Latest news with #HouseCommerceandEconomicDevelopmentCommittee
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bills to ban foreign purchase of farmland, social media for minors move forward in NC House
The North Carolina Legislative Building (Photo: Clayton Henkel) On a busy day at the North Carolina General Assembly, the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee approved pair of bills that have received a good deal of public attention. House Bill 133, 'NC Farmland and Military Protection Act,' sponsored by Reps. Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson), Neal Jackson (R-Moore, Randolph), Jeff Zenger (R-Forsyth), and John Bell (R-Goldsboro), would ban 'adversarial' foreign governments from purchasing, acquiring, or leasing agricultural land in North Carolina. The restrictions would also apply to land situated within a 75-mile radius of a military installation — a number influenced by national defense recommendations, Balkcom said — such as Fort Bragg near Fayetteville. A complete list of applicable installations is outlined in the bill text. The measure comes at the same time that international tensions have been on the rise amidst the Trump administration's tariffs on foreign trade partners. HB 133 defines 'adversarial' foreign governments as the ones subject to the U.S. State Department's International Traffic in Arms Regulations, according to the bill text, but does not explicitly outline the nations. Its counterpart in the upper chamber, Senate Bill 394, 'Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land,' passed the Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee last week and specifies the 'adversarial' governments as China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Rep. Phil Sheperd (R-Onslow) asked if the bill had anything to do with legislation in previous years aimed towards reimbursing farmers for the purchase of their land. Balkcom responded that the bill is more of a preventative measure. Instead of incentivizing farmers to sell their land, it targets foreign groups and bars them from purchasing the property. 'This is basically protecting it from being able to sell, those who do were not given any incentive to do it,' she said. Rep. Jay Adams (R-Catawba) brought up the legality and constitutionality of preventing a landowner from selling their property to a ready, willing buyer. 'Private property rights are crucial here, but so is national security,' Balkcom said. 'The way we look at this bill doesn't impact private buyers or U.S. companies. It applies only to entities controlled by foreign governments designated an adversary from our own federal agency.' The bill now heads to the House Rules Committee. The committee also approved House Bill 301, 'Social Media Protections for Minors Under 16.' According to a legislative staff summary, the bill would — among other things: Prohibit social media platforms from allowing minors under the age of 14 to create an account. Prohibit social media platforms from allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to create an account without parental consent. Require social media platforms to use age verification to verify the age of account holders. Authorize the Department of Justice to bring an action for unfair and deceptive trade practices against a social medial platform that violates these provisions and collect a civil penalty of up to $50,000 per violation. Authorize a civil action on behalf of a minor account holder and an award of up to $10,000 in damages. HB 301 moves to the House Rules Committee for further discussion.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill targeting ESG for farmers advances to next NC House committee
A farmer harvests soybeans. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service photo by Brandon O'Connor. The North Carolina House Agriculture and Environment Committee voted Wednesday to approve legislation targeting socially responsible lending in agriculture, moving the measure to the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee. Sponsors explain House Bill 62, the 'Farmers Protection Act,' as a measure to prevent banks and credit unions from using discriminatory practices against farmers in the state. It's sponsored by Reps. Neal Jackson (R-Moore, Randolph), Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin, Wayne), Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson), and Karl Gillespie (R-Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon). Rather than race or gender, the bill targets 'ESG' — short for 'environmental, social, governance,' a method for evaluating sustainability performance. The proposal purports to ban banks and credit unions from denying service to agriculture producers based on their greenhouse gas emissions, use of fossil-fuel derived fertilizer, or use of fossil-fuel powered machinery, according to the bill text. 'It says you cannot deny cancel financial services based upon a farmer's ESG score or rating,' Jackson said. 'Figure it based upon if they have good credit or not, but not based upon their ESG score.' The House Judiciary 1 Committee approved the legislation at the end of February. Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) reminded members of the earlier discussion, where Jackson offered the bill is a preventative measure. 'You indicated in that discussion that there wasn't any evidence of this happening right now among North Carolina banks and with North Carolina farmers, but it was part of a national effort anticipating what might happen,' she said. Mark Swallow spoke during the bill's public comment section as a representative of Democracy Out Loud. He said there's a reason ESG exists — as a protective measure, not a punitive one. 'It's meant to make sure, as the climate is changing, that we can survive in it, including farming,' he said. 'To try and de-incentivize bankers, you should be incentivizing farmers to do what they need to do to live up to those standards, because if they want to continue farming, they need to make those changes.' On Wednesday, the committee also voted to advance HB 164, 'Protect North Carolina Sawmills,' to the House Rules Committee.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House bill would allow bettors to deduct losses on NC taxes
Each pin represents someone placing a bet in the first hour sports gambling went live in North Carolina on March 11, 2023. (Source: NC Lottery Commission) North Carolina gamblers would be able to deduct losses on their state taxes under a bill the state House Commerce and Economic Development Committee discussed Tuesday. North Carolina taxes winnings, but gamblers are not able to deduct their losses, bill sponsors said. Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort) is a gambling opponent who cosponsored House Bill 14. 'This is not a gambling bill,' he said. 'This is a fairness in taxation bill.' The change would bring North Carolina in line with federal tax law, said Rep. Erin Pare, (R-Wake). If a bettor won $10,000 in a year but also lost $10,000, the bettor would owe state income tax on the $10,000 even though they just broke even, Pare said. The law leaves bettors with tax bills they may not be able to pay. The bill would benefit people who bet big and itemize their deductions, Kidwell said. Rev. Mark Creech, lobbyist for the conservative group Return America, opposed the bill. It 'reduces the immediate financial impact of losing money,' he said, and 'lowers the deterrent to risky behavior.' Online sports betting became legal in the state in March 2024. James Joyce of Holly Springs said he and friends began betting on sports online last year, but stopped when they discovered they could not deduct their losses. 'Taxing winnings without allowing loss deductions is completely unjust,' he said. 'This punishes responsible bettors.' The committee heard discussion of the bill but did not vote.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Substitute paid family and medical leave bill narrowly passes second House committee
This marks the fifth time lawmakers have proposed a version of paid family and medical leave. Supporters pictured in 2024, when the bill died on the House floor. (Photo by Megan Taros for Source New Mexico) A bill that would codify paid family and medical leave for almost all New Mexico employees passed its second committee Wednesday on a 6-5 vote after 40 tense minutes of public comment and a failed motion to table the bill. A substitute version of House Bill 11 — whose sponsors include President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart and House Speaker Javier Martínez, both Albuquerque Democrats — advanced through the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee on a mostly party-line vote, with just Rep. Marian Matthews (D-Albuquerque) voting against it Sponsors put forward the substitute, now called the Welcome Child and Family Wellness Leave Act, after hearing concerns about the potential financial impact on employers and employees. If passed, HB 11 would provide 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents and six weeks of paid leave for people with serious health conditions or those acting as family caregivers. The bill would also provide $3,000 per month for three months to one of the child's parents immediately after the child's birth or adoption. This is the fifth time in five years that lawmakers have attempted to pass a version of the legislation. The substitute bill would require employers and employees at businesses with more than five employees to pay a percentage of their wages into a fund for the family wellness leave component of the program. Employers and employees would pay a 0.15% and 0.2% premium, respectively. This would amount to about $1 per week for employees, sponsors Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos) and Rep. Linda Serrato (D-Santa Fe) said during Wednesday's hearing. The parental leave component, under the substitute bill, would be funded instead by the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department. This lowers the cost for employers and employees, Chandler said. Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo) said the bill holds particular importance given the negative impact President Donald Trump's executive orders on immigration and federally funded agencies could have on New Mexico's labor force. 'I bring that up because, as it relates to this matter, statistics show that the lack of this type of benefit — the paid family medical leave type of benefit — impacts people of color, women and marginalized communities the most,' Lente said at the hearing. House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena) said she had concerns that the bill would take away decision-making abilities from employers about their own paid-leave protocols. She also said she would push for the bill to go through the appropriations process. Lobbyists and community members filled the committee room and some watched the hearing from their phones outside. Public comment — limited to 10 people from inside the room and four from the hallway per side — began with a flurry of people in opposition rushing to line up. Committee Chair Doreen Gallegos (D-Las Cruces) used her gavel to quiet the crowd. Audience members in opposition of the bill, including some business owners and restaurant workers, cited concerns about financial implications and a lack of employees to fill in for others who are on leave. Carla Sonntag, president and CEO of the New Mexico Business Coalition, said the organization had received 219,000 emails in opposition to the bill over the past three weeks. 'You talk about businesses not having to pay the employee when they're out, but they're gonna have high costs,' Sonntag said during the hearing. 'They've got to replace that labor.' Debate later ensued about whether the proposed premiums for employers and employees are considered taxes. Audience members in favor of the bill shared their personal struggles without having access to paid family and medical leave. Some business owners pushed back against the idea that the bill would negatively impact them. District 1 Santa Fe City Councilor Alma Castro, who is also a small-business restaurant owner, said New Mexico small businesses would benefit from the passage of the bill. 'We have to choose between a paycheck and taking care of our loved ones,' Castro said during the hearing. 'Paid family leave isn't just about workers, but it is about small businesses like mine that can thrive.' After the discussion, Armstrong moved to table the bill, which failed. And before the vote, Gallegos addressed the audience. 'I know that half the room is gonna be happy with the outcome and the other half is not,' Gallegos said. 'I'm gonna ask that we remember decorum and there will be no commotion.' The bill now heads to the House floor, where a version of the bill died last year.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cannabis regulation bill passes with a unanimous vote, moves on to next House committee
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A bill that would increase regulations in the state's cannabis industry is moving forward in the Roundhouse. House Bill 10 passed the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee with a unanimous vote and will now move on to the House Judiciary Committee. Three behavioral health bills move on to the Senate Finance Committee The bill aims to establish an enforcement bureau within the state's Cannabis Control Division (CCD that would investigate potential criminal violations. The bill would give CCD agents the authority to search cannabis facilities, confiscate suspicious products, destroy illegal products, and arrest those who violate state cannabis laws. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
