House committee OKs recovery commission and fall legislative return dates

After a month-long summer recess, the North Carolina General Assembly briefly reconvened Monday afternoon. The House Rules Committee considered several bills regarding disaster recovery funds, environmental waste management, student use of wireless communication devices, General Assembly appointments, and an adjournment resolution.

NC Recovery and Resiliency Act

HB 907 was given a favorable report in the House Rules Committee and would set up a separate Disaster Readiness and Response Fund within the office of the State Treasurer. According to the bill’s language, this commission and fund will be ‘separate and distinct’ from the General Fund and all other reserves.

The legislation is a work in progress says bill sponsor Rep. John Bell, R-Wayne, chairman of the Rules Committee, with no intent to replace existing efforts in storm recovery.

“It’s a way that we can look at and get input and work together as not just the House and the Senate and also with the governor and agency to provide long term asset recovery and mitigation strategy,” he told the committee.

Bell said that the bill would be referred to the Emergency Management and Disaster Recovery committee, then to the Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources if found favorable, and then to the Rules committee.

NC Managing Environmental Waste Act

The committee also cleared House Bill 8, the NC Managing Environmental Waste Act of 2025, which would set a system to dispose of single-use plastic. It had bipartisan support in the committee as members expressed concerns that plastic pollution and landfill waste continue to rise in NC. According to data provided by the NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), North Carolinians use a large amount of plastic bottles.

“In a year, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to line the length of I-40 (in NC) 252 times,” the NCDEQ data reads.

The length of I-40 in NC is 421 miles, which means that the amount of plastic bottles used in a year in the state could span over 100,000 miles.

Key provisions of HB 8

If enacted, the legislation would apply new regulations to state departments, institutions, agencies, community colleges and local school administrative units. These institutions would be required to update their purchasing procedures to eliminate bias against products with recycled content, unless there are legitimate health or safety concerns.

They would also be required to report annually on the types and quantities of compostable or recyclable products they purchase, along with how much material they collect for recycling. The DEQ would oversee data collection and reporting.

In addition to purchasing mandates, the bill would launch a pilot program within the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to phase out single-use food ware. These would include plastic utensils, straws and polystyrene containers. The General Assembly’s own food and beverage services would be subject to similar review.

To further study the issue, under this bill the University of North Carolina’s Policy Collaboratory would examine the broader impacts of plastic waste. Its research would include a review of existing recycling markets, potential health effects, disability access considerations and the effectiveness of similar laws in other states.

Senate adjournment resolution

The Rules Committee also approved an adjournment resolution that outlined plans for the body to reconvene between July and November 2025 to take up a narrow range of matters.

Senate Joint Resolution 772 outlines six specific windows when lawmakers will return to Raleigh, beginning July 29 and ending November 5. However, the legislature will not be considering new bills or major policy proposals during these sessions. Instead, the agenda is strictly limited to issues such as overriding gubernatorial vetoes, approving appointments, and considering changes to elections laws.

In the periods between those sessions, legislative leaders may authorize committees to meet to review the upcoming 2025-2027 state budget or prepare legislative reports.

The proposed dates are July 29, Aug. 26, Sept. 23, Oct. 7, Oct. 28, and Nov. 5.

The post House committee OKs recovery commission and fall legislative return dates first appeared on Carolina Journal.

The post House committee OKs recovery commission and fall legislative return dates appeared first on First In Freedom Daily.