Carolina Hurricanes season ticket group for 2009-2010

Since 1999 I’ve organized a Carolina Hurricanes season ticket group. For 2008-2009 we had 13 families sharing 9 seats to all 41 home games. (Members are currently legislative staff, lobbyists, a neighbor, and friends)  A season ticket group enables members to get tickets at a discount, get better seats due to longevity, and share in various promotions that the team offers to season ticket holders.

For 2009-2010 we’ve reserved 9 seats again:

 303G22-25 (balcony premiere, box office price $40, we pay $27.50) – these seats are in the upper level, fifth row, at the blue line at the end of the arena the Canes shoot twice.

303A1-5 (mezzanine — box office price $50, we pay $37.50) upper level front row, no obstructions, these seats are between center ice and the blue line.

Due to one person dropping out, I am looking to resell 50 tickets (two tickets each to 25 games) in either price range. A new person in the group does not need to buy all 50, minimum is 14  (two tickets to each of seven games).

If I am oversubscribed I will see about adding more seats to my group.

Once we have all the orders in and the schedule is released in mid-July, we have a lottery among the participants in the group to pick games — every year all participants have gotten at least three of their first five game choices.

If you would like to participate in the group, email me at gercohen@nc.rr.com. Let me know if you want the $27.50 tickets or the $37.50 tickets, and how many tickets. Minimum 14 tickets (two to each of seven games). Reply by June 6. First come first served.

Payment for tickets will be due 1/3 June 13, 1/3 July 13, and the remaining 1/3 August 13.  The season wil strat in early October with some preseason games in late September.

In addition to discounts and great seats, there are additional benefits:

1. You can buy additional single game tickets at a discount
2. You get a voucher for one free ticket to select games for each 12 tickets you buy
3. You get promotional items
4. We get invitations to special practices and season ticket holder parties that we share around among the group.
5. You get access to a season ticket holder discount card that gets you 10% off almost all merchandise.

What hath crossover wrought, Part 2

As previously mentioned, there were 303 Senate bills and 424 House bills that passed each house between opening day and Thursday, May 14, 2009, the crossover deadline in the 2009 NC legislative session.

For those wonks, here are more links showing how much went on each day of crossover week. Those links will continue to be good, showing you bill status for those bills as of the day you inquire:

Senate bills passing third reading in the Senate:

 prior to crossover week: 180

 Monday, May 11:         32

 Tuesday, May 12:         16

 Wednesday, May 13:    53

 Thursday, May 14:        22

SENATE TOTAL FOR CROSSOVER WEEK: 123

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House bills passing third reading in the House:

 prior to crossover week: 220

 Monday, May 11:         30

 Tuesday, May 12:         34

 Wednesday, May 13:    55

 Thursday, May 14:        85

HOUSE TOTAL FOR CROSSOVER WEEK: 204

What hath crossover wrought – Part 1

With crossover come and gone for the 2009 Regular Session of the North Carolina General Assembly, I’m getting a lot of calls and emails asking “what made crossover?”

Follow the following hyperlinks, which take you to the:

303 Senate bills and 424 House bills that passed each house between opening day and Thursday, May 14, 2009.  The links will continue to keep you up with the current status of those bills all the way through end of session and beyond.

Former Speakers in the Senate; mid-session moves from H to S

I’ve gotten a number of inquiries about whether any former North Carolina House Speakers have later served in the Senate, and whether any House members have also served in the Senate during the SAME session.  These questions have been prompted by former House Speaker Dan Blue ( Speaker 1991-1994) moving over from the House to the Senate in the week or so, appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Vernon Malone.

Yes to both questions.

1) Representative Phil Godwin D-Gates, House Speaker during the 1971 Session*,  moved over to the Senate, winning election in 1972 and serving as a Senator in 1973-74. This may also have happened previously.

* Godwin was also Speaker the last day of the 1969 session as the prior Speaker resigned that day to take a judicial appointment.

2) There have been several House members moving over to the Senate DURING their House term, appointed to fill unexpired terms (this research goes back to 1973 covering the entire term, and also 1943-1972 if the vacancy occurred during the first year of the term, as there were no even-year sessions 1943-1972 so no second year journal to research membership changes. Vacancies have been filled by appointment since 1953, prior to that special elections filled vacancies):

Conrad Duncan, D-Rockingham 10/11/1977

Tim McDowell, D-Alamanace 9/20/1985

Roy Cooper, D-Nash 2/20/91

Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe 2/21/2004

Ed Jones, D-Halifax 1/24/2007

2009 NC bill filings down 23.6% (or 26.0%) from 2007

We’re now past the final deadlines for most bill introductions in the 2009 long session of the North Carolina General Assembly.  Total bill filings dropped by 23.6%, with a 19.4% drop in the House and a 29.2% drop in the Senate. When factoring out companion (identical) bills, there were 26% less total filings.

 Resolutions and a few categories of bills (such as redistricting) can still be filed.

Here are  comparison stats from 2009 and filings at the same point in the 2007 session:

                      HOUSE        SENATE     TOTAL

2009:        1651                   1101         2752

2007:       2049                   1555        3604

CHANGE   -19.4%            -29.2%      -23.6%

A companion bill is the same bill as another filed in the other house (they miught be filed at the same time or later in the session.  In 2007 there were 1137 companions, in 2009 there have been 926.  Factoring these out, here’s how many different bills were filed:

2009         1826

2007          2467

CHANGE: -26.0%

As mentioned previously, the total of bill drafting requests dropped by 16.6%  between 2007 and 2009. the disparity between this number and the total bills filed indicates a sharp uptick in drafting requests that did not result in bills being filed. In 2007 a total of 3,948 drafting requests were made, resulting in 2,467 filings (62.7%), while in 2009 3,627 requests were made with 1,826 bills filed (50.3%).

In 2007, there were 24 House bills and resolutions and 20 Senate bills and resolutions filed after the deadlines.

NC State House redistricting plan maps and stats online

House Bill 1621 changes House Districts 16 and 18.

A full set of maps and statistics can be found here.

A closeup map of revised House District 18 in New Hanover County can be found here.

Bill drafting requests down almost 17%

The total number of substantive bill drafting requests received by North Carolina legislative staff is down by almost 17% comparing May 4, 2009 with the same point in the 2007 Regular Session, a reduction from 3948 to 3293.  The dropoff has accelerated since I reported a 12% drop as of March 23, 2009.

Interestingly, the number of bills filed in North Carolina has dropped during bad economic times. During the eight-month long 2001 recession, bill filings dropped by 3% compared with 1999; there was a sharper 32.3% drop from 1989 to 1991 during that recession; while bill filings dropped 32.3% between 1929 and 1931.

The final House drafting request deadlines have now passed, just a few requests remain to be processed before this Wednesday’s appropriations bill filing deadline, and resolutions are exempt from the deadline. Senate deadlines were a month ago.

I had noted previously that our paper consumption on an average per bill is down by 36.8% as we implemented in January formatting changes that cut the average length of a bill by 18.5% and are printing 22% less copies of each bill.

The table below shows the statistics in greater detail:
2009 long session drafting
requests as of May 4 compared
with same point in 2007 Session	2007	2009	CHANGE
RESEARCH DIVISION	406	421	+3.69%
DRAFTING DIVISION	3627	2906	-19.88%
TOTAL	4033	3327	-17.51%
BLANKS	85	34	-60.00%
SUBSTANTIVE TOTAL	3948	3293	-16.59%

Crossover deadline FAQ

I am getting a lot of emails and phone calls from members and others about the crossover deadline.  While questions requiring definitive answers are best directed to leadersip offices and the rules committee chairs, here are some basics:  

1) The crossover rules are set out in the House Rules and Senate Rules.  

2) The rules on crossover for House bills are set by the Senate Rules, the rules on crossover for Senate bills are set by the House rules.  

3) Although the language varies slightly, the basic point of the rule is that a bill is exempt from crossover if it is a public bill that appropriates money or has a substantial impact on the budget this biennium or in the future, or is a public or local bill that has to do with taxes, fees, or bond issues. Not included in the exemptions are bills that merely raise or impose or change fines for criminal offenses or impose or change civil penalties.  

4) The rule applies to a bill as it exists when it passes the house that originates it.  In other words, it is not significant what is in the bill today or on May 14, but what is in the bill when it passes third reading in the first house.  

5) The fact that a bill is in the appropriations or finance committee now, or has a serial referral to one of those committees is a good indicator that the current version of the bill is exempt from crossover, but the test is whether the rules REQUIRE the bill to go to one of those committees. As explained in #4 above, the test is actually applied based on what is in the bill when it passes third reading in the first house.  

======================  

Here is the full text of the applicable rules   Senate Rule 41:

RULE 41. Crossover bill deadline. – In order to be eligible for consideration by the Senate during the 2009 or 2010 Regular Sessions of the  2009 General Assembly, all House bills other than those required to be referred to the Committee on Finance or the Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget by Rule 42 or adjournment resolutions must be received and read on the floor of the Senate as a message from the House no later than  Thursday,  May 14, 2009, provided that a message from the House received by the next legislative day stating that a bill has passed its third reading and is being engrossed shall comply with the requirements of this rule and provided that the House accepts Senate bills ordered engrossed on the next legislative day.

 Senate Rule 42:

RULE 42. Reference of appropriation and finance bills. – (a) All bills introduced in the Senate providing for appropriations from the State, or any subdivision thereof, shall, before being considered by the Senate, be referred to the Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget and bills referred to other committees carrying any such provisions shall be reported to the Senate as being bills to be referred to the Appropriations/Base Budget Committee before proper action may be taken by the Senate.

(b)        All bills introduced in the Senate providing for bond issues, imposing or raising fees or other revenues payable to the State, its agencies, its licensing boards, or any of its subdivisions, levying taxes, or in any manner affecting the taxing power of the State or any subdivision thereof, shall, before being considered by the Senate, be referred to the Committee on Finance, and bills referred to other committees carrying any such provisions shall be reported to the Senate as being bills to be referred to the Committee on Finance before proper action may be taken by the Senate.

(c)        This rule shall not apply to bills imposing civil penalties, criminal fines, forfeitures, or penalties for infractions.

House Rule 31.1(e)

(e)        In order to be eligible for consideration by the House during the first Regular Session, all Senate bills other than finance or appropriations bills which would be required to be re‑referred to the Appropriations or Finance Committee under Rule 38 or adjournment resolutions must be received and read on the floor of the House as a message from the Senate no later than Thursday, May 14, 2009; provided that a message from the Senate received by the next legislative day stating that a bill has passed its third reading and is being engrossed shall comply with the requirements of this subsection and provided that the Senate has a similar rule.

House Rule 38:

RULE 38. Reports on Appropriation and Revenue Bills. – (a) All standing committees, other than the Standing Committees on Appropriations, when favorably reporting any bill or resolution which:

(1)        Carries an appropriation from the State; or

(2)        Requires or will require in the future substantial additional State monies from the General Fund or Highway Fund to implement its provisions shall indicate same in the report, and said bill or resolution shall be referred to the Standing Committees on Appropriations for a further report before being acted upon by the House.

(b)        All standing committees, other than the Standing Committee on Finance, when favorably reporting any bill which in any way or manner raises revenue, reduces revenue, levies a tax, authorizes the levying of a tax, an assessment, or a fee, or authorizes the issue of bonds or notes, whether public, public‑local, or private*, shall indicate same in the report, and said bill shall be referred to the Standing Committee on Finance for a further report before being acted upon by the House. This subsection shall not apply to bills only imposing fines, forfeitures, or penalties.

(c)        Action on Amendment Before Re‑Referral. – If any standing committee recommends adoption of an amendment or committee substitute of a bill which, under the rules of the House, must be referred to the Standing Committees on Appropriations or the Standing Committee on Finance, the amendment or committee substitute shall be considered and, if adopted, the amendment or substitute engrossed before the bill is re‑referred.

*While the House rules refer to “public, public‑local, or private” bills, this should be read as “public or local”, as the terms “public-local” and “private” were merged into the word “local” by the 1943 General Assembly when the General Statutes were first enacted February 4, 1943, but the terms still persist in this rule. I am sure some session we will get around to changing the reference.