LEGISLATURE CONCLUDES 2006 SESSION

The General Assembly adjourned this year’s legislative session early Friday morning. The 12-week session featured adoption of an unprecedented $19 billion state budget and an appropriation of $27.4 million to “cap” counties’ share of Medicaid service costs at 2005-06 levels.

The last week of the session featured an effort to repeal 2005 legislation designed to improve collection of property taxes on motor vehicles. The repeal effort resulted in a one-year postponement of the 2009 implementation date of the tax collection reform legislation. The new 2010 implementation date is designed to give the Division of Motor Vehicles additional time to prepare for a system that more closely links property tax collection and motor vehicle registration.

The General Assembly also gave final approval to legislation to restrict exercise of eminent domain (condemnation) by state and local governments. Most significant among the changes enacted by H1965 is the prohibition on condemnation of non-blighted property when using eminent domain to rehabilitate a blighted area.

A number of changes were enacted to statutes affecting solid waste franchises (S1564) and collection (S951). These changes were described in Legislative Bulletin #06-11 as the bills were progressing toward final passage. Both were given final legislative approval this week.

Unless called to Raleigh for a special legislative session, the General Assembly will next convene Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007.