Under the Dome: Constitutional amendment would limit NC governor’s appointment power

Good morning! ☀️ Here’s what you need to know about North Carolina politics today, from our team and correspondent Stephanie Loder.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS REVIVE EFFORT TO CURB GOVERNOR’S VACANCY APPOINTMENTS

House Republicans are moving forward a constitutional amendment to limit the governor’s ability to fill vacancies on the Council of State.

The bill, which was filed last year and similar to one proposed in 2021, is scheduled to be heard in the Rules Committee on Wednesday – the last step before a bill reaches the chamber floor. Lawmakers would also have the opportunity to revamp the bill in committee.

If approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would require the governor to fill vacancies on the Council of State only from a list of three approved candidates submitted by the political party of the former office holder.

The Council of State includes the state treasurer, the attorney general, the secretary of state and other officials elected by voters statewide.

Under the current Constitution, if a Republican member of the Council of State vacated their position, Cooper could replace them with a Democrat. This amendment would ensure that these offices remain held by members of the party that was elected into the position.

Constitutional amendments must be approved by a supermajority of both chambers of the legislature before they can be placed on the ballot for voters to decide.

— Kyle Ingram

SWEEPING ELECTIONS BILL ADVANCES IN NC SENATE

A wide-ranging elections bill advanced in the Senate along party lines on Tuesday, with the bill sponsor opting to delay the final vote until some amendments suggested by Democrats were ready.

The legislation, Senate Bill 88, would regulate the use of AI in political ads, require signature verification technology for mail-in ballots in 2025 and require county boards of election to check death records and felony conviction records prior to certifying an election to determine if ballots need to be removed.

The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Warren Daniel, described it as part of a “continuing effort by this body to increase voter confidence in our elections and integrity in our election system.”

The most contentious part of the bill deals with how local governments run their elections. If enacted, the bill would prevent local governments from changing their election methods until the next federal census if the legislature has already altered them.

Last week, Democratic Rep. Julie Mayfield of Buncombe County said that this would allow Republicans to effectively gerrymander local government districts in their favor, barring the municipality from reversing that change for up to 10 years, depending on when the most recent census was.

No Democrats debated this portion of the bill on the Senate floor Tuesday.

Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed, a Charlotte Democrat, questioned why the state should implement signature verification in 2025 when a pilot program to test the technology has not yet been completed.

“We just feel like it’s time to move forward with this issue,” Daniel said. “We’ve been considering it for a couple of years, the Board of Elections has delayed the process – it’s just time to move on.”

Daniel said the bill will have a final vote in the Senate today, including votes on amendments proposed by Democrats.

— Kyle Ingram

LAKE MATTAMUSKEET GETS REPRIEVE FROM TOXIC CHEMICALS UNTIL 2025

Federal wildlife officials won’t be allowed to try out a toxic chemical to remove algae from Eastern North Carolina’s iconic and environmentally sensitive Lake Mattamuskeet – at least until 2025.

U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle issued an order following a lawsuit filed by conservation groups – Defenders of Wildlife and the N.C. Chapter of the Sierra Club – that condemned the use of the toxic chemical Lake Guard Oxy by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Federal wildlife officials wanted to experiment with the chemical to see if it would clear up harmful blue-green algae from Lake Mattamuskeet, the state’s largest freshwater lake.

The chemical’s label warns it is toxic to birds. The more than 40,000-acre Lake Mattamuskeet is home to egrets, north pintail ducks and tundra swans who rest during migration.

Ironically, the refuge was founded by the federal government to protect birds.

Boyle will decide on the case before April 1, 2025.

Get the full story from Adam Wagner here.

APPLE DELAYS NEW $552 MILLION RTP CAMPUS

Tech giant Apple told The News & Observer on Monday it is hitting the pause button on a $552 million campus in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park while it seeks to extend its construction timeline.

The company told the state Department of Commerce it wants to suspend the project – which includes the construction of six buildings on the Wake County side of RTP – for four years.

Apple reported three years ago that it planned to invest half a billion dollars to build a new campus by 2031.

Site plans were filed last summer, but no construction has been started.

Apple is leasing office space at the MetLife campus in Cary.

Get the full story from Brian Gordon here.

That’s all for today. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol news.

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