Gov. Bev Perdue chose not to sign the last bill on her desk.
The deadline for Perdue, a Democrat, to sign or veto House bill 1292 has come and gone, which means the bill became law Tuesday. The law is meant to encourage the 17 UNC-system campuses to find ways to save energy and cut utility bills.
The law allows the campuses to keep any money that they save through conservation. The law requires that in the next year, 60 percent of the money must be used on conservation. The bill says the governor cannot cut the budget to campuses by the amount they were able to save on utilities.
Perdue, in a letter to House Speaker Joe Hackney and Senate leader Marc Basnight, objected to that provision, saying it infringed on the authority granted to her office by the state constitution.
"This limitation on the Governor's discretion is contrary to separation of powers principles and must have escaped your attention, when added in the final days of the legislative session," Perdue wrote. "Nothing in the State Constitution suggests that the Legislature has any power to tell the Governor in advance how she should exercise her discretion in proposing a budget to the Legislature."
A spokeswoman for Perdue said the objections are strictly on the legal principles and not on the issue of energy conservation.
"The governor clearly supports the energy conservation measures," Chrissy Pearson said. "The overall intent of the bill, to encourage the university system to go greener, she supports."
Judge Wynn takes oath
James Wynn was sworn in as a member of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday afternoon.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Wynn last week, and President Barack Obama formally appointed him Tuesday.
N.C. Appeals Court Judge Patricia Timmons-Goodson administered the oath at the Appeals Court in Raleigh.
Wynn, a former state Appeals Court judge, delivered his resignation to Gov. Bev Perdue's office Tuesday. Wynn was first nominated to the federal appellate bench 11 years ago. His confirmation vote was held up for months. "I'm just pleased to be where I am right now," he said. "I'mvery grateful to Sens. [Richard] Burr and [Kay] Hagan."
Border security bill
U.S. Rep. David Price helped shepherd a $600 million emergency border security bill through the House of Representatives Tuesday as lawmakers met in a one-day session in Washington.
Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, is chairman of the Homeland Security spending subcommittee and therefore was responsible for writing and promoting the bill on the House floor.
The bill was passed on a voice vote, despite objections from Republicans who said the money ought to be appropriated as part of Congress' regular spending process rather than pushed through as an emergency.
The bill includes $400 million for the Department of Homeland Security and $200 million for the Department of Justice.
It would provide funding for 1,000 new Border Patrol agents to eventually take the places of National Guard soldiers who have been ordered to the U.S.-Mexico border by PresidentBarack Obama.
"What we want is a seamless transition from Guard guys to a permanent Border Patrol presence," Price said in an interview. "And we keep hearing that we need customs personnel to unclog these ports of entry. That, too, is an emergency, and it's greatly complicated by disorder and violence on the Mexican side."
The bill also includes funding for forward operating bases,unmanned aerial vehicles, customs agents and additional investigators to focus on human and drug trafficking.
The bill would be paid for by fees on employers hiring large percentages of foreign workers through U.S. visa programs.
The legislation must still be passed by the U.S. Senate.
By staff writers Benjamin Niolet, Lynn Bonner and Barbara Barrett
