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Gov. Pat McCrory on Friday announced four bills becoming law after receiving his signature.

The bills focus on school performance grades, handicapped parking placards, sale of deer skins and building codes. The bills don’t include any local legislators as sponsors or co-sponsors.

House Bill 358 would extend the use of a 15-point scale for school performance grades. The extension lasts until the end of the 2015-2016 school year.

A school performance score of at least 85 would be an A, a score of 70 would be the lowest B grade, a 55 would be the lowest C grade and a 40 would be the lowest F grade. McCrory’s signature makes the measure effective immediately.

The previous school year was the first time public schools were assigned a letter grade of A through F for performance. The scores were largely based on test scores.

House Bill 91 directs the Department of Transportation to study ways to prevent misuse of handicapped parking placards.

Measures to be studied in the measure include: requiring more personal information on the placard, including a picture and linking the windshield placard to a drivers license or identification card. Results of the study are scheduled to be presented to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee on or before Jan 15, 2016.

House Bill 601 allows the sale of deer skins by hunters or meat processors. Before the measure received McCrory’s signature, wildlife, whether whole or in part, couldn’t be sold in North Carolina. A news release from McCrory stated that the measure would help meat processors who are left with deer skins after processing animals for hunters.

The final measure signed by McCrory is House Bill 706, which requires modification to certain building code requirements.

Specifically, the measure applies to “open air cabins.” The cabins are defined in House Bill 706 as having three walls with at least 20 percent screened openings no more than 44 inches above the floor, no heating or cooling system, is occupied for no more than 150 days within any 365-day time span and accommodates fewer than 36 people.

The measure states that no building requirements more stringent than the following be enforced:

• The open air camp cabin shall have at least two remote unimpeded exits

• The open air camp cabin shall not be required to have plumbing or electrical systems, but if the cabin has these systems, then the provisions of the Code otherwise applicable to those systems shall apply.

• Smoke detectors and handheld fire extinguishers may be required

Hudson, Adams, Foxx vote for USA Freedom Act

All three of Rowan County’s Republican U.S. representatives voted in favor of a measure that aims to end the federal government’s bulk collection of phone records.

The measure, titled the U.S.A. Freedom Act, would change the Patriot Act to prohibit bulk collection of data, such as metadata of telephone calls, by the National Security Agency. The measure passed by a large margin of 338-38.

The bill, which is now in the hands of the U.S. Senate, would not deny access to data. Instead private companies, such as AT&T or Verizon would maintain control.

In a news release, Foxx characterized the bill as renewing a focus on American liberties.
                                    
“Congress should be vigilant in ensuring that the government doesn’t infringe upon the constitutional rights of individual Americans, and I believe this legislation renews a focus on the civil liberties of our citizens while providing appropriate, narrow authorities to meet the country’s national security needs,” Foxx said.

The release said the legislation would also close a loophole that allows the government to stop tracking foreign terrorists when they enter the U.S.

Foxx to host 5th District town hall meeting

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-5, this week announced a telephone town hall for 5th District residents on June 9 at 7:15 p.m.

In an announcement about the town hall meeting, Foxx said: “Telephone town halls are one of the opportunities where the people I represent can share directly with me their concerns and ideas. It’s my hope that many constituents will choose to take part in the June 9th discussion, and I look forward to hearing their thoughts and questions.”

Constituents can participate in the town hall by either calling 1-877-229-8493 and entering the passcode 114272 at the start of the event or registering at http://vekeo.buzz/j1W to receive a phone call connecting them to the telephone town hall.

http://www.salisburypost.com/2015/05/16/political-notebook-mccrory-signs-four-bills-into-law/