2010 Bill Descriptions

This vote adopted the final compromise budget that, among other things, increases spending over the current fiscal year, adds 864 full-time positions to the state payroll, and offers a misguided package of targeted tax breaks intended to help small business growth. Perhaps most egregious is that lawmakers refused to address the roughly $3 billion structural gap looming for next year's budget. Civitas believes the conservative position is to avoid irresponsible spending increases during an economic downturn.

Roll Call Vote #1397
2010-06-29

This bill would create a new licensing and regulation process for individuals and firms engaging in real estate appraisal management. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose new licensing and regulations that do not directly impact the health and safety of the public. Licenses and regulations restrict the free market, unnecessarily increase government revenue, and increase bureaucracy.

Roll Call Vote #1431
2010-06-30

This vote is to appeal the ruling of the Senate President who ruled that an amendment putting the issuance of these bonds on the ballot for voters to decide was out of order. Civitas believes the conservative position is to allow the voters to decide via election how much additional debt the state should take on as required by the NC Constitution.

Roll Call Vote #1263
2010-06-03

This bill would authorize the issuance of over $450 million in new state debt in order to finance the renovation and construction of engineering buildings at North Carolina State University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose increasing the state's debt for non-critical projects.

Roll Call Vote #1252
2010-06-02

This bill creates a State Home Foreclosure Prevention Fund and assesses a $75 fee on mortgage servicer when they file for foreclosure. This fee will likely be passed along to the consumer, meaning that it would become more expensive to obtain a mortgage. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose all fee proposals.

Roll Call Vote #1506
2010-07-07

This bill grants tax incentives to various economic entities, including air carriers, solar energy companies, and NASCAR teams. Civitas believes that the conservative position is to support and equitable tax structure for all North Carolina businesses and individuals and that government should not pick winners and losers in the economy.

Roll Call Vote #1339
2010-06-21

This bill doubles the fee for obtaining a license to be an athletic trainer and increases the fee renewing a license by 50%. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose new licensing and regulations that do not directly impact the health and safety of the public. Licenses and regulations restrict the free market, unnecessarily increase government revenue, and increase bureaucracy.

Roll Call Vote #1332
2010-06-17

This bill grants specific tax incentives to businesses that manufacture paper-from-pulp and turbines. With its passage, this bill also carves out new incentives for internet datacenters. Civitas believes that the conservative position is to support and equitable tax structure for all North Carolina businesses and individuals and that government should not pick winners and losers in the economy.

Roll Call Vote #1573
2010-07-09

This bill exempts Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Asheville from competitive bidding requirements for any pilot program aimed at increasing energy efficiency. Civitas believes the conservative position is to encourage competitive bidding in an effort to be more responsible with taxpayers' money.

Roll Call Vote #1454
2010-07-06

This bill creates excessive regulations in the buying and selling of real estate by severely restricting foreclosure rescue transactions. Furthermore, certain financial institutions and state agencies are exempt from the new regulation. Civitas believes the conservative position is to minimize the amount of government regulation, that regulation should be applied equitably, and empower citizens to make the best financial decisions for their families.

Roll Call Vote #1509
2010-07-07

This bill increases the regulation of electioneering by requiring the disclosure of individual expenditures for electioneering and political advertisements. Civitas believes the conservative position is to minimize the amount of state regulation with regards to elections and to allow for citizens' voices to be heard. These rights were affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in Citizens United v Federal Elections Commission (2010).

Roll Call Vote #1604
2010-07-09

This bill requires all health benefit plans in the state to cover hearing aids for everyone under the age of 22. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose additional mandates to health insurance coverage as it increases the cost of health insurance for everyone.

Roll Call Vote #1225
2010-05-26

This bill creates and establishes tax credits for eco-parks, expands tax credits for film production companies and digital media companies and provides a sales tax exemption for wood chippers. Civitas believes that the conservative position is to support and equitable tax structure for all North Carolina businesses and individuals and that government should not pick winners and losers in the economy.

Roll Call Vote #1583
2010-07-09

This bill extends tax credits 35% for investing in renewable energy facilities and property. Civitas believes that the conservative position is to allow the free market to determine energy sources and that there should be equal tax treatment for all investment.

Roll Call Vote #1575
2010-07-09

This amendment creates an exception to the junk food ban by allowing child care facilities to offer food that does not meet nutrition standards at the request of a parent. Civitas believes the conservative position is to support the amendment and give parents the option to select foods and beverages to feed their children.

Roll Call Vote #1503
2010-07-07

This bill requires the adoption of nutrition standards for child care facilities and recommends certain guidelines for acceptance. Civitas believes that the conservative position is that such intrusive regulations limit freedom unnecessarily and that parents should regulate the diet of their children instead of bureaucrats.

Roll Call Vote #1504
2010-07-07

This bill allows dependents to remain on the State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees until age 26 costing the state as much as $3.6 million this year. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose any additional costs associated with the State Health Plan.

Roll Call Vote #1258
2010-06-02

This bill allows non-violent felons to petition for the reinstatement of their firearms rights. Civitas believes the conservative position is to support an individual's right to bear arms.

Roll Call Vote #1435
2010-06-30

This bill would authorize Chapel Hill to continue its public financing program for municipal elections. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose public financing of elections as it compels taxpayers to have their funds used for political purposes for candidates they may not agree with.

Roll Call Vote #1414
2010-06-30

This bill raises the minimum for state departments, state agencies and the UNC System with regards to performance and payment bonds. State entities are now subject to bonding requirements when contracts reach $500,000 while the private sector threshold is $300,000. Civitas believes the conservative position is that bonding requirements should be the same for the state and private enterprise.

Roll Call Vote #1525
2010-07-07

This vote adopted the final compromise budget that, among other things, increases spending over the current fiscal year, adds 864 full-time positions to the state payroll, and offers a misguided package of targeted tax breaks intended to help small business growth. Perhaps most egregious is that lawmakers refused to address the roughly $3 billion structural gap looming for next year's budget. Civitas believes the conservative position is to avoid irresponsible spending increases during an economic downturn.

Roll Call Vote #1596
2010-06-30

This amendment would dissolve the North Carolina Mobility Fund after the completion of the Yadkin River Bridge. Civitas believes that the conservative position is that the Highway Fund and the Highway Trust Fund are more than adequate to provide for North Carolina's transportation infrastructure.

Roll Call Vote #1426
2010-06-03

This amendment would implement zero-based budgeting for every fiscal year thus eliminating the biennium budgetary system. Civitas believes that the conservative position is to start the budget process with a clean slate each fiscal year.

Roll Call Vote #1446
2010-06-03

This amendment would reduce or eliminate a number of projects to be paid for through special indebtedness. Civitas believes that the conservative position is that North Carolina voters should vote on all state debt prior to issuance and that state debt should only finance critical projects.

Roll Call Vote #1440
2010-06-03

This bill would create a new licensing and regulation process for individuals and firms engaging in real estate appraisal management. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose new licensing and regulations that do not directly impact the health and safety of the public. Licenses and regulations restrict the free market, unnecessarily increase government revenue, and increase bureaucracy.

Roll Call Vote #1572
2010-06-28

This bill creates a State Home Foreclosure Prevention Fund and assesses a $75 fee on mortgage servicer when they file for foreclosure. This fee will likely be passed along to the consumer, meaning that it would become more expensive to obtain a mortgage. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose all fee proposals.

Roll Call Vote #1591
2010-06-29

This bill grants tax incentives to various economic entities, including air carriers, solar energy companies, and NASCAR teams. Civitas believes that the conservative position is to support and equitable tax structure for all North Carolina businesses and individuals and that government should not pick winners and losers in the economy.

Roll Call Vote #1703
2010-07-07

This bill doubles the fee for obtaining a license to be an athletic trainer and increases the fee renewing a license by 50%. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose new licensing and regulations that do not directly impact the health and safety of the public. Licenses and regulations restrict the free market, unnecessarily increase government revenue, and increase bureaucracy.

Roll Call Vote #1655
2010-07-06

This bill grants specific tax incentives to businesses that manufacture paper-from-pulp and turbines. With its passage, this bill also carves out new incentives for internet datacenters. Civitas believes that the conservative position is to support and equitable tax structure for all North Carolina businesses and individuals and that government should not pick winners and losers in the economy.

Roll Call Vote #1751
2010-07-08

This bill exempts Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Asheville from competitive bidding requirements for any pilot program aimed at increasing energy efficiency. Civitas believes the conservative position is to encourage competitive bidding in an effort to be more responsible with taxpayers' money.

Roll Call Vote #1601
2010-06-30

This bill creates excessive regulations in the buying and selling of real estate by severely restricting foreclosure rescue transactions. Furthermore, certain financial institutions and state agencies are exempt from the new regulation. Civitas believes the conservative position is to minimize the amount of government regulation, that regulation should be applied equitably, and empower citizens to make the best financial decisions for their families.

Roll Call Vote #1669
2010-07-06

This bill increases the regulation of electioneering by requiring the disclosure of individual expenditures for electioneering and political advertisements. Civitas believes the conservative position is to minimize the amount of state regulation with regards to elections and to allow for citizens' voices to be heard. These rights were affirmed by the United State Supreme Court in Citizens United v FEC (2010).

Roll Call Vote #1832
2010-07-10

This bill requires all health benefit plans in the state to cover hearing aids for everyone under the age of 22. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose additional mandates to health insurance coverage as it increases the cost of health insurance for everyone.

Roll Call Vote #1392
2010-05-20

This bill creates and establishes tax credits for eco-parks, expands tax credits for film production companies and digital media companies and provides a sales tax exemption for wood chippers. Civitas believes that the conservative position is to support and equitable tax structure for all North Carolina businesses and individuals and that government should not pick winners and losers in the economy.

Roll Call Vote #1769
2010-07-09

This bill extends tax credits 35% for investing in renewable energy facilities and property. Civitas believes that the conservative position is to allow the free market to determine energy sources and that there should be equal tax treatment for all investment.

Roll Call Vote #1768
2010-07-09

This bill requires the adoption of nutrition standards for child care facilities and recommends certain guidelines for acceptance. Civitas believes that the conservative position is that such intrusive regulations limit freedom unnecessarily and that parents should regulate the diet of their children instead of bureaucrats.

Roll Call Vote #1584
2010-06-28

This bill allows dependents to remain on the State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees until age 26 costing the state as much as $3.6 million this year. Civitas believes the conservative position is to oppose any additional costs associated with the State Health Plan.

Roll Call Vote #1403
2010-05-26

This bill would send forth a constitutional amendment for statewide voter referendum reinforcing the states eminent domain protections and define public use as not including economic development. Civitas believes the conservative position is to ensure that private property rights are protected and limit the excesses of eminent domain.

Roll Call Vote #1589
2010-06-29

Allows under certain conditions for non-violent felons to petition for their firearms rights. Civitas believes the conservative position is to support efforts to enhance citizens' Second Amendment rights.

Roll Call Vote #1597
2010-06-30

This bill raises the minimum for state departments, state agencies and the UNC System with regards to performance and payment bonds. State entities are now subject to bonding requirements when contracts reach $500,000 while the private sector threshold is $300,000. Civitas believes the conservative position is that bonding requirements should be the same for the state and private enterprise.

Roll Call Vote #1762
2010-07-08