The General Assembly is trying to wrap up this session and are moving through a large number of bills. Tort Reform H542 passed the Senate after the Senate Judiciary Committee made several significant changes. The committee eliminated the provision that would create a presumption that a pharmaceutical product is safe if it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The bill still includes provisions to ensure that juries receive accurate information on the actual medical bills paid in a case; establish appropriate standards for expert witnesses and set reasonable limits on attorneys’ fees in small cases. The House concurred and the bill is now on the the Governor's desk.
Regulatory Reform
S781 passed the House and is expected to be taken up again by the Senate this week. One of the bills primary proposals is the fact that environmental regulatory rules cannot impose a more restrictive standard, limitation, or requirement than federal counterparts. The bill also requires state agencies to submit an evaluation of the economic impact of a proposed rule and the costs it would create for local governments and other entities affected by the rule. Hopefully, this will provide more predictability and certainty for businesses.
Keep watching for the redistricting maps. The public hearing on these maps will be held June 23 at the NC Museum of Natural Science with satellite hookups to remote locations yet to be determined. Consideration of changes to the proposed maps will be made based on comments and feedback from the public hearing. The complete set of state legislative and congressional maps are slated for release July 1, with similar public hearing tentatively set for July 7 to receive input from voters
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