From the Office of Representative Larry D. Hall
October 21, 2008
Several new laws go into place this month, laws that are intended to help you protect your homes, protect our environment and improve how our Division of Motor Vehicles operates, among many others.
I have shared information about many of our new laws with you previously. If you would like a full list of these laws and when they go into place, visit www.ncleg.net and click on 2007-08 Legislative Effective Dates in the News and Information section at the top of the page.
Please let me know if you have questions about any of the laws listed or if I can be of any help. As always, thank you for this opportunity to communicate with you.
Protecting Homeowners - Mortgage holders now have more time to work with their banks before losing their homes. The bill (H2623) requires lenders to give homeowners 45 days notice before starting foreclosure proceedings and gives the state bank commissioner authority to delay foreclosures for up to 30 days.
Another new law (H2188) requires home loan servicers to provide anyone taking out a mortgage with information about servicer fees within 30 days of the activation of those fees. The fee would be waived if the servicer fails to notify the receiver of the mortgage.
Transportation - Drivers’ licenses and state-issued identification cards now have a different look that’s intended to make it easier for store clerks to recognize people who aren’t old enough to buy tobacco or alcohol. A new law (H2487) requires that people 21 and under change get cards with vertical rather than horizontal formats. The change was recommended by the state’s Child Fatality Task Force.
Clerks of court can now help determine whether a person found incompetent under state guardianship laws will be allowed to keep their driving privileges. The clerks often make or help make competency determinations and the law (H2391) requires the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to consider their recommendations. The new law applies to all people judged incompetent on or after Oct. 1.
One bill made several changes to the how vehicle registrations are handled in the state. The new law (S1787):
Repeals, before it becomes effective, the requirement that an individual surrender to the Division of
Motor Vehicles (DMV) a registration plate that is not renewed.
Requires that DMV approve equipment and software used by a safety inspection stations to transfer information to the DMV.
Requires that vehicles acquired from out of state by a resident of North Carolina or owned by new residents of the state be inspected prior to registration with the DMV.
Requires that a used vehicle acquired by private sale in North Carolina be inspected before the
vehicle is registered with DMV unless the vehicle received a passing inspection within the previous 12 months.
Requires an unregistered vehicle to be inspected before it is registered with DMV, or before a transferred registration expires, unless it received a passing inspection within the previous 12 months.
Authorizes DMV to issue a three-day permit authorizing a person to drive an insured vehicle with an
an expired inspection or registration to an inspection station, repair shop, or DMV or contract agent
registration office.
Environment - The state has a new law to help improve the way it deals with droughts. The bill (H2499) gives the governor more authority during a drought to work with local governments to help them address water shortages and makes other changes to improve how we manage droughts. The bill also requires public water providers to develop drought and water shortage plans, while heavy water users would be subject to stricter reporting requirements. Municipalities, business, farmers and private residents collaborated on the law.
Existing state buildings must reduce energy consumption 20 percent by 2010 and 30 percent by 2015, based on 2003-04 levels under a new law now in place. The law (S668) also requires state agencies and institutions to file annual energy management plans, strategies, and reports on consumption.
Larry D. Hall
Please remember that you can listen to each day’s committee meetings and press conferences on the General Assembly’s website at http://www.ncleg.net. Once on the site, select “audio,” and then make your selection. You can also use the website to look up bills, view lawmaker biographies and access other information.