Weeks before the regular legislative session began, House Speaker Roger Hanshaw and members of the Republican supermajority gathered to describe an agenda of economic development and workplace development policies they called the “Jobs First — Opportunity Everywhere” agenda.
Today, at the conclusion of the first full week of the session, a couple of those policies reached passage in the House. They would still need to be passed by the Senate and signed by the governor to become law.
“We will continue to bring early out of the Finance Committee, as we do our budget hearings to prioritize the speaker’s economic development plan so that we can get those bills out of the Senate as quickly as possible,” House Finance Chairman Vernon Criss, R-Wood, said after the Friday floor session.
“I think it’s important that we said what we are going to do and we are doing it, and we are going to continue to do that.”
One of the bills passed by the House on Friday was H. B. 4007, relating to industrial access roads. The bill passed 90-4 with five absences.
That bill is intended to get state support for such industrial access roads up to current costs, updating from years ago when the policy was first conceived.
The original legislation went into place in 1999 a cap of $400,000 per project and this doubles it to $800,000. The total available amount doubles from $3 million to $6 million.
It was time to update the financial support, said delegates who spoke in support.
“I believe this is a very sound tool and fiscal appropriation for the development of industrial as well as other applicable business and economic development opportunities,” said Delegate Bob Fehrenbacher, R-Wood.
The House also took up and passed H. B. 4008, relating to business ready sites program, which increases a cap on microgrants to the certified sites and development readiness program. The bill passed 84-9 with six absences.
The bill does not provide additional financial support for the program, although that could occur through the normal budget process.
However, the bill does clarify the program would apply to sites that are a minimum of five acres — so sites between five and 20 acres could receive up to $100,000. Sites larger than 20 acres could receive up to $250,000.
“I urge passage,” said Delegate Jordan Maynor, R-Raleigh.