Today @NCCapitol (April 1): No (April) foolin' around

The Wake County redistricting bill will be on the House floor Wednesday. House Judiciary I holds a meeting on conventions. And what's up with that Senate Ways and Means Committee?

Posted 9:00 a.m. Apr 1, 2015 — Updated 9:00 a.m. Apr 1, 2015

Mark Binker

and

Laura Leslie

RALEIGH, N.C. — Good morning and welcome to Today @NCCapitol for Wednesday, April 1. Here's what's going on at the General Assembly and around state government.

APRIL FOOLS? The Senate Ways and Means Committee has a meeting scheduled for 15 minutes after Wednesday's floor session, which is weird, because the committee hardly ever meets. Like ever.

So why meet now? And why schedule every bill in that committee – bills Senate leaders have been pretty explicit about not hearing – for the meeting?

So what's up? We asked Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, the committee's chairman and one of three members.

"A meeting has been scheduled," was all he would say.

So, is this a legislative landmark in the making? Christmas in the spring for sponsors of woebegone bills? Or the Senate leadership's idea of an April Fool's joke?

WAKE COUNTY: The House will hold its floor session at 2 p.m. and vote on a bill redrawing Wake County's commissioner districts.

IN THE SENATE: Among the bills senators will take up at 2 p.m. are measures that extend renewable energy tax credits for projects already in progress and that direct state agencies to to find, map and preserve cemeteries located on state property.

COMMITTEES WE'RE WATCHING:

The House Health Committee will take up a measure to allow pharmacists to substitute "biosimilar" medications at 10 a.m.
Senate Education at 11 a.m. will take up a bill to allow automatic school bus cameras to be used to prosecute drivers who pass a bus with its stop arm out. WRAL.com plans to carry this hearing live.
House Judiciary I will take up conflicting bills at 12:30 p.m. One measure would call for a federal constitutional convention; the other would rescind all convention calls previously made by the state. WRAL.com plans to carry this meeting live.

ADVOCATES: At 12:30 p.m., students from Bennett College, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, North Carolina Central University, Winston-Salem State University, Shaw University and St. Augustine’s University will hold a news conference to call attention to the importance of historically black colleges and universities.

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