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Monday at the legislature
Power problems kept us from getting our usual round-up of goodies from the legislature into the paper. Here are some tid-bits from our friends at the AP you may have missed:
Execution moratorium
Rep. Joe Hackney, D-Orange, the primary sponsor of an execution moratorium bill, said the latest version has brought in some more legislators who were originally opposed to the idea. The new edition being discussed Tuesday in a House judiciary committee doesn't contain a hard two-year moratorium on carrying out the death penalty along with a study of capital punishment. Instead, it keeps the study along with the opportunity for trial judges to delay an execution during the study period in certain circumstances. Moratorium supporters are cautiously supported of the bill. Several weeks ago, the same committee approved the two-year moratorium but it stalled on the floor because there weren't enough votes. Prosecutors remain opposed to the new bill, saying it will become a de factor moratorium on all executions. Hackney disagrees. He said about half of the 20 death penalty cases that could receive an execution date in the next two years could qualify for a stay.
Construction penalties
Anyone who steals items valued at least $300 from a construction site will be guilty of a low-grade felony under a bill given final legislative approval. The current law made it a felony if the value was more than $1,000. The Senate agreed to the House changes to the bill introduced by Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and sent it Gov. Mike Easley to be signed into law.
Bill signing
Gov. Mike Easley has signed a bill into law that raises the minimum age to operate a personal watercaft from 12 years old to 14. The bill received final legislative approval late last month. The Personal Watercraft Industry Association praised Easley for a bill that its spokeswoman says would ensure "capable and mature boaters are at the helm on North Carolina waterways."
Upcoming
A Senate committee is expected Tuesday to take up a bill that would replace the William S. Lee Act, the key corporate incentives tool the state offers. The law expires this year.