North Carolina General Assembly ends work session

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina legislature adjourned for the year late Friday after lawmakers gave final approval to the state budget, hammered out or scrapped other compromises and agreed to make a small change to a new law that limits nondiscrimination rules for LGBT people.

The Senate and House gaveled down this year's session after nearly 10 weeks of work just before midnight, following an all-day marathon that went well into the evening.

Their biggest task of the session was completed early when the House gave its second formal endorsement to the budget adjustments for the new fiscal year starting Friday, again with robust bipartisan support. With the $22.3 billion spending plan already passed twice by the Senate earlier in the week, the measure went to Gov. Pat McCrory for his expected signature.

The budget's completion removed the largest obstacle to ending this year's work session. Senate and House Republicans approved several outstanding pieces of legislation that one or both chambers wanted, but several others were set aside or defeated in the last hours of negotiations and horse-trading.

Complicated regulatory and environmental proposal appeared were among the casualties, as was legislation still in the House requiring criminal background checks for prospective teachers and mandating testing of older public schools and day care centers for lead in drinking water.

"They knew we were going to be finished, and they're just not here," Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, shortly after announcing before 11 p.m. that his chamber would take no more votes. "There comes a time where you just have to say, 'we're finished' ... and we're finished."

Unless McCrory vetoes a bill and the legislature attempts an override, the General Assembly won't return after adjournment until early January, after the November elections for all 170 seats.

"We ran out of time at the end of session," said House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, after adjournment. "It appeared those bills just weren't going to be dealt with. We'll come back and deal with them in January."

In keeping with previous end-of-session behavior, House and Senate members moved in and out of floor sessions, committees and private partisan caucus meetings. They did send to the governor the annual farm bill, adjustments to last year's Medicaid overhaul and an economic incentives tool involving natural gas promoted as a way to lure a major automotive plan to the state.

The two chambers also late Friday agreed to make a change to the law known as House Bill 2 as requested by McCrory, who wanted to have restored the right of workers to sue for employment discrimination using a state law. It cleared the House by a vote of 85-15 and 27-14 in the Senate and now goes to McCrory. His office didn't immediately respond the action.

But the change to House Bill 2, approved in March and the subject of criticism nationally, didn't repeal provisions that limited non-discrimination rules for lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people and directed which restroom transgender people can use.

The atmosphere became testy in the expected final hours of this year's session as House members defeated two bills sent over by the Senate.

One sought by powerful Senate Rules Chairman Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, would have directed that Asheville City Council members be elected by districts, rather than by the current at-large method. Some House Republicans who said they were feeling bullied by their Senate counterparts joined Asheville-area members in defeating the measure.

The House's final vote was 91-22 on the budget. Republicans have boasted that it gives an average 4.7 percent permanent pay raises to teachers and 1.5 percent raises and a bonus to rank-and-file state employees. Retirees also would get bonuses of 1.6 percent.

"Although any budget you look at is never going to be perfect ... on the whole this budget does a wonderful job of rewarding teachers (and) state employees within the limited resources that we have," said Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, the House's top budget-writer.

The bill also contains an income tax break weighted toward low- and middle-income earners, and money to raise the state's reserves to nearly $1.6 billion.

Democrats again criticized the increased use of earmarks for local projects, which they call pork, even as waiting lists remain for services like child care subsidies and pre-kindergarten.

"We have serious needs that are still unmet in this budget," House Minority Leader Larry Hall, D-Durham. But instead, "we got stuck in the cash machine line for those that have special interests."

The Senate and House honored veteran members who aren't seeking re-election this fall, including Senate Finance Committee Co-Chairman Bob Rucho, R-Mecklenburg, and Apodaca. On the House side, there's Speaker Pro Tempore Paul Stam, R-Wake, and Rep. Leo Daughtry, R-Johnston, a former majority and minority leader and 2000 candidate for governor.

In a farewell speech, Daughtry jokingly likened the General Assembly to an addiction but had serious words for his colleagues: "When I leave here, a part of my soul will be left in this place."

House members also celebrated late Friday the career of House Principal Clerk Denise Weeks, retiring after 23 years at the post.

__

Associated Press writer Anna Gronewold contributed to this report.

GARY D. ROBERTSON, Associated Press

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Gayly - 7/2/2016 @ 9:30 a.m. CDT