As the General Assembly gets down to business this month for its long session, money will be at the center for many of the debates in the coming months.

Funding for schools, infrastructure and a lengthy list of other issues are on the table, as well as budgets for issues of particular note for southeastern North Carolina, from film to beach nourishment.

The new legislature came together Jan. 11 for one day to get things teed up, swear in new members and elect leaders – Rep. Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, and Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, continue on as head of their respective chambers.

But the nitty gritty starts Jan. 25 and is expected to last into the summer.

With Republicans in control of the chambers and a new Democratic governor in place, sticking points already are popping up. There’s still what, if anything, to change about the controversial bill passed last year, HB2, as well as legal challenges between Gov. Roy Cooper and the legislature over moves to limit the governor’s power from one side and Cooper’s decision to expand Medicaid on the other side.

One issue on deck, again, is regulatory reform.

Republican leaders have made it clear that even though a wide-ranging bill on topics from franchisors’ liability for franchisees to rezoning processes to environmental reports died last year, they intend to continue talks.

“Regulatory reform is a big issue and is also a big factor for those starting or relocating business to North Carolina. Although a regulatory reform bill did not pass during the last session, I expect that there will be progress on a regulatory reform bill during this long session,” said Rep. Holly Grange, a Republican from Wilmington and newest member of the local delegation.

The measure will likely, however, become another sticking point between the branches, said former Rep. Susi Hamilton, who until this month was the sole Democrat in the local legislative delegation.

“This will be another area where our governor may be at odds with the General Assembly,” she said. “My hope is that compromise prevails, and that the competing needs of business and job growth versus quality of life and maintaining our reputation as a great place to live are each satisfied in the end.”

On Jan. 19, Cooper named Hamilton as secretary of the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The governor will appoint a replacement for her House District 18 after hearing from the local Democratic parties in her district’s counties on a nominee.

The next phase of film funding also could be determined.

When the General Assembly in 2014 voted to remove the state’s film-production tax incentives program, lawmakers switched to a grant-based approach that took effect January 2015. For the past two fiscal years, the budget has included $30 million each round toward the grants.

Local lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said they would push for more this time around.

“I am hopeful that we can increase funding in the grant program as well as [make] structural changes to the manner in which grants are awarded and vest for projects,” said Sen. Michael Lee, R-Wilmington.

He said one proposal could be to let a television series vest for the life of the project instead of having to apply for funding each year.

In Wilmington, TV series have made up most of the production activity in the past couple of years.

TNT’s Good Behavior this month announced it would return to the Port City for a second season of filming. The History channel’s Six has not yet made a similar announcement.

“One, it will create a sense of urgency to apply and be awarded a grant as there are limited funds that can vest,” Lee said about the idea to give TV productions more certainty about project-long funding. “Second, it will assure a television production that the incentive will be there for more than one year at a time if the series stays in North Carolina.

“We must be creative in the way we envision incentives for business. The state that wins the business is not always the one that offers the most money.”

The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, in its policy agenda, included supporting “ongoing initiatives to enhance the film industry,” while the Wilmington City Council’s legislative agenda called for supporting “reinstatement of a film incentive program.”

“I have been, and will remain, a strong proponent of funding for the film industry because I know what an economic engine that it has been for New Hanover County,” said Rep. Ted Davis Jr., R-Wilmington.

Another point in the chamber’s public policy agenda was seeing that the state creates sustainable funding for beaches and coastal storm damage reduction projects.

Davis said he expects beach funding to come up in the session, and he plans to support money for both beach nourishment and shallow inlet dredging “because I know the significant financial impact that tourism and recreation have in New Hanover County.”

“The legislature will need to come up with a permanent sustainable funding mechanism so necessary renourishment and dredging projects can be conducted,” he said.

Davis is a member of the joint legislative Economic Development and Global Engagement Oversight Committee, which is working on improving economic development in distressed counties.

“I will also be paying close attention to any further efforts to change the distribution of sales tax,” he added.

And, while not seemingly a direct issue to the local economy, crime – drug issues in particular – are not far from the minds of legislators and the business community.

The City Council also pushed for supporting state and federal responses “to the opioid epidemic.”

Several local legislators said it was on their priority lists this year.

"There is money available from the federal government that can be used for medical intervention, in conjunction with other efforts. This is a problem that demands focus from all directions,” Grange said.

Davis said opioid abuse has affected the area.

“This problem is a health care issue, mental health issue and law enforcement issue. It has also fueled much of the gang violence and crime in our area,” he said. “I will work with our local delegation and stakeholders to formulate a plan and necessary legislation to support that plan.”

Raleigh Rolodex

Here are members of the region’s legislative delegations and their contacts while at the General Assembly this session.
 
Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Southport
Senate District 8
[email protected] | (919) 733-5963
On Twitter: @SenBillRabon
 
Sen. Michael Lee, R-Wilmington
Senate District 9
[email protected] | (919) 715-2525
@MichaelVLee
 
Rep. Chris Millis, R-Hampstead
House District 16
[email protected] | (919) 715-9664
@RepMillis
 
Rep. Frank Iler, R-Oak Island
House District 17
[email protected] | (919) 301-1450
@RepFrankIler
 
House District 18
Gov. Roy Cooper will appoint a replacement for Rep. Hamilton, the local delegation's sole Democrate, after he recently named her head of the state Department  of Natural and Cultural Resources.
 
Rep. Ted Davis Jr., R-Wilmington
House District 19
[email protected] | (919) 733-5786
@RepTedDavisJr
 
Rep. Holly Grange, R-Wilmington
House District 20
[email protected] | (919) 733-5830
@RepHollyGrange