On the legislative front, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger presented SB795 to the Senate Committee on Education/Higher Education on Wednesday (5/23).  The Committee passed the Excellent Public Schools Act (SB795) yesterday and sent it to the Senate Appropriations Committee.  This bill contains some provisions that should help in getting more teachers into the classroom and aid in improving the states K- 3 reading scores.  A recent study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found students who do not read at grade-level by the end of third grade are four times more likely to not graduate from high school.  If you want to know more about the the bill Click here.

In my last post I talked about House Bill 645: Motor Fuel Excise Tax Adjustments and Studies.  This bill would cap the gas tax at 37.5 for one year.  This will definitely have an impact on DOT projects.  I don't think it will effect the HWY 74 By-pass project but it could.  Need to watch this bill.

That's all for this week.  If you haven't made you reservation for the Raleigh trip please give me a call.  It would be a good day to get an up date on these pieces of legislation and many others. 

2012 Short Session Begins

2012 Legislative Session Convenes

The 2012 Legislative Session officially convened on Wednesday (5/16) and is expected to move quickly. Legislative leaders aim to conclude the session before the start of the next fiscal year on July 1. 

Here are a couple of Legislative that will come before the General Assembly during this session.

 

Education Reform

During a special session in April, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, along with Senators Jerry Tillman and Tom Apodaca, introduced Senate Bill 795: Excellent Public Schools Act. This piece of legislation has several items impacting our local school system.  A couple of items found in the legislation is the promoting public-private partnerships through a streamlined lateral entry process that allows business professionals to enter the classroom at a faster rate and pushing for reading-intensive instruction that ensures students have a solid foundation to continue learning.  Another item is the funding for the five additional days of instruction that was added to the school calender this past year. Click here to learn more about the Senate plan.

Transportation and Infrastructure

Last November, the House passed House Bill 645: Motor Fuel Excise Tax Adjustments and Studies, which would cap the gas tax at 35 cents for one year. On Wednesday (5/16), the Senate referred the bill to the Senate Finance Committee where it is expected to be heard during the short session. This legislation may negatively impact road maintenance, bridge repairs, decreasing traffic congestion and other vital transportation projects statewide, including the Hwy 74 By-pass.  Watch this bill.




A couple of pieces of legislation concerning Tax Policy have been introduced.   Senate Bill 827: Extend Tax Provisions, would extend tax credits that are scheduled to expire on January 1, 2013 for one year. Click on the link above to see which job creation tax credits are being extended.

That's the first look at this session of the Legislature.  I'll try to keep you up to date on the development of the above mentioned legislation and other bills that will impact the business community.  

Don't forget our trip to Raleigh.  June 13th.  Call and make your reservation.

Rumblings at NLRB

The Natioanl Labor Relations Board is scheduled to meet today and vote on rule changes that would shorten the time for union elections.  The proposals are very determential to the business community and would create tremendous turmoil in the workplace.  However, there is a threat from the Republican representative on the board, Brian Hayes, to resign - a move that would effectively shut down the board and prevent the vote on union organizing. Without the presences of Mr. Hayes the board would not have a quorum and could not conduct business.  There appears to be a new proposal by board Chairman Mark Pearce that he described as a "more limited resolution." He said it would only apply to "the minority of elections which are held up by needless litigation" and other disputes.  It's a sticky situation at the NLRB.  There are still 2 open seats and looks like it will remain that way until after the elections.

Stay tuned and keep an eye on the actions of the NLRB.

R

NLRA Poster

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has postponed the implementation date for the new NLRA "Employee Rights Notice ".  The initial effective date of November 14 has now been pushed back to January 31, 2012 to allow for " enhanced education and outreach to employers".  There are also issues to be determined by the courts as to whether or not the Board has the authority to require the posting.  The notice details the rights of employees under the National Labor Relations Act including the right to organize, bargain collectively, to discuss wages and other terms and conditions of employment, picket and strike.

This is another ploy in the Obama's administration efforts to tip the scales in favor of union organizers.  There are other rule changes that are being considered that are more egregious than this one.  Stay alert and we will try to keep you informed as to what is happening.