Today @NCCapitol (Feb. 2): Taking it easy

Lawmakers don't anticipate pushing through much legislation this week. Gov. Pat McCrory will give the State of the State address on Wednesday night.

Posted 10:00 a.m. Feb 2, 2015 — Updated 4:57 p.m. Feb 2, 2015

Mark Binker

RALEIGH, N.C. — Good morning and welcome to Today @NCCapitol. Here's what's going on at the legislature and beyond this week.

TAKE IT EASY: Don't expect to see a lot of action in either the House or the Senate this week.

"It is anticipated that no recorded House votes will be taken on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday," House Rules Committee Chairman David Lewis announced on Thursday. Senate leaders haven't been that explicit but said they would dial back their work until after they hear from the governor in the State of the State address.

The House will meet at 4 p.m. Monday. The Senate is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. There are no bills on either calendar, and no committee meetings are scheduled.

POET: Gov. Pat McCrory will install North Carolina's new poet laureate, Shelby Stephenson, at 5:30 p.m. Monday. Location is the Old Capitol Building's House chamber.

COMING TUESDAY: The Council of State will meet at 9 a.m. The group of statewide elected officials has mainly real estate matters on its agenda.

At noon on Tuesday, a group of bipartisan lawmakers, including Reps. Paul "Skip" Stam, R-Wake, and Grier Martin, D-Wake, will meet in the legislative press room to call for reforming how the state's legislative and congressional districts are drawn.

COMING WEDNESDAY: McCrory will give the State of the State address at 7 p.m.

COMING THURSDAY: The Department of Public Instruction will release the first A-though-F report card grades for public schools in the state. Many schools are expecting less than stellar grades despite helping students meet growth benchmarks.

UNHAPPY ANNIVERSARY: One year ago Monday, 39,000 tons of toxic coal ash spilled from an unlined pit at a power plant near Eden into the Dan River. A year later, the state is still working out how it will deal with similar coal ash ponds across North Carolina.

Q&A: The Associated Press has a Q&A with Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger in which the Rockingham Republican says he would not support term limits for legislative leaders.

FROM THE WEEKEND: Every year, North Carolina law enforcement officers seize millions of dollars in cash, homes and other property from residents under a controversial program that allows officers to take the property even if the person hasn’t been charged with a crime, reports WRAL News' Cullen Browder.

MEANWHILE, IN DC: Former state House speaker and current U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis is scheduled to speak to the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C., as part of the group's new Agenda Setters series.

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