Top Republican lawmakers are taking flak for their extended legislative term after adding three more special sessions through April.
Democrats say the move pushes North Carolina toward a full-time legislature.
Republican House Speaker Thom Tillis dismisses the suggestion.
"It sounds more like political fodder to me than anything else," he said in an interview as another special session ended Nov. 7. "There's probably been not a single redistricting session that even approached the length of time that we've been in session when you add all these days together."
Not true, actually.
In 1991, the legislative session took 106 days, and the governor called lawmakers back for seven days to handle redistricting and election matters, according to numbers compiled by the House clerk. Total: 113 days.
The current session is the shortest redistricting session since 1980, but that's not the boast Tillis made. The 1991 session definitely "approaches" the 109 days Republicans are scheduled to hold court this term.
So far this year, lawmakers have spent 100 days in session, and the adjournment resolution calls for nine more days in three separate sessions scheduled for November, February and April. (One also could argue that a gubernatorial-ordered session like the one from 1991 shouldn't count against lawmakers. But we included it for the sake of this tally.)
Tillis' suggestion about lengthy redistricting sessions certainly applies to other years. In 1981 - the oldest year tracked by the House clerk - lawmakers spent 136 days in session, and the governor ordered them to return for a five-day redistricting session. Total: 141 days.
The 2001 session tops all. The legislature spent 179 days in the regular session and, after the governor called a special redistricting session, the lawmakers took another 66 days in a term that ran concurrently with the short budget session.
For those wondering, this year's long session was the shortest in more than 30 years at 87 days - redistricting and nonredistricting years included - until lawmakers decided to return three more times (July, September and November) and then schedule another three sessions.
Since 1973, the shortest long session was 103 days in 1999 and 2003, if you don't count special sessions called by the governor.
Tillis spokesman Jordan Shaw highlighted the word "probably" that Tillis used, suggesting he wasn't exactly sure.
Redundancy at universities?
As tuition talks get under way at UNC campuses, it looks like the state's public universities aren't in a position to save big money by eliminating duplicative degree programs.
Former UNC Charlotte Chancellor James Woodward spent several months studying whether the UNC system had too much redundancy in its academic programs.
His answer? No.
"I don't see that this university has a major problem with unnecessary duplication of programs," Woodward said in a briefing last week to the UNC Board of Governors.
But he cautioned that such a problem could emerge and suggested the board strengthen the program review process and initiate a study of the individual missions of the campuses.
A mission study hasn't been done in 20 years, Woodward said.
Any proposal for a major doctoral program should prompt a state-level evaluation of need, Woodward said.
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