Follow up on the 59-59 vote to move the Annexation Reform bill (HB 524) back to Appropriations.
Quick refresher: There are 120 members of the House; 68 Democrats, 52 Republicans.
All Republicans voted no on the motion to send the annexation bill back to the Appropriations Committee, hoping instead to move the bill forward for a floor vote with some proposed amendments and efforts to finally progress with some reform, albeit not perfect. Joining them in the no vote were Representatives Van Braxton, D Nash, Lorene Coates, D Rowan, Bill Faison, D Orange, Bruce Goforth, D Buncombe, Dewey Hill, D Columbus, Tim Spear, D Chowan, and Arthur Williams, D Beaufort. All of the other Democrats voted yes on the motion, with Speaker Joe Hackney, D Orange breaking the tie, making the vote 60-59 and sending the bill back to committee where many fear it will die and any hope for reform lost. Representative Martha Alexander, D Mecklenburg was absent.
Will Appropriations Chair Mickey Michaux, D Durham make good on his promise to promptly get the fiscal note on the Local Government Commission?s cost to oversee annexations and get the bill quickly back to the floor for a vote? Will the bill be amended in committee to address some of the outstanding concerns, i.e. a real vote, requirements for meaningful services and appropriate oversight? Will it just die in this committee and put an end, at least for this General Assembly, to annexation reform that really protects property rights? Will they adjourn before anything is done, essentially just running out the clock?
Bill sponsor, Rep. Bruce Goforth, D Buncombe, told me after session yesterday he was determined to get the bill out of committee and back to the floor.
It now rests in the hands of the House Appropriations Committee, list of members can be found here.
