Raleigh, N.C. – This morning, the Senate Rules Chairman was forced to return four ineligible bills to the House of Representatives for violating the General Assembly’s agreed-upon adjournment resolution for the October session. The Chairman’s ruling was confirmed by the Senate Principal Clerk’s Office and nonpartisan central staff attorneys.
Yesterday, by their own admission, the House sent the Senate four bills that were ineligible for consideration under the adjournment resolution. This violation was called out by multiple representatives on the House floor at the time. The bills could have been made eligible had the House consulted with the Senate about passing a new adjournment resolution prior to that chamber concluding its business on Tuesday. Or the House could have concurred on eligible Senate-authored bills — containing similar or nearly identical provisions — sitting in the House Rules Committee. Or considered Senate compromise proposals containing the same policies.
Had the House concurred on the proposals sent by the Senate in September, those proposals would already be on Gov. Josh Stein’s desk.
The ineligible bills include:
The only bills eligible for consideration under the agreed-upon adjournment resolution set by both chambers include vetoed bills, redistricting, conference reports with previously appointed conferees, bills returned for concurrence on or before Sept. 25, and joint adjournment resolutions. None of the four bills sent to the Senate fit these criteria.
“This stunt by the House is something we have never seen before – manipulating rules the House and Senate previously agreed to, instead of simply taking up eligible bills already passed by the Senate that would address the Medicaid rebase, defunding Planned Parenthood, and providing pay increases for law enforcement. Such gamesmanship is not a serious effort to solve the issues facing our state and should be viewed as such,” said Senate Rules Chairman Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick).
To see the original adjournment resolution, click here, and as amended by here.