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Education Policy
On Wednesday a group of legislators met with the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA), the State Board of Education, and the governor’s office to negotiate a Republican bill that would significantly change the governance of the NCHSAA. Though Republican lawmakers and the governor’s office both confirmed that an agreement had been reached, the NCHSAA Commissioner did not confirm this, instead reiterating the association’s opposition to the bill. HB 91, which in earlier versions proposed to dissolve the NCHSAA altogether, would require the NCHSAA to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Board of Education. The House unanimously voted to send the bill to a conference committee on Thursday, where legislators will draft a compromise version.
Economic and Housing Policy
On Tuesday the NC Senate Transportation Committee passed a bill that would allow driverless delivery vehicles to operate in North Carolina. HB 814, which already passed the NC House with nearly unanimous support, would require such vehicles to limit their speed to 40 mph and pull over if a line of cars forms behind them. If the bill passes, North Carolina would be among the first states to allow driverless delivery vehicles.
Criminal Justice
On Wednesday a bill pushed by the bail bonds industry was passed by the Senate Finance committee. SB 550 would change the rules for forfeiture of bail in cases when a defendant fails to appear in court, allowing bail bond companies to keep their money if the court does not issue an arrest order for failure to appear or if the state does not provide notice of the forfeiture within 30 days. The bill would also require courts to track charitable bail bond organizations. Advocates for nonprofit bail funds, including the North Carolina ACLU, criticized the bill for targeting such organizations.
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