Sen. Ellie Kinnaird (D-Orange). This bill would require any off-road vehicle, be it ATV, dirt bike, four-wheeler or other vehicle, to be licensed by the NC Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

  • SB 575: One Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Brian Balfour on May 15, 2009

    Looks like another multi-billion dollar corporation has succeeded in bilking millions more of our tax dollars, courtesy of the North Carolina General Assembly. Senate Bill 575 (Hoyle D – Gaston), aka the Apple bill, would establish a different tax liability formula for eligible companies. The eligibility requirements are so specific, however, that it has become readily apparent the legislation is designed to lure Apple Computers to open a server farm in Caldwell County.

  • HB 1278: “We’re With the Government and We’re Here to Help”

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Brian Balfour on May 8, 2009

    The current recession has hit North Carolina especially hard. Statewide unemployment is 10.8 percent, fifth highest in the nation. The dramatic downturn has significantly reduced available tax revenue, creating an estimated $4.6 billion budget deficit for the coming fiscal year. But never fear, your state bureaucrats are here to save the day! House Bill 1278 (Pierce D-Hoke) would create a “Response Team” to rescue any North Carolina county that suffers an extraordinary number of job losses.

  • Legislators Tell North Carolinians: Go Fish

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Jana Benscoter on May 1, 2009

    Whether you are an avid vacationer in Nags Head or not, here comes a party house on the North Carolina coast that will only cost taxpayers a conservative $25 million to construct. Oh yeah, and there’s a pier attached to it. Normally, “Bad Bill of the Week” is dedicated to those who are trying to get legislation passed. However, this week we had to take note of one particular bill, HB628, which blew through the General Assembly at a much faster rate than most.

  • Honors-Level Physical Education

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Christine DiPietro on April 24, 2009

    This week’s Bad Bill of the Week is HB 901. Proposed by Reps. Verla Insko (D-Orange) and Jean Farmer-Butterfield (D-Edgecombe), the bill proposes “to develop or identify academically rigorous honors-level courses in health and physical education.” In essence, the legislation creates honors gym classes for high school students.

  • Bad Bill Of the Week: 4/17/2009

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Bob Luebke on April 17, 2009

    An ever-changing energy industry combined with greater consumption and public demand for clean energy are placing increasing pressure on schools to expand the science curriculum. In response to these trends, more and more school districts across the country are including so-called green energy and green science courses as part of the curriculum.

  • Bad Bill Of the Week: 4/10/2009

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Christine DiPietro on April 10, 2009

    This week’s “Bad Bill of the Week” could easily be renamed after the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine. Rep. Annie Mobley (D-Bertie) introduced legislation (HB 1348) to “establish the joint legislative study committee on the regulation of beauty pageants for youth under thirteen years of age.”

  • Bad Bill Of the Week: 4/03/2009

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Bob Luebke on April 3, 2009

    The admission of illegal immigrants to public institutions of higher education is an issue North Carolinians oppose in significant numbers. However, strong public sentiment hasn’t stopped Sen. Charles Albertson (D-Duplin) from introducing legislation (SB-848) to admit illegal immigrants to the state’s community college system.

  • Bad Bill Of the Week: 3/27/2009

    Posted in Bad Bill of the Week by Chris Hayes on March 27, 2009

    This “Bad Bill of the Week” is a piece of legislation that will fundamentally change North Carolina government at the state and local levels for the worse. It will cost the state tens of millions of dollars to implement and significantly increase costs annually, forcing tax increases. It will take decision -making ability away from elected officials and voters and give it to union bosses, lawyers and federal mediators. It will also end any hope of merit pay for outstanding teachers and state employees.

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