N.C. General Assembly Legislative Update, 030715 | Eastern North Carolina Now

News Release:

Legislation to Enhance Safety & Commerce for Ports/Inlets

    Having a dependable and safe waterway passage for commercial and recreational boats is of paramount importance. Therefore, along with Senator Michael V. Lee (R-District 9) and Senator Harry Brown (R-District 6) we have sponsored a bill this week, SB 160, (Enhance Safety & Commerce for Ports/Inlets). The legislation requires the Department of Administration to initiate negotiations with the federal government for an agreement to acquire the federally owned property necessary for managing deep draft navigation channels at the Port of Morehead City. The bill establishes a Deep Draft Dredging and Maintenance Fund. However, it requires state appropriations credited to the Deep Draft Fund to be cost-shared on a one-to-one basis with funds provided by the State Ports Authority. In addition, it increases the current state appropriations by $1.7 million in the Shallow Draft Inlet Fund. Our Ports/Inlets are the state's water highways that enable hundreds of millions of dollars of North Carolina commerce which dwarfs the cost of maintaining them.

Senate Votes to Force Utilities to Give Tax Cut to Customers

    Last week, the Senate voted unanimously to require utility companies to pass along a tax cut to their customers. In 2013, the General Assembly passed historic tax reforms which, among other things, lowered the corporate income tax rate from 6.9 to 5 percent. It was the intention of the Senate for the savings from this reduction to be passed along to consumers. However, one utility continues to overcharge its ratepayers today. Dominion N.C. Power is a Virginia-based utility that serves parts of northeastern North Carolina. For the past year and a half, this company has pocketed the savings from the tax cut - an estimated $1.4 million. Senate Bill 19 will ensure that customers in North Carolina will see the benefits of this tax cut by requiring utilities - including Dominion N.C. Power - to pass the tax savings along to their customers.
It was my pleasure to sit between Representative Bert Jones (R-Rockingham) and Representative Phil Shepard (R-Onslow) to hear Chief Justice Mark Martin deliver his State of the Judiciary speech on Wednesday, March 04, 2015.

Contact: Jordan Hennessy
     jordan.hennessy@ncleg.net, •  (252) 619-3606


     300 N. Salisbury Street
     Room 525 • Raleigh, NC 27603

    Phone: (919) 715-8293  •  Fax: (919) 754-3296  •  bill.cook@ncleg.net