State Lawmakers Vote on Constitutional Amendments

RALEIGH – State lawmakers were busy Thursday moving constitutional amendments through the legislative process, much to the chagrin of Leftist who’d rather voters not have the chance to weigh in on some pretty common sense conservative additions to the Old North State’s governing document.

Voter ID, Maximum Income Tax, and Bipartisan Board of Elections amendment proposals all saw action on one of the two chamber floors, with the latter being passed into law after being approved in the House.

The House has already passed the Voter ID proposal, now making it through successive votes in the Senate.

Senate Bill 75, the income tax cap amendment, though, has actually undergone some changes in committee. Instead of the 5.5 percent cap on state income tax rates, as originally proposed and sitting just above current tax rates, the limit has now been placed at seven percent.

It’s unclear to us as yet why that change was made. However, considering the hemming and hawing form the Left about the restriction to the taxing power of future legislatures, lawmakers may have been uneasy about taking the cap down so tight against Republican-era levels.

With room in this cap, and majority support from voters according to polls, the proposal could would lower the cap from the current 10 percent limit. That could essentially dare any future legislature’s to raise rates in search for revenue or class warfare vengeance.

That altered bill has now been sent back to the Senate for approval.

Another amendment proposal that has quickly achieved critical mass is a pitch for forming a merit selection commission to handle the nominations for judicial vacancies. Judicial vacancies are currently filled by the governor nominating and the legislature confirming nominees.

The Bipartisan Board of Elections amendment proposal will now officially appear on the ballot in November after the House took final votes along party lines Thursday afternoon.

Just days ago, Gov. Roy Cooper wore out his veto pen on seven bills only to have Republicans on Jones Street turn right back around and override those vetoes. The same is likely to happen with these constitutional amendments.

The difference being, those proposals that Cooper is bound to veto will be face an ultimate vote, and likely passage, by the people of North Carolina. His opposition to the majority of voters on these key issues will then be part of his record as governor.