Under the Dome Updates: Medical marijuana’s final step in the Senate; SAVE Act advances

Big news breaks quickly at the North Carolina legislative complex. It can be hard for even ardent politics followers to keep up with lawmakers’ latest activity.

That’s why we’ve launched Under the Dome Updates. Follow this story through the day for the latest legislative news and links to our stories as they come.

4:20 p.m.: Medical marijuana bill heads to House

The Senate approved a medical marijuana bill, sending the measure to the House — where it died last year but may have better prospects this time around.

Twice this week, we’ve seen a bipartisan Senate vote to legalize medical marijuana, 36-10.

And twice, the Republican-led Senate took its vote on Senate Bill 3 at exactly 4:20 p.m.

Find more here.

2:30 p.m.: Black bear or gray squirrel?

State symbols are on lawmakers’ minds Wednesday.

One new bill would knock the gray squirrel off its perch as North Carolina’s state mammal, an honor it’s held for more than 50 years, according to the NC Government & Heritage Library.

Instead, the designation would go to the black bear.

That switch is meant to honor the life of Brandon Marshall, a 44-year-old hunter who was fatally shot while hunting in Hyde County, The N&O previously reported. The idea passed the House in 2021.

Which one would you pick? Bear or squirrel? Take our Twitter poll:

House members also want to make a state cookie, an idea served up by fourth graders in Greensboro.

The House unanimously passed a bill making the Moravian cookie the state cookie, and the Moravian star the state star. More on that here.

11:50 a.m.: Rick Santorum visits the Legislative Building

Rick Santorum, a Republican and former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, joined a group of local legislators to lobby for a convention of states that would limit the federal government’s power.

A joint resolution between North Carolina’s House and Senate would apply for Congress to call a convention of all 50 states to propose “amendments to the United States Constitution that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for 20 members of Congress.”

11:15 a.m.: Civilian Investigators

Lawmakers advanced a bill through committee that would allow cities across North Carolina to send trained civilian investigators to the scenes of car crashes that only result in property damage, freeing up police officers to deal with other incidents.

The investigators would be given their own credentials and uniforms, separate from the ones police officers wear. They wouldn’t be allowed to carry weapons, and would not have the authority to arrest anyone, but would be able to tow vehicles blocking public streets or highways.

The main reason for the act, House Bill 140, is to help police departments that have been struggling amid staff shortages to retain and hire officers, said one of the bill’s primary sponsors, Rep. John Faircloth, a Guilford County Republican.

The bill is supported by cities such as Greensboro and Wilmington, lawmakers said. A representative for the N.C. Association of Chiefs of Police also said the association supports the bill.

11 a.m.: Literacy test repeal

A House committee advanced legislation that would remove the literacy test law from the state constitution.

The literacy test requirement— introduced in 1900 during the racist Jim Crow era — was long used to bar Black voters from casting ballots in elections.

While the test was outlawed by 1965’s federal Voting Rights Act, North Carolina’s amendment is still part of the state’s constitution. Voters rejected the option to remove the unenforceable law when it reached a state ballot in 1970, and a bill in last year’s legislative session never gained traction.

Rep. Kelly Alexander, a Charlotte Democrat and one of the bill’s primary sponsors, said this session is the best shot at getting the measure passed. But there will likely be changes to the bill’s language before it reaches the House for a floor debate, Alexander said.

10 a.m.: House plans for the day

The House convened for a brief skeletal session. House Rules chair Destin Hall, a Lenoir Republican, presided in place of House Speaker Tim Moore, a Kings Mountain Republican.

Hall recognized a visiting group of school children in the gallery and encouraged them to come back for a voting session to be held at 1 p.m. today.

Among the new bills introduced this morning were House Bill 222, which would prohibit public agencies and officials from requiring students to receive COVID-19 vaccines, and House Bill 215, which would require both legislative chambers to display “In God We Trust” behind their respective daises.

9 a.m.: Delay in some Medicaid services

Kody Kinsley, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, told House and Senate health committee members that DHHS must delay the launch of new, specialized Medicaid plans from April to October due to challenges with several plan providers.

The new programs — called NC Medicaid Managed Care Behavioral Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Tailored Plans — would service about 143,000 people with behavioral health needs and intellectual/developmental disabilities, according to the DHHS website.

Six providers that would help administer the plans are responsible for their delay, Kinsley said. The provider networks are too small to meet member needs.

8 a.m.: Highlights from Tuesday’s session

Let’s start by catching up on yesterday’s high points.

The North Carolina Senate voted on a bill Tuesday that would legalize medical marijuana under certain, tight restrictions. The bill, know as the “Compassionate Care Act,” passed 36-10 with broad bipartisan support following little debate. Legislators voted at exactly 4:20 p.m. Coincidence? You decide.

The medical marijuana bill will return to the Senate floor today for a final reading and vote.

Earlier Tuesday, legislators hosted a press conference to promote this year’s version of the SAVE Act, which would allow advanced practice nurses who meet educational and clinical practice requirements to diagnose illnesses, administer anesthetic and prescribe medicine without physician supervision.

Its sponsors say the SAVE Act would expand access to affordable health care across the state.

Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, Avi Bajpai, Heidi Perez-Moreno, Lars Dolder and Jordan Schrader contributed.