GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1995

S	1 

SENATE BILL 575

Short Title:  Legislative Ethics Comm. Cochairs.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Senator Perdue.

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Referred to:  Rules and Operation of the Senate

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April 4, 1995

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO INCREASE THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE LEGISLATIVE ETHICS COMMITTEE, TO DESIGNATE COMMITTEE COCHAIRS FROM EACH LEGISLATIVE CHAMBER, AND TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 120-99 reads as rewritten:
"§ 120-99.  Creation; composition.
The Legislative Ethics Committee is created to consist of ten members, five Senators appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, among them – two from a list of four submitted by the Majority Leader and two from a list of four submitted by the Minority Leader, and five members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House, among them – two from a list of four submitted by the Majority Leader and two from a list of four submitted by the Minority Leader.
The President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House shall each designate a cochair of the Legislative Ethics Committee from the respective officer's appointees. The cochair appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall preside over the Legislative Ethics Committee during the odd-numbered year, and the cochair appointed by the Speaker of the House shall preside in the even-numbered year.
The provisions of G.S. 120-19.1 through G.S. 120-19.8 shall apply to the proceedings of the Legislative Ethics Committee as if it were a joint committee of the General Assembly, except that both cochairs shall sign all subpoenas on behalf of the Committee."
Sec. 2.  G.S. 120-100 reads as rewritten:
"§ 120-100.  Term of office; vacancies.
Appointments to the Legislative Ethics Committee shall be made immediately after the convening of the regular session of the General Assembly in odd-numbered years, and appointees shall serve until the expiration of their then-current terms as members of the General Assembly.  A vacancy occurring for any reason during a term shall be filled for the unexpired term by the authority making the appointment which caused the vacancy, and the person appointed to fill the vacancy shall, if possible, be a member of the same political party as the member who caused the vacancy."
Sec. 3.  G.S. 120-101 reads as rewritten:
"§ 120-101.  Quorum; expenses of members.
Six members constitute a quorum of the Committee. A vacancy on the Committee does not impair the right of the remaining members to exercise all the powers of the Committee.
The members of the Committee, while serving on the business of the Committee, are performing legislative duties and are entitled to the subsistence and travel allowances to which members of the General Assembly are entitled when performing legislative duties."
Sec. 4.  The terms of office of the current members of the Legislative Ethics Committee shall not be affected by this act; except that the Senator appointed under the prior law as chairman is designated the cochair from the Senate and shall serve until the expiration of that Senator's current term of office as a member of the General Assembly, and the Speaker of the House shall make the additional appointment provided in this act as soon as practicable after its ratification. 
Sec. 5.  This act is effective upon ratification.