Raleigh Report – March 21, 2011

Budget
Care of Creation
Criminal Justice
Election and Campaign Laws
Gambling
Guns
Health and Health Care
Immigration
Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Abuse Services
Public Education
Taxes
Miscellaneous

New Bills

S 239/H 305, Food Bank Funds
Introducers: Sen. Purcell; Reps. Earle, Parmon, Hall, and Mobley
Status: Senate and House Appropriations

S 239/H 305 allocate $1 million for the next two fiscal years to be distributed equally among the following six NC food banks: MANNA Food Bank (Asheville), Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (Charlotte), The Food Bank of the Albemarle (Elizabeth City), Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast NC (Fayetteville), The Food Bank of NC (Raleigh), and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC (Winston-Salem).

H 349, Promote Green Roofs on Buildings
Introducers: Reps. K. Alexander, Harrison, Cotham, and Goodman
Status: House Environment

H 349 would require the 10 most populous counties to adopt guidelines regarding the installation of green roofs (defined as a roof of vegetation and soil over a waterproof membrane). Because green roofs would reduce stormwater runoff, mitigate warming in urban areas, and reduce energy consumption, owners of buildings with green roofs would be able to reduce the stormwater fees they pay to local governments and take a reduction in property tax paid for the building.

S 229, Transfer DENR Soil & Water to DACS
Introducers: Sens. East, Rouzer, and Jackson
Status: Senate Agriculture, Environment, & Natural Resources

S 229 would transfer the Division of Soil and Water Conservation and the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  This would transfer oversight of soil and water quality issues from the “lead agency for the preservation and protection of NC’s outstanding natural resources” to an agency whose first mission is to “promote and improve agriculture and agribusiness” and whose second goal includes “promot[ing] a profitable business environment for producers and agribusiness,” an industry which has been known to contribute to the degradation of soil and water.

S 279, Clarify Renewable Energy Resource Definition
Introducer: Sen. Jenkins
Status: Senate Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources

Current law requires energy utilities to generate a certain amount of their electricity from renewable sources. Currently that renewable energy includes wood waste, such as wood processing waste and construction debris. S 279 would include the burning of wood, not just wood waste.  Therefore, S 279 would allow utilities to cut down trees for burning and include it as part of their renewable energy portfolio. (While the bill’s title says “Clarify,” this would be a significant change, not just a clarification.)

S 308, State Regulation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Introducers: Sens. Jackson, East, and Tucker
Status: passed by Senate, in House Environment

S 308 dictates that no agency in NC may attempt to adopt, implement, or enforce a rule that requires stricter regulations on greenhouse gas emissions (or the human activity that produces them) than those demanded by federal law.

S 318, Repeal Plastic Bag Ban
Introducers: Sens. Goolsby and Newton
Status: Senate Rules

S 318, as its title indicates, repeals the plastic bag ban in the coastal counties of NC.  The bill lists a variety of economic reasons for doing so, and then says that a “voluntary educational program” about the hazards of plastic bags would benefit every citizen.  The bill makes no provisions for any such program; it only repeals the plastic bag ban, which was supported by former President Pro Tem Marc Basnight.

Ex-Offender Reintegration into Society Study

The NC General Assembly created a Joint Select Committee on Ex-Offender Reintegration into Society in 2009, to examine the state’s current approach to ex-offender reentry and make recommendations for reforms. The Committee spent the last two years meeting with leaders in the field of criminal justice to determine the necessary steps for North Carolina to take in order to better address the needs of this population.  This past January, the committee released its findings and recommendations.  Most of those recommendations have now been introduced as bills, as summarized below:

• An examination of the feasibility of extending supervision to all felony offenders upon release from prison.  Not yet introduced.
• The capacity to track employment and vocational training among ex-offenders to better understand outcomes. OSP/Hiring of Ex-Offenders – H 275 / S 219.
• Increased funding to non-profits engaged in services for ex-offender reintegration. Promote Funding Availability – H 276 / S 217.
• A study to determine the prejudicial fairness of judicial outcomes–particularly expunction statutes that affect employment eligibility. Study Expunction of Dismissals/NG Verdicts – H 273 / S 218.
• Closer examination of the sale of court records and how to best ensure accuracy and protect citizens.  AOC/ Study Court Records – H 272 / S 223.
• Making the Department of Correction’s Office of Research and Planning the single state agency responsible for coordinating and implementing all reentry initiatives.  H 233 / S 221.
• Requiring the DOC to utilize data and evidence-based practices to evaluate the effectiveness of its community reintegration programs.   H 274 / S 222.
• Better inter-agency partnering to ease the reentry process– particularly the attainment of identification, drivers licenses, job training, and employment.  Not yet introduced.
• Better regulations to prevent individuals from being screened out by hiring employers based upon their history of convictions (within the occupational categories available to ex-offenders).  H 275 / S 219, though applying to state personnel only.
• More consistency in collateral consequences and concrete steps for insuring a defendant understands collateral consequences of criminal conviction when entering a plea. Ex-Offender Study Recommendations –  H 274 / S 222.
• Identify all collateral consequences of criminal convictions. General Statutes Commission/ Collateral Consequences – H 277 / S 220.
• Increased use of the Mutual Agreement Parole Program (MAPP), which creates incentives for prison inmates to seek rehabilitative programming and to avoid infractions. Not yet introduced.
• The selection of a Joint Select Committee to continue this work in 2011/2012.  Reappoint Ex-Offender Reintegration Study – H 269 / S 301.

(Thanks to the Carolina Justice Policy Center for this summary of the re-entry bills.)

H 300, Election Fairness Act of 2011
Introducers: Reps. Jones and Hager
Status: House Elections

H 300 requires that the order in which political parties appear on election ballots be rotated so that the names of candidates and political parties appear in a maximum number of different orders and to achieve a reasonably even rotation of ballot styles in each county.(Currently, in the general election, parties are listed in alphabetical order, then the candidates in alphabetical order.) Also, the bill eliminates straight-party ticket voting.  Finally, the bill increases the State Board of Elections from five to six members, while keeping the requirements that no more than three members come from each party – and that members are selected from lists provided from the Democratic and Republican parties.  In other words, the bill mandates that the Board be split 50-50 between the two parties.

H 325, Judicial Appointment/Voter Confirmation
Introducers: Reps. Rhyne, M. Alexander, Stam, and Glazier
Status: House Rules

H 325 proposes several constitutional and statutory changes about the selection of state Court of Appeals and Supreme Court justices.  Under the bill, these justices would be appointed by the Governor for two years and then presented to voters for confirmation at a statewide election.  If confirmed, the justice would then serve an eight-year term.  At the end of the eight-year term, the justice would be up for reconfirmation in the general election. This appointment and confirmation process would be nonpartisan and replace the old system of statewide elections for these justices.  Also, the governor would now select the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from among the nine appointed and confirmed justices, and the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals would be selected by this Chief Justice.

H 351/S 352, Restore Confidence in Government
Introducers: Reps. Lewis, T. Moore & Killian; Sens. Meredith & Hise
Status: House Elections; Senate Judiciary I

While there are other items in this bill, most of it (seven of ten pages) is given over to requiring the use of photo IDs in order to vote. The idea that the public’s “confidence in government” will be “restored” by photo IDs takes a very selective view of what has caused a loss of confidence in government.

Provisions of H 351/S 352 re photo ID:

• In order to vote, a voter would have to produce one of the following at the polls:
  • NC driver’s license
  • ID card issued to non-drivers by the Division of Motor Vehicles, which would become free to those who are registered and need it to vote.
  • Other valid photo ID issued by a state or federal government
  • Valid US passport
  • Valid employee ID card issue by federal, state, or local government
  • Valid US military ID card
  • Valid tribal ID card
  • Valid NC voter ID card, a new card created by H 351/S 352
• The new voter ID card would be issued by county boards of elections only to those who lack a driver’s license or non-drivers ID. No fee could be charged by the local elections boards. Equipment and supplies would be provided by the State Board of Elections. In order to get this voter ID, the already-registered voter would have to produce:
  • A photo ID document (but then you probably wouldn’t need this voter ID) or a nonphoto ID so long as it includes the voter’s name (!).
  • Evidence that the person is registered to vote.
  • Documentation of the person’s name and residence address.

• A voter who shows up at the polls without his/her photo ID (but who does have one) can vote a provisional ballot, but would then have to go to the county board of elections and show the valid photo ID.
• Any registered voter in the precinct can challenge a voter who does not present ID. Challenges could also be made by the official observers of political parties, regardless of where they live.
• While other states which have imposed photo ID have allocated millions of dollars for implementation and voter education, H 351/S 352 appropriate a mere $600,000, as follows:
  • $100,000 to the State Board of Elections (which is responsible for providing equipment to all 100 counties)
  • $100,000 to county boards of elections in an equal share per county (i.e. $1,000 per county).
  • $200,000 to county boards of elections in proportion to the number of registered voters
  • $200,000 to county boards of elections in counties covered by the federal Voting Rights Act, distributed in proportion to the number of registered voters.

The Council of Churches continues to oppose photo IDs because they would make it more difficult for people who are elderly, who are poor, who don’t have cars, who work at hourly pay, etc. to vote and because the bill addresses an alleged problem – voting fraud – for which there is very little evidence. Also anybody who thinks a photo ID will foil someone set on voting fraudulently might want to consult with someone under the legal drinking age about the availability of fake IDs.

S 209, Video Lottery Entertainment
Introducer: Sen. Jenkins
Status: Senate Commerce Committee

Identical to H 228 (See RR, March 7.) But note that, contrary to the summary of H 228, the proceeds would be distributed as follows: 50% of the money transferred to the State Lottery Fund from video lottery revenues would be used to fund university scholarships, 25% would be used by the State Board of Community Colleges for the construction of new facilities, 12.5% would be used by the UNC Board of Governors to renovate and repair facilities, and 12.5% would be used by the UNC Board of Governors for the construction of new facilities.  Also, non-video lottery money would now be used solely for classroom size reduction and the Public School Building Capital Fund; previously, 10% of that money went to fund university scholarships.

S 362, Reallocate Lottery Funds
Introducers: Sens. Tillman & Tucker
Status: Senate Education

Under current law, lottery proceeds are divided as follows: 50% for class-size reduction in early grades and to support pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, 40% to build public schools, and 10% for college scholarships. S 362 would eliminate the 50% for class-size reduction and pre-kindergarten programs and put all of that money into school buildings.

H 241, North Carolina Firearms Freedom Act
Introducer: Rep. Bradley
Status: House Judiciary

H 241 makes firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition manufactured and retained within NC no longer subject to federal law and regulation.  The bill cites numerous authorities, including the US Bill of Rights and the NC Constitution, but also refers to two of the Federalist papers and “the natural law of logic.”  The bill goes to some lengths to distinguish the manufacturing of a firearm within NC from the manufacturing of “generic and insignificant parts” (such as screws, pins, etc.) that can occur out of state.  In a huge concession sure to be opposed by states’ righters everywhere, the bill leaves some firearms subject to federal regulation, including those that cannot be carried by a single person (a cannon, perhaps) and those that are fully automatic.

H 271, Probation Officer/No Concealed Carry Required
Introducers: Reps. Guice, Horn, Ingle, and Faircloth
Status: House Judiciary Subcommittee A

H 271 provides that the prohibition to carrying concealed weapons does not apply to probation or parole certified officers when they are off-duty, unless they are consuming alcohol or a controlled substance. (Just when you thought that the pro-gun crowd had no limits on who should be able to be armed, this bill comes along to draw the line at those consuming alcohol or taking drugs.)

H 238, State Health Plan/Repeal Penalties
Introducers: Reps. Dollar, Blackwell, Harrison, and Hurley
Status: House Health and Human Services Comm.

A law passed in 2009 requires state employees and teachers to pay a higher percentage of their healthcare costs (30% vs. 20%) if they smoke or are overweight, unless they are in a weight management or smoking cessation class. The 2009 law noted that smokers cost the state employees health care plan $2,000 more per person than nonsmokers, and obesity costs the plan $2,445 more per person. H 238 would repeal this 2009 law.

H 334, Report on Fitness Testing in Schools
Introducers: Reps. Insko, Bell, Harrison, and LaRoque
Status: House Education

H 334 requires the State Board of Education to report annually on the statewide fitness testing already being conducted throughout the state in kindergarten through eighth grade.

H 341/S 338, Tobacco Products Tax Increase
Introducers: Reps. Weiss, Luebke, Glazier & Womble; Sen. Purcell
Status: House Rules; Senate Rules

H 341/S 338 would increase the state’s tobacco taxes. For cigarettes, the tax would increase by $1 per pack, to $1.45, which is the national average. For other tobacco products, the tax rate would rise from 12.8% of the cost price to 41.25%. The tax increase has two benefits: 1) It will make it more expensive to use tobacco products. It is estimated that the tax increase would prevent more than 80,000 young people from becoming addicted and help almost 50,000 adults to stop smoking. 2) In this year of budget shortfalls, this bill would add $338 million in revenue for the state. There are not unrelated revenues. Tobacco use costs taxpayers almost $2.5 billion per year in direct health care costs. For both of these reasons, the NC Council of Churches supports H 341/S 338.

S 240, Funds/Justus-Warren Task Force Recommendations
Introducers: Sens. Purcell, Bingham, and Forrester
Status: Senate Appropriations/Base Budget

S 240 allocates $400,000 for each of the next two fiscal years for the Department of Health and Human Services to continue education campaigns on the signs of stroke and the importance of immediate response. The bill also allocates $50,000 each fiscal year for the continued operations of the Stroke Advisory Council.

S 242, Legislative Task Force on Childhood Obesity
Introducers: Sens. Purcell, Preston, and Tillman
Status: Senate Rules

Identical to H 218. (RR, March 7)

H 343, Support Law Enforcement/Safe Neighborhoods.
Introducers: Reps. Cleveland, Blust & Hilton
Status: House Judiciary Subcommittee A

H 343 would enact “The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act.”  This bill collects many of the anti-immigrant ideas which have surfaced in previous years and in previous bills this year. Specifically, its provisions are:

• State or local law enforcement, in making a stop or detention, “where reasonable suspicion exists” that the person is an undocumented immigrant, must try to determine legal status. Immigration status of arrestees must be determined before they are released.
• Willful failure to have an alien (sic) registration document becomes a state misdemeanor.
• Transporting, concealing, or encouraging an undocumented immigrant would become a misdemeanor if done by someone “already in violation of a criminal statute,” except if 10 or more were involved, when it is a lower-level felony.
• Law enforcement is not supposed to use race, color, or national origin as the basis for decisions.
• Smuggling of human beings would become a state felony. The crime would involve transportation of undocumented immigrants for profit or commercial purposes.
• State and local governments would have to use E-Verify.
• Employing an undocumented immigrant would be prohibited, and complaints could be filed against someone thought to be hiring people who are undocumented. Complaints properly filed would have to be investigated. Complaints could be filed anonymously, though their investigation would not be required. First violations would be punished by a probationary period and could also result in a 30-day suspension of any government-issued licenses required to do business. Subsequent violations would result in 90-day suspensions or even permanent revocations of those licenses. Employers must use E-Verify.
• Those applying for federal or state public benefits would have to produce documentation of their lawful presence in the US.
• Undocumented students could not enroll in community colleges or the UNC system.

H 396, Public Safety Act
Introducers: Reps. Brubaker, Howard, McComas, and Hurley
Status: House Transportation

This bill’s long title says about all that needs to be said: “TO INCREASE PUBLIC SAFETY BY REQUIRING AN APPLICANT FOR A DRIVERS LICENSE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK OR READ AND WRITE ENGLISH WITH ENOUGH PROFICIENCY THAT THE PRODUCTION OF MULTIPLE TESTS AND HANDBOOKS BY THE DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES IS NOT NECESSARY THEREBY NETTING A COST SAVINGS TO THE STATE.”  Nothing in the bill explains how limiting drivers licenses to English speakers contributes to public safety or what the relationship is between public safety and saving the state the cost of printing tests in another language.

S 132, Interpreting Services in the Courts
Introducer: Sen. Clodfelter
Status: Senate Judiciary II

S 132 would require the state to provide translation services when a party or witness in court does not understand English.

S 204, Public Entities & Contractors/Use E-Verify
Introducer: Sen. Allran
Status: Senate Rules

S 204 mandates that all counties, cities, and public contractors must use the Federal E-Verify program to verify that newly hired employees are legally in this country. E-Verify is a database program operated by several federal agencies, and it has had a spotty record for accuracy. If a new employee is said by E-Verify not to be here legally and that is in error, it is difficult to clear up, and the person can’t be employed until it is cleared up.

S 205, No Benefits for Illegal Aliens
Introducer: Sen. Allran
Status: Senate Rules

S 205 mandates that any person applying for federal, state, or local public benefits must present acceptable documentation to demonstrate their lawful presence in the U.S.  They must also sign a sworn affidavit that their documentation is true.  S 205 also makes it a misdemeanor for a state, county, or city employee to fail to report undocumented immigrants, and their supervisors will also be held accountable if they knew.

S 303, REAL ID Act Compliance Border on Licenses
Introducer: Sen. Allran
Status: Senate Rules

S 303 proposes that people in NC because they are in the U.S. for a limited period of time for some type of work, education, etc. are to be issued drivers licenses with a colored border that demonstrates their immigration status will expire at some point.

H 267/H 287, Mental Health Workers’ Bill of Rights
Introducer: Rep. Bell
Status: H 267 in House Rules, H 287 in House Health and Human Services

H 267/H 287 list the rights that every mental health worker in NC can expect.  They are the rights to: a safe workplace; adequate staffing levels; adequate and updated equipment and techniques; family-supporting wages; refuse excessive overtime; a timely briefing about the behaviors of patients they will be caring for; be treated with respect and dignity no matter their job; fair and equal treatment and opportunities regardless of race, gender, age, national origin, immigration, sexual orientation, disabilities, physical abilities, or religion; a fair grievance procedure; input in decisions impacting working conditions; evaluate a supervisor; belong to a union and bargain collectively.

S 248/H 249, Update Archaic Disability Terms
Introducers: Sen. Hartsell; Rep. Ross
Status: Senate Health Care, House Judiciary Subcommittee A

S 248/H 249 would update disability terminology in certain laws, replacing “lunatic” with “incompetent person,” “insolvent” with “insolvent person,” “dumb” with “mute,” and “physically defective” with “physically disabled,” and makes certain language gender inclusive. The bill has now been amended to change “dumb” to “unable to speak.” Words matter; this bill would change some offensive and harmful words.

H 247, Enhance Charter School Accountability
Introducers: Reps. Glazier, Cotham, Rapp, and Lucas
Status: House Education

H 247, introduced by four strong supporters of public education, would

• eliminate the caps on charter schools (5 per county, 100 statewide),
• set up the Charter School Commission, whose members must have demonstrated a commitment to public education,
• give the State Board of Instruction final approval or disapproval of charter applications,
• permit charter schools which can’t enroll sufficient students who live in NC to enroll up to 10% of the student body from out of state and charge them tuition.
• provide incentives for charter schools to provide transportation for students from families which are at 185% of poverty or below. Lack of transportation must not be a barrier to these students attending the charter school.
• require charter schools to provide free or reduced price lunches to students from families at 185% of poverty unless there is a showing of extraordinary financial hardship by the school.

H 342, High School Accreditation
Introducers: Reps. Blackwell & Holloway
Status: House Education

Currently high schools in NC are accredited by private entities, and two school systems (Wake and Burke Counties) are under close scrutiny by AdvancED, affiliated with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which accredits them. H 342, sponsored by some representatives from these two areas, and others, would authorize the state Board of Education to accredit schools and would prohibit the state’s community colleges and UNC system from using accreditation from a private entity (e.g. AdvancED) in admissions, scholarships, etc. This North Carolina legislation, of course, is unable to affect admissions decisions by out-of-state colleges or in-state private colleges, and students graduating from unaccredited NC high schools would face a difficult time in being admitted to those institutions.

H 344, Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities
Introducers: Reps. Stam, Randleman, Jordan & Jones
Status: House Education

H 344 would permit the parent of a child with disabilities who is in a private school or home school to take a tax credit of up to $3,000 per semester for the child’s schooling expenses. The credit would be refundable (meaning that the taxpayer gets money back from the state if s/he is eligible for a credit larger than the tax owed). To be eligible, the child must have been in a public school for two semesters prior to the private or home school. (After five years, that would drop to one semester.) H 344 would also create a state fund with money from income tax collections to be used by the State Board of Education for special education.

H 246, Modify Homestead Property Tax Exclusion
Introducers: Reps. Adams, Wainwright, and Howard
Status: House Finance

Includes the changes of S 216, see below, but also amends how to compute income so that an applicant’s short- and long-term capital losses are deducted.

H 248, Establish Tax Modernization Commission
Introducer: Rep. Rhyne
Status: House Finance

H 248 establishes a Tax Modernization Commission composed of 30 members, appointed equally by the Governor, Speaker of the House, and President Pro Tempore of the Senate. The bill specifies certain categories for Commission membership: business, local government, and economic analysts. Sadly, there’s no seat reserved for an advocate of tax justice or for someone looking out for the interests of low- or middle-income individuals. The commission is charged with five tasks: reviewing the current tax code to see if it can keep up with the needs of the public sector; examining current income tax rates to see if this is hurting NC’s competitive position; seeing if the tax bases can be broadened; making sure that economic incentives are producing good returns on investment; and, finally, recommending a “financing strategy” based upon both these four prior inquiries and the current-day economy.  H 248 makes the recommendations of the commission come up for expedited vote in the General Assembly, with no possibilities for amendments.

H 323, Decrease Corporate Income Tax Rate
Introducers: Reps. Torbett, Jordan, and Stone
Status: House Rules

H 323 reduces the state corporate income tax from 6.9% to 4.75%.  This bill would make NC’s corporate income tax rate the second-lowest in the nation among states that collect the tax.

S 216, Increase Income Limit for Homestead Exclusion
Introducer: Sen. Allran
Status: Senate Finance

S 216 raises the income eligibility limit for homestead exclusion (for property tax purposes) from $25,000 to $35,000.  Other requirements remain the same; the individual must be at least 65 or permanently disabled and also a NC resident.

S 226, Repeal Land Transfer Tax
Introducer: Sen. Tucker
Status: Committee on Finance

Identical to H 92. (See RR, Feb. 18)

S 249/H 319, Restore Cigarette Tax Stamps
Introducers: Sen. Hartsell; Rep. McGee
Status: Senate Finance; House Commerce

Having a cigarette tax stamp on each pack of cigarettes reduces smuggling of cigarettes from North Carolina, a low-tax state, to higher-tax states especially in the northeast. In those states, smuggled cigarettes could cost less than those that are fully taxed, leading more young people to start smoking.

H 240, Intrastate Commerce Act
Introducer: Rep. Bradley
Status: House Commerce and Development

H 240 provides that all goods grown, made, or manufactured in NC will not be subject to federal authority that stems from the Commerce Clause as long as the goods are sold, maintained, or retained in NC. Nothing in this bill would provide any regulation to make up for the loss of federal regulation for health, safety, etc.

S 208, Conform State Law to Lawrence v. Texas
Introducer: Sen. Kinnaird
Status: Senate Rules

S 208 aims to bring state law into conformity with the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down laws criminalizing sodomy.  S 208 makes crimes against nature not punishable for private, noncommercial, and consensual acts between persons at least 16 years of age.  The bill also repeals misdemeanor laws against fornication, adultery, and an unmarried man and woman occupying a hotel room for “immoral purposes,” though those laws were not directly addressed in Lawrence.

OK, SO IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT JOBS

H 286/S 275, Official Herring Festival
Introducers: Rep. E. Warren; Sen. Jenkins
Status: House Rules; Senate State and Local Government

H 286/S 275 designate the herring festival held in the town of Jamesville as the official herring festival of the state of NC.

H 301, Jt. Legis. Study on Alternative Currency
Introducer: Rep. Bradley
Status: House Rules

H 301 would create a committee to study whether NC should adopt an alternative currency in case the Federal Reserve breaks down in the face of a major economic catastrophe. A lengthy article in the (Raleigh) News & Observer last week noted that the bill’s sponsor wants the state to have its own currency, backed by gold and silver. See http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/03/17/1059132/legislator-says-the-state-needs.html#storylink=misearch.

H 333/S 322, Adopt Official State Sport
Introducers: Reps. Mills, Johnson, Steen, and Owens; Sens. Apodaca, Tillman, and Nesbitt
Status: House and Senate Rules

H 333/S 322 would make stock car racing the official sport of NC.  Supportive legislators would have done better to choose some other time than March Madness to introduce this bill.