State lawmakers adjourn - sort of
State lawmakers passed an adjournment resolution early Friday that will bring them back to town in August, September and then again by November to draw new legislative districts.
Posted — UpdatedFor many years, the state's part-time legislature went home in the summer after the long session in odd years and didn't return until after the primary elections the following year. But beginning with the Republican takeover in 2011, that practice changed, and "extra" or special sessions became standard procedure in interim periods.
The resolution unveiled in the House Rules Committee on Thursday night is closer to a punctuated recess than an adjournment.
House Democrats balked at the impeachment language in the resolution and voted against it shortly before 3 a.m. Friday. Rep. Darren Jackson, D-Wake, the House minority leader, called the resolution "petty, partisan politics."
The September convening is also expected to include a resolution to reconvene before Nov. 15 to redraw and vote on new legislative district maps. After that, the next specified date would be the 2018 short session, starting on the fairly late date of May 16.
House Rules Chairman David Lewis said the August meeting would be primarily for veto overrides and conference committee reports and that "earnest" work on new legislative maps would likely begin after that.
House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger appointed members to their respective redistricting committees late Thursday.
Lewis called the redistricting session and appointments "an affirmative statement to the court that we recognize the legislative districts will need to be redrawn in the coming months, and when we receive instructions from the court we will do that."
Because of statutory filing periods and overseas ballot windows, a November date for new maps would make the timing tight for a panel of three federal judges now reviewing the redistricting process to call for a special election before the regularly scheduled election in spring of 2018.
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