Today @NCCapitol (April 29): Dozens of bills jockey to make key deadline

With only 48 hours to go before the legislative crossover deadline, lawmakers will be moving dozens of bills Wednesday.

Posted 9:00 a.m. Apr 29, 2015 — Updated 9:00 a.m. Apr 29, 2015

Mark Binker

RALEIGH, N.C. — Good morning and welcome to Today @NCCapitol for Wednesday, April 29. Here's some of what's going on around state government.

48 HOURS: Thursday marks the deadline for most bills without spending or taxes attached to clear either the House or the Senate. That means a lot of bills will be moving both through committees and on the House and Senate floors Wednesday. Check the General Assembly's online calendar for a full list of meetings, which may change throughout the day.

SENATE: The Senate is scheduled to convene at 9 a.m. but will likely come in and out of session. Among the bills expected on the floor is a measure making it easier for debt buyers to sue those who may owe money.

HOUSE: The state House will convene its floor session at 2 p.m. Among the bills expected to be heard are a bill that would help restart the death penalty by removing a requirement that doctors be present at executions, as well as a sweeping gun proposal.

PROTESTS: The protest movement known as "Moral Monday," led by the state NAACP, has been active outside of Raleigh this year but has not brought its protests into the Legislative Building yet this year. That may change Wednesday.

Emails from the group over the past week have suggested some sort of action is imminent, and a missive sent Tuesday list several gatherings throughout the day, including a 5 p.m. rally on the Bicentennial Mall and a 6:45 p.m. start time for those gathered to enter the General Assembly.

Since the groups last protested in front of the House and Senate chambers, courts have thrown out most of the charges brought against protesters. Meanwhile, the Legislative Building has issued new rules for controlling the areas in front of the chambers.

THE GOVERNOR: Gov. Pat McCrory will be talking up his proposed road building and state construction bonds at two events Wednesday. At 1:30 p.m., he'll pitch the North Carolina Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations' statewide planning conference at the downtown Raleigh convention center. At 6:15 p.m., he'll host the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition for a reception at the Executive Mansion.

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