Today@NCCapitol (June 4): Retention elections, environmental laws on calendar

The veto override for Senate Bill 2 remains on the calendar. However, Rules Committee Chairman David Lewis, R-Harnett, told reporters Wednesday that he doesn't expect a vote on the bill this week. House leaders are waiting until a handful of backers of the bill who have been absent can return to legislative work.

Sens. Harry Brown, R-Onslow, and Bob Rucho, R-Mecklenburg, said that a bill was in the works, although both doubted it would be formally introduced this week. Others in the Senate point out Republicans have been working on a tax bill for weeks.

Should a bill emerge, it will likely contain many of the items that Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger talked about when he visited a gathering of National Federation of Independent Business members on Wednesday. He talked about lowering personal and corporate tax rates, limited renewal of existing economic development programs and a move toward single sales factor taxation – an item that would benefit large manufacturers. Brown acknowledged that adjustments to the state sales tax system, which could move some revenue away from urban centers to rural areas, are also being discussed.