NCSLVA Youth Scholarship Applications Due by Friday, May 14, 2021 See application and additional information here. Legislative Report May 5, 2021 Last week was exciting for North Carolina, with the huge announcement of Apple choosing North Carolina for its $1 billion-plus East Coast campus and engineering hub. The 1-million-sq-ft. building in the Research Triangle Park will employ over 3,000 people in areas related to machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other cutting-edge industries. The jobs are expected to have a minimum starting salary of $133,520. Over time, the company expects the average minimum salary to be $187,001. State political leaders on both sides of the aisle celebrated this opportunity for the state, and the great bipartisan effort it took to seal the deal and attract such businesses to the state. Gov. Roy Cooper, Senate Leader Phil Berger, Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, House Speaker Tim Moore and House Democratic Leader Robert Reives issued a joint statement: “Innovation has long been North Carolina’s calling card and Apple’s decision to build this new campus in the Research Triangle showcases the importance of our state’s favorable business climate, world-class universities, our tech-ready workforce, and the welcoming and diverse communities that make so many people want to call North Carolina home. This announcement will benefit communities across our state and we are proud to work together to continue to grow our economy and bring transformational industries and good paying jobs to North Carolina.” Read the full report. Legislative Report April 30, 2021A disagreement over Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans resulted in the longest-serving member of the North Carolina House being stripped of her chairmanship on the House Finance Committee last week. Speaker Tim Moore removed Representative Julia Howard from her position, saying in a statement that Representative Howard was removed because she failed to move the measure “expeditiously” through the Finance committee as desired by the House Republican Caucus. “While we respect different viewpoints, committee chairs must be willing to put personal agendas aside and move forward with the will of the caucus,” Moore, Speaker Pro Tempore Sarah Stevens and Majority Leader John Bell said in the statement. Read the full report. Legislative Report April 23, 2021 The legislature didn’t skip a beat getting back to work after returning from their “spring break.” Many committees had packed-full agendas, full of mostly noncontroversial bills and also local bills. One notable bill that quickly swept through the House was House Bill 334, Temporarily Align Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Treatment to Federal Treatment. Typically, loans are considered taxable income, but this bill would align North Carolina with 47 other states and the federal government by providing businesses a tax deduction for expenses they paid using forgiven PPP loans. This program was a part of the CARES Act last year and was aimed at helping struggling businesses continue to keep their employees on the payroll. The bill passed the House with a nearly unanimous vote of 111-2. Republican Reps. George Cleveland and Julia Howard were the only no votes. In an unusual twist, the long time Chair of the House Finance Committee, Rep. Julia Howard, publicly criticized the Speaker and other Republican Leadership in the House for supporting the bill if their businesses received PPP Loans. This despite a determination that it was not a conflict of interest and that many issues may impact legislators and their businesses, but as long as not targeted to them specifically generally there is no conflict. It will be interesting to see how this conflict plays out. Read the full report. Legislative Report April 12, 2021 On the General Assembly’s last week before Spring Break (March 29 – April 2), legislators ran a busy schedule of committee meetings and sent numerous bills off to the Governor to sign into law. Most of the bills heard that week had bipartisan support; however, some did not. House Bill 264, Emergency Powers Accountability Act, passed through the House this week with a vote completely along party lines, with 69 Republicans voting in favor and 50 Democrats voting against. The bill would require the Governor to seek concurrence from other elected officials on the Council of State to continue a state of emergency beyond seven days, and again every 30 days following. Read the full report. Legislative Report April 1, 2021 Gov. Cooper has proposed a $27.3 billion spending plan for North Carolina’s budget this biennium. The budget includes 10% raises over two years for teachers, increased education funding, and putting a $4.7 billion general obligation bond on voters’ ballots this fall. This bond would provide funds to public schools, the UNC system, the community college system, health and safety projects throughout state government, and parks, zoos, museums, and state historic sites. Notably, the contentious issue that has held up past budgets, Medicaid expansion, has not been included in the budget proposal. The Governor expressed an interest in that matter being heard, but said that it can be taken up at any point in session. Read the full report. Legislative Report February 15, 2021 The state’s recently released revenue forecast shows that North Carolina has fared relatively well economically throughout the pandemic. The two-year forecast’s expected revenue collections surpass the expectations of May 2020’s forecast by $4.1 billion. The forecast explains this surplus was heavily impacted by an increase in sales tax collections and delayed tax payments; it also suggests that the economic state of North Carolina will continue to improve over the coming years. However, there are still segments of the state’s workforce who are underemployed or unemployed due to this pandemic. Gov. Cooper responded in a statement that “while state revenue is strong, people across our state are still hurting and we must use these funds to help them recover from this pandemic.” Read the full report.Legislative Report February 9, 2021 The General Assembly got down to business this week, and as promised, legislators prioritized getting their first round of COVID-19 relief funding off to the Governor’s desk. Other bills began to gain traction at the legislature this week, including a bill to reopen schools and a bill to give bar owners a reprieve on their ABC permits. See below for an update on this week at the legislature. COVID-19 BILL Senate Bill 36 is off to the Governor, after receiving unanimous votes in both chambers of the General Assembly. This bill was a great bipartisan effort, showing hope for additional bipartisan work in the future. House Democratic Leader Robert Reives called the bill a “fine show of bipartisanship” in which both chambers and the Governor’s office worked together. This bill allocates $2.24 billion from the latest federal stimulus bill to school reopening needs, vaccine distribution, and rental assistance. It also extends deadlines for spending federal COVID dollars allocated last year, as well as the deadline to apply for $335 stimulus checks for parents. Senate Bill 36 also provides $39 million for broadband internet expansion to expand internet access in 18 counties, which was partly approved by Gov. Cooper in December. The bulk of the money went to schools, including funding for student mental health and resources to catch students up after months of virtual classes. Speaker Moore would like to see some of the funds go towards a “robust summer program.” In a rare floor speech, the Speaker expressed grave concern for North Carolina students falling behind as a result of this pandemic, specifically the long-term effects on children if they are unable to read by the third grade. Read the full report. Legislative Report February 1, 2021 Legislators returned to Raleigh on January 27th to officially get started with the 2021 "long" session. Wednesday marked the first day bills were allowed to be filed in either chambers, and thus far a total of 35 bills have been filed in the House and 28 in the Senate. During the previous biennium session, the chambers saw 1,236 and 873 bills filed, respectively. This session's bills are beginning to be referred to policy committees as well, another sign things are truly getting underway. Despite the uptick in action, don’t expect too many floor votes on bills just yet. Speaker Moore doesn’t expect to hold any voting sessions until Wednesday and Thursday of next week. On those days, leadership anticipates mostly taking up time-sensitive, priority legislation, such as a COVID-19 technical funding bill. Read the full report. Legislative Report January 18, 2021The General Assembly kicked off the 2021-2022 biennial session on Wednesday, January 13th with opening day speeches, organizing and the approval of the rules that will be used throughout the session. Just like everything else in our world, this day was unlike previous first days as family and friends were not present and the usual celebratory mood was muted. The legislative complex is open to the public, but social distancing rules are in effect and temperature checks are required before entering the building. Masks are not required but were more common among legislators than in the spring and it appears that the leadership of both chambers are highly encouraging members to wear them. Read the full report Introducing the North Carolina Security and Low Voltage Association The North Carolina Electronic Security Association (NCESA) has changed its name and is now the North Carolina Security and Low Voltage Association (NCSLVA), effective January 1, 2021. And while the name has changed, all the benefits of membership you can enjoy remain the same, including our commitment to the growth, professional development, and success of companies like yours. The return on your investment in NCSLVA membership includes: - Advocacy and monitoring of legislation that could threaten the electronic security and low voltage industry in North Carolina – and your bottom line. NCSLVA’s work was instrumental in getting member companies designated as essential businesses during North Carolina’s Phase 1 COVID restrictions, allowing members to continue operating and servicing their customers, both current and new. - Advocacy and monitoring of North Carolina Alarm Systems Licensing Board (NCASLB) activities, ensuring all businesses in the space are operating properly and protecting public safety. - Networking with like-minded leaders in commercial and residential life safety, security, and integrated systems. NCSLVA is where you establish priceless, life-long connections and share challenges and best practices with colleagues across the state in industry sales, manufacturing, installation, service, and monitoring. - Member-discounted professional development and National Training School (NTS) courses for your staff to meet NCASLB’s requirements, allowing them to bypass the requirement of three years of experience to become licensed installers in North Carolina. - Industry news critical to your long-term success. Like everyone, we have been affected by the pandemic. The 2020 Annual Convention was postponed and then cancelled which we weren’t anticipating. But still, our advocacy and work on behalf of members continues. Commit now to joining NCSLVA and further develop your business in the year ahead. We look forward to having you with us! Election Update The 2020 election in North Carolina was destined to be dramatic, with races that would help decide the Presidency, control of the U.S. Senate and every major office in the state up for grabs. By the end of Election Day, however, the results had defied every poll, and surprised even the most experienced observers. Democratic hopes to flip one or both legislative chambers – buoyed by unprecedented fundraising and strong polling – were dashed as Republicans netted 4 seats in the State House and won 6 of 7 competitive races in the State Senate. While Democrats and outside groups spent hundreds of millions on legislative, statewide and Congressional elections, we will likely end much where we began, with voters having chosen the Republican candidates for President and U.S. Senate, a Democratic Governor and Attorney General, and a majority Republican Congressional delegation, General Assembly and Council of State. Voter turnout for this election was at an all-time high, with over 5.49 million North Carolinians casting their ballot. Among registered voters, North Carolina saw 74.6% turn out to vote, an increase from 69% in 2016. Early voting made state history with more than 4.5 million North Carolinians casting their ballots prior to Election Day. With over 110,000 votes still left to be counted – enough to flip many of the high-profile races discussed below – the most expensive and one of the most consequential elections in North Carolina history is not quite over yet. OUTSTANDING BALLOTS On Wednesday evening, the NC Board of Elections confirmed that 116,200 absentee by mail (ABM) ballots remained outstanding. According to the NCBOE, “the number of absentee ballots ultimately counted will be fewer… because some voters will not return their ballots and others voted in person on Election Day. There is no way to know how many of those voters voted on Election Day for at least several days as counties perform the post-election task of assigning voter history.” The numbers (rounded by the NCBOE) by partisan affiliation:
A large portion of the ballots were requested by voters in the most populous counties in the state:
The NCBOE announced that “the 100 bipartisan county boards will hold meetings to count the remaining provisional and absentee ballots and add them to unofficial election results. Most of the meetings will be held on Thursday, November 12, or Friday, November 13, but some will be held this week or early next week. The final county canvass of results is November 13. The state canvass is November 24.” This means the outcome of some races decided by less than 116,200 votes on Election Night, may not be known for at least a week and a half from now. PRESIDENT President Donald Trump maintained a lead over Democrat Joe Biden in North Carolina, with strong support from rural and suburban counties. When all precincts had reported, President Trump led by 76,701 votes, 49.9% to 48.6%. Early votes historically have favored Democrats in North Carolina, but Trump took 50.2% of that vote and clearly carried the majority of the Election Day vote, as well. Biden received more absentee mail-in ballots by roughly 375,000. Assuming all outstanding absentee by mail ballots are received, Biden would need to win roughly 83% of them to overtake Trump’s lead. Of the mail ballots received before Election Day, Biden won roughly 67%, making an eventual North Carolina win for Biden not impossible, but certainly unlikely. US SENATE U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis is on track for six more years, after finishing the night leading Democrat opponent Cal Cunningham by 96,707 votes, 48.7% to 46.9%. This race was highly contested and seen as a very possible flip to a Democratic candidate. Cunningham ran an extremely well-funded campaign, raising $28.3 million in the third quarter alone, but questions arising about potential extramarital affairs in recent weeks was a hard hit to his campaign. Sen. Tillis has declared victory, while Cunningham has yet to concede, saying his campaign plans to allow the Board of Elections process “to be carried out, so that every voter can have their voice heard.” GOVERNOR As most polls predicted, Governor Cooper was re-elected to a second term. Gov. Cooper led with 51.5% of the vote compared to Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest’s 47.1% of the vote. Cooper had led in late polling by roughly 10 points, so while the result was not a surprise, his margin of victory was smaller than expected. LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Republican Mark Robinson will be the next Lieutenant Governor after receiving 51.7% of the vote last night, compared to Democrat Rep. Yvonne Lewis Holley’s 48.3%. Robinson will be the first African American to fill the seat and only the second African American to hold a position on the Council of State. Robinson is the first African American Republican to win a major seat since the 1800s. ATTORNEY GENERAL Attorney General Josh Stein said on Election Night that he is confident he will retain his seat after leading 50.1% to 49.9% over his Republican opponent, Jim O’Neill. “Given our margin, I am confident about my reelection,” Stein said. “We’ll wait until all the votes are counted, that’s how democracy works.” CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION Democrats were expected to increase their share of representation on North Carolina’s 13-seat U.S. house delegation after redistricting created greater opportunities for flipped seats, but Democrats were not able to capitalize on that as much as expected. Democrats flipped two open U.S. House seats that they had been favored to win while Republicans defended two seats that had turned into competitive races, leaving the state's congressional delegation with an 8-5 split in favor of Republicans. AUDITOR Democrat Beth Wood will remain state auditor, a position Wood has held since 2009. Wood led her opponent, Anthony “Tony” Street, 50.8%-49.1%. COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE Republican Steve Troxler will remain North Carolina’s Commissioner of Agriculture, a position he has held since 2005. Troxler led his opponent Jenna Wadsworth, 53.9%-46.1%. COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey will remain in his role after winning his election against Wayne Goodwin, 51.8%-48.2%. Causey, a Republican, was the incumbent this year after beating Goodwin in 2016. Goodwin had held the position since 2009. COMMISSIONER OF LABOR Republican Rep. Josh Dobson led his opponent, Democrat Jessica Holmes, 50.9%-49.1%. Dobson is a four-term member of the N.C. House of Representatives representing Avery, McDowell and Mitchell counties. SECRETARY OF STATE Elaine Marshall will remain Secretary of State after 24 years in office. Marshall retained her seat with 51.1% of the vote, compared to businessman E.C. Sykes with 48.9%. SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION Republican Catherine Truitt will become superintendent of public instruction after receiving 51.4% of the vote, as compared to Catherine Truitt’s 48.6%. The seat was open after one-term Superintendent Mark Johnson unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor. TREASURER Dale Folwell will remain treasurer after winning the election against Ronnie Chatterji with nearly 52.6% of the vote. Folwell first became the state treasurer in 2017, and is the first Republican to hold the position in 140 years. JUDICIAL RACES Republican candidates led in tight races for three of the contested seats on the North Carolina Supreme Court and five of the seats on the Court of Appeals. Judge Paul Newby led Chief Justice Cheri Beasley by less than 3,000 votes in the race for the top seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court, with 50.0% to 49.9%. This is the most likely result to be changed by the absentee by mail ballots that remain outstanding. LEGISLATIVE RACES Democrats were hopeful this election after court-ordered redistricting made many districts more attainable for Democrats, but after a hard fight to flip one, if not two, it appears the balance of power will remain in favor of Republicans in both chambers. Republicans won all but one of the 7 Senate races considered competitive – including all 3 of the ones Democrats most hoped to flip and poured the most money into – and took 6 seats held by Democrats in the House, while losing just 2 of the many races they were defending. If remaining absentee ballots don’t change the outcome of any races, Democrats will have a net gain of one Senate seat, leaving the Senate with 28 Republicans and 22 Democrats. Republicans are set to add four seats to their House majority, leaving the House with 69 Republicans and 51 Democrats. Both chambers are still short of a veto-proof supermajority. Here is a breakdown of notable General Assembly races: HOUSE District 66 Rep. Scott Brewer (D) failed to hold on to his seat, losing to Ben Moss, 59.9% to 40.1%. District 119 Rep. Joe Sam Queen (D) lost his seat to former Representative Mike Clampitt, 54.1% to 45.9%. District 93 First-term Rep. Ray Russell (D) lost his seat to Ray Pickett, 53.1% to 46.9%. District 37 Rep. Sydney Batch (D) lost her seat to Erin Pare, 50.1% to 46.8%. District 98 Rep. Christy Clark (D) lost her seat to former Representative John Bradford III, 51.7% to 48.3%. District 45 Rep. John Szoka (R) was able to hold on to his seat, defeating Frances Jackson, 50.9% to 49.0%. District 43 Diane Wheatley (R) was able to win this seat over Kimberly Hardy, 51.9% to 48.2%. This was formerly Democrat Elmer Floyd’s seat, flipping the seat red. District 9 Brian Farkas led Republican incumbent Rep. Perrin Jones to flip District 9’s seat blue, 51.1% to 48.9%. District 63 Rep. Stephen Ross was unable to keep his seat, losing to Democrat Ricky Hurtado, 50.5% to 49.5%. District 12 Rep. Chris Humphrey (R) held on to his seat against Virginia Cox-Daugherty, 54.7% to 45.3%. SENATE District 1 Sen. Bob Steinburg (R) held on to his seat against Tess Judge, 55.3% to 44.7%. District 31 Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R) held on to her seat against Terri LeGrand, 53.1% to 46.9%. District 9 Sen. Harper Peterson (D) was unable to hold on to his seat, losing to Michael Lee, 50.6% to 49.4%. District 24 Republican Amy S. Galey won this triad seat against J.D. Wooten, 52.5% to 47.5%. District 7 Sen. Jim Perry (R) held on to his seat against Donna Lake, 55.3% to 44.7%. District 11 Rep. Lisa Stone Barnes (R) will be switching chambers after defeating Allen Wellons for this open Senate seat, 55.1% to 44.9%. District 19 Sen. Kirk DeViere (D) was able to hold on to his seat against former Senator Wesley Meredith, 51.5% to 48.5.
2020 Final Legislative Update Frankly, I have run out of words to describe what is happening in our country and our state – unprecedented, extraordinary, once in a lifetime, shocking, unbelievable. Read the full report September 4, 2020 Legislative Update The General Assembly dealt with its work quickly this week, passing the Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0 with bipartisan support and sending it to Governor Cooper. Read the full report Alarm Systems Licensing Board Emergency Rule Amendment An Emergency rule amendment was adopted by the Alarm Systems Licensing Board at its May 21, 2020 meeting to address the concerns of license applicants in light of the various Executive Orders issued by the Governor and certain counties in response to the current COVID-19 Crisis. The intent is to ease a restriction on applications for licensure and is effective June 9, 2020. In order to make this amendment a permanent change to its administrative rules the Board is simultaneously starting the Temporary rulemaking process. In keeping with that statutory procedure, there is a 15-day Public Comment period which begins runs through June 30 , 2020. You may contact Director Paul Sherwin at the Board’s office with any written public comment. The Board will adopt this rule amendment as a Temporary rule at its July 16, 2020 Board meeting. Read the full report June 15, 2020 Legislative Update The General Assembly continues to be in full swing as legislators work mainly to address pandemic-related needs of North Carolinians, as well as various other budget matters. Read the full report June 10, 2020 Legislative Update Legislators were faced with the stark reality of the budget hole that they are looking at as a result of COVID-19 with the revised consensus revenue forecast, which predicted a total net drop in expected collections of $5 billion for the current budget biennium. Read the full report June 4, 2020 Legislative Update The General Assembly returned last week to continue its business for the 2020 short session. Read the full report May 29, 2020 Legislative Update The General Assembly has re-convened for the short session to continue to address needs of North Carolinians as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and to consider various other bills, as well as the state’s budget. Leaders have indicated that they hope to complete their business within four to six weeks, but recognize that this is subject to change due to the uncertain nature of the pandemic and the uncertainty around federal coronavirus funding. Read the full report May 6, 2020 Legislative Update Saturday, May 2, 2020, the General Assembly passed two COVID-19 relief bills. Senate Bill 704 addresses policy changes related to the pandemic, and House Bill 1043 addresses funding. The new laws became effective immediately. The whole process was marked with bi-partisan cooperation which we have not seen in Raleigh in many years. Read the full report May 1, 2020 Legislative Update The North Carolina General Assembly arrived (some virtually) in Raleigh on Tuesday the 28th. The House had held virtual working group meetings for a month and the legislation filed on Monday reflected the discussions and drafts that were created in those groups. The mystery was on the Senate side where no public meetings or real information had been provided about how they intended to address the session. Now we know that Senators have been working behind the scenes in a bipartisan way so that by the next day their bill was unanimously approved. Read the full report April 28, 2020 Legislative Update The General Assembly is working on a COVID response and is expected to convene for remote committee work on April 28 with voting to begin on April 30. After a package is passed, this session is expected to adjourn until July or August for the traditional "short" session when the impact on a budget will be more clear. Read the full report |