The window to make New Year’s Resolutions may have come and gone, but it’s prime time for political resolutions to get off the ground. January 9th marked the first day of the N.C. Legislature 2019 season, which will run through July 12th, 2019. Need a civics class cheat sheet? We got you.

What is the General Assembly? The General Assembly is comprised of the House of Representatives and Senate members, and as a body, is responsible for drafting + legislating the state laws of North Carolina.

📍 Members meet in Raleigh + are elected on a bi-annual basis.

Number of members in the NC House of Representatives: 120 (55 Democrats, 65 Republicans)
Number of members in the NC Senate: 50 (21 Democrats, 29 Republicans)

Here are some of the legislative changes to put on your radar –

📖 Constitutional Amendments: what’s passed, what’s in effect, and what needs legislative attention

☑️ Amendment to require voters to provide photographic identification to vote

Summary: Voters would be required to present photo identification at their polling place in order to cast their ballot.

Enactment status: In progress. The legislature needs to decide what forms of identification are acceptable.

☑️ Amendment protecting the right of the people to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife

Summary: The amendment acknowledges the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife using “traditional methods” and establishes hunting and fishing as the preferred method of controlling + managing wildlife population.

Enactment status: In progress. The legislature needs to define what “traditional methods” means.

☑️ Amendment to strengthen protections for victims of crimes

Summary: These additions and edits to the already existing rights for victims include being treated with dignity and respect, being present at any proceeding upon request, information about the crime upon request + more. See the summary here.

Enactment status: complete

☑️ Amendment to cap maximum state income tax at 7%

Summary: This amendment lowered the maximum income tax percentage from 10% to 7%. See the summary here.

Enactment status: complete

📖 State-wide changes

☑️ Earlier primaries | Even-year primary elections will be bumped up from May to March starting in 2020. The idea behind this change is to make NC more relevant to the presidential nomination process. The primary for 2018 election will remain in May.

☑️ Judicial redistricting | Lawmakers redrew boundaries for superior court, district court and prosecutorial districts. Redistricting supporters claim new lines will better reflect population, geography, and workloads on a state-wide level, while dissenters argue that the redrawing unfairly favors Republicans.

📖 Highlights of the 2018 Farm Bill

What It Is: The Farm Bill is a recurring piece of federal legislation that covers food + agricultural topics. It an omnibus bill, which means that it is a single document that packages together multiple titles and is voted on as a single bill. See the complete list of titles here.

Its legally stated purpose is to “provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2023, and for other purposes.”

Here are three highlights of the 2018 Farm Bill:

☑️ Industrial production of hemp is now legal | Per the 2018 Farm Bill, it is now legal in all states to cultivate hemp, a form of the cannabis plant with a low THC, high CBD ratio, under the federal government’s pilot program. U.S. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who pushed the title forward, says that “at a time when farm income is down and growers are struggling, industrial hemp is a bright spot of agriculture’s future.”

Before the bill passed, hemp was listed as a schedule I drug by the federal government under the Controlled Substance Act, alongside heroin, LSD + marijuana. More on the growth of CBD in Asheville here.

Before the bill passed, hemp was listed as a schedule I drug by the federal government under the Controlled Substance Act, alongside heroin, LSD + marijuana.

2️⃣ Provides permanent funding for farmers markets, local food programs | The final farm bill provides permanent funding for a number of programs Congress was funding on a temporary basis. These include: promotional funds for local farmers markets, research funds for organic farming + money for organizations working to train the next generation of farmers

3️⃣ Stricter policy on what is allowed to be labeled as “milk” | It’s true: almond milk will no longer be labeled as milk per the NC Senate Bill 711. Your favorite plant-based beverages (think almond, soy, coconut, etc.) are required to be labeled as “drinks” or “beverages” in North Carolina to avoid misleading consumers about the inferior nutritional value of dairy substitutes. The FDA looks to follow suit.

📖 What to look for closer to home

The City of Asheville has been busy cooking up its own plans for the new year. Here are a few of the projects you can expect progress on in the coming twelve months.

☑️ ART buses go electric | Five new zero-emission buses will join the public transportation fleet. The Coxe Ave. bus station will also get a facelift that will include charging stations for the new buses + a general sprucing-up.

☑️ Expansion of city greenways | Construction will begin in early spring on the French Broad River East + West Bank greenways and the Town Branch Greenway in the Southside neighborhood.

☑️ Breaking ground on affordable housing | Voters approved $25 million in affordable housing in 2016. Possibilities include 319 Biltmore Ave., 171-179 Charlotte St., and 91 Riverside Dr. Stay tuned for the announcement on which site is chosen.

☑️ Open conversations about renewable energy | On October 23rd, Asheville adopted a resolution to become powered by 100% renewable energy sources by 2030. Which is only 12 years from now… As the first step of the planning process, the Asheville Office of Sustainability will partner with Buncombe County to start a dialogue with residents + officials about what that might look like.

The full list of city initiatives can be found here.

Asheville has some good things coming our way this year – I’m especially excited to see milestones on the sustainability projects move forward. I’m proud to live in a place that cares about ecology, sustainability + nut milk just as much as I do…. I mean…nut drink. That might take some getting used to.

What questions do you have about statewide + local policy this year? Let us know by replying to this email or telling us over Facebook + Instagram.

– Stephanie