Gov. Easley Signs 10 Bills Into Law

Press Release

GOV. EASLEY SIGNS 10 BILLS INTO LAW

Gov. Mike Easley announced today he signed the following 10 bills into law:

Senate Bill 1214, "An act to amend the interstate compact for the supervision of adult offenders." The bill was sponsored by Sen. Tony Rand (D-Cumberland). The law becomes effective upon the governor's signature.

Senate Bill 1627, "An act to create the North Carolina Retirement Community Program." The bill was sponsored by Sen. David Weinstein (D-Robeson). Portions of the law become effective Oct. 1, 2008 and July 1, 2010.

Senate Bill 1632, "An act to make technical corrections and conforming changes to the General Statutes as requested by the General Statutes Commission, and to make various other technical changes to the General Statutes and session laws." The bill was sponsored by Sen. Fletcher Hartsell (R-Iredell). The law becomes effective upon the governor's signature.

Senate Bill 1787, "An act to make changes to the laws governing vehicle registration and inspection, as recommended by the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee." The bill was sponsored by Sen. Clark Jenkins (D-Edgecombe). The law becomes effective Oct. 1, 2008.

Senate Bill 1860, "An act to increase the criminal penalty for misdemeanor child abuse and to amend the criminal offense of felony child abuse as recommended by the Child Fatality Task Force." The bill was sponsored by Sen. Austin Allran (R-Catawba). The law becomes effective Dec. 1, 2008.

Senate Bill 2015, "An act to change the name of the North Carolina School of the Arts to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts." The bill was sponsored by Sen. Linda Garrou (D-Forsyth). It becomes effective Aug. 1, 2008.

Senate Bill 2056, "An act to provide local governments with an exemption from advancing court fees in child support actions, child abuse actions, and other actions filed by the Department of Social Services." The bill was sponsored by Sen. Floyd McKissick Jr. (D-Durham). The law becomes effective July 1, 2008.

House Bill 545, "An act to: (1) Provide the Housing Finance Agency two additional powers concerning real property and services retained for issuance of Bonds; (2) Authorize a onetime bulk update of registered agent information; (3) Amend the list of entities included as ‘established legal services programs' to which the North Carolina State Bar may allocate funds under the Access to Civil Justice Act and the Domestic Violence Assistance Act; (4) Validate certain notarial acts filed in the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds office; (5) Validate certain notarial acts performed on or before May 1, 2008; (6) Make a technical change to the name of the North Carolina State Art Society; (7) Make various changes related to the verification, recordation, and indexing of documents presented to registers of deeds; (8) Clarify scope of authority to impose sanctions in mediated settlement conferences; (9) Provide an extension of time for the realignment of budgets within the Department of Public Instruction; (10) Authorize increased dormitory capacity in certain county detention facilities; and (11) Authorize the State Treasurer to disclose the names and addresses of retired state and local employees to certain organizations." The bill was sponsored by Rep. Deborah Ross (D-Wake). Portions of the law become effective upon the governor's signature and Oct. 1, 2008.

House Bill 2498, "An act (1) To provide additional funds for the assessment and cleanup of releases and discharges of petroleum from underground storage tanks by increasing the fees paid by owners and operators of commercial underground storage tanks; (2) To establish limitations on the time in which: the Department of Environment and Natural Resources must make an eligibility determination, requests for payment or reimbursement may be submitted to the department, and the department may take administrative action or bring a civil action to recover payments that were not authorized by law, that were made on the basis of fraudulent information, or for other reasons; (3) To clarify financial responsibility requirements; (4) To reduce the incidence of leaks by requiring secondary containment for all components of regulated petroleum underground storage tank systems; (5) To clarify requirements for registration of commercial tanks; (6) To provide for expedited assessment and cleanup of releases and discharges from petroleum underground storage tanks by requiring the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to establish a pilot program to evaluate the use of site-specific cleanup standards; (7) To provide for reclassification of a site to a lower risk classification; and (8) To provide for various studies and reports as recommended by the Environmental Review Commission." The bill was sponsored by Reps. Lucy Allen (D-Franklin) and Pryor Gibson (D-Anson). Portions of the law become effective upon the governor's signature and Jan. 1, 2009.

House Bill 2785, "An act to allow the state to acquire locks and dams one, two, and three on the Cape Fear River from the United States." The bill was sponsored by Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland), Margaret Dickson (D-Cumberland), Marvin Lucas (D-Cumberland) and William Brisson (D-Bladen). The law becomes effective upon the governor's signature.

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