News

Legislators reconvened in Raleigh on Wednesday after a two-week reorganization period. Since then, legislative offices have been reassigned and committee assignments were officially designated. Bills have begun to be filed so committees should be operating within the next month. This session will very likely last throughout the summer, as this is a redistricting year. Legislators are tasked with redrawing new district lines for both the North Carolina Senate and House of Representatives, as well as Congressional districts. However, the U.S. Census bureau is still working on collecting and inputting data that will be sent to the states. All early indications point to North Carolina picking up a congressional seat, bringing the delegation to 14 members.

Your legislative team has already started to work this week on the Association’s legislative agenda with the General Assembly. For example, Representative Mark Brody (R-Union) is crafting the Building Code Regulatory Reform Act of 2021. This will be the 8th omnibus bill in the last 9 nine sessions. These bills have addressed numerous issues that builders are facing in the field. We will be working directly with Representative Brody to ensure that our members concerns are being addressed.

Another legislative priority is to update the capacity fee calculation to one that is more reflective of the impact of the water or wastewater system that is being accessed. Some jurisdictions have been casting a wide net and including items that are not germane to the water and wastewater system and are unnecessarily driving up the total calculated cost. Placing tighter parameters around the calculation of the capacity fee should give a more accurate representation of the total cost and potentially lower the fee.

Another item that is currently being developed is legislation that will make clarifying changes to the historic 2019 Land Use Regulatory Changes bill. The 2019 bill granted developers greater vested protection and helped even the playing field with local governments.

Mark your calendars: This coming Monday, February 1st, at 2:00 p.m. NCHBA will hold a virtual Legislative meeting. The update will include the proposed legislation for the 2021 Legislative Session, the current makeup of the General Assembly, and Build PAC pledges. To join the meeting, click this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81903168043. The meeting ID number is 819 0316 8043.

Over the coming weeks, check your legislative report for details and progress of all of our legislative goals.

If you have any questions, please email Steven Webb at swebb@nchba.org.

This post was written by NC HBA.