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L 

GENERAL  ASSEMBLY 

of 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

LEGISLATIVE  MANUAL 


LEGISLATIVE  SERVICES  OFFICE 

2129  STATE  LEGISLATIVE  BUILDING 

RALEIGH,  NORTH  CAROLINA  27601-1096 

PHONE:  (919)  733-7044 

JANUARY,  1991 

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1 

TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


GENERAL  STATUTES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA    1 

INTRODUCTION 2 

LEGISLATIVE  PAY  AND  ALLOWANCES    3 

LEGISLATORS'  OFFICES    7 

PARKING 9 

SECRETARIAL  ASSISTANCE 10 

MAIL  SERVICE  AND  POSTAGE    13 

TELEPHONE   15 

STATIONERY    17 

DICTATING  EQUIPMENT Ig 

FACSIMILE  MACHINE  (FAX) 19 

PRINT  SHOP  AND  COPYING  MACHINES 20 

BILL  DRAFTING    21 

BILL  PROCESSING 22 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  PRINTED  BILLS    24 

PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  SERVICES 25 


GENERAL  STATUTES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Chapter  120  -  The  General  Assembly 

ARTICLE  7 
Legislative  Services  Commission 

Section  12'i-.M.  Legislative  Services  Commission  organization.— (a)  The  Legislative  Services 
Commission  shall  cons-st  of  the  President  Pro  Tempore  of  the  Senate,  six  Senators  appointed  by  the 
President  Pro  Ten',i:ore  of  the  Senate,  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  six 
Representatives  appointed  by  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  The  President  Pro  Tempore  of 
the  Senate,  and  the  Speaker  of  the  House  shall  serve  until  the  selection  and  qualification  of  their 
respective  successors  as  officers  of  the  General  Assembly.  The  initial  appointive  members  shall  be 
appointed  after  the  date  of  ratification  of  this  Article  and  each  shall  serve  for  the  remainder  of  his  elective 
term  of  office  and  until  his  successor  is  appointed  or  until  he  ceases  to  be  a  member  of  the  General 
Assembly,  whichever  occurs  first.  A  vacancy  in  one  of  the  appointive  positions  shall  be  filled  in  the  same 
manner  that  the  vacated  position  was  originally  filled,  and  the  person  so  appointed  shall  serve  for  the 
remainder  of  the  unexpired  term  of  the  person  whom  he  succeeds.  In  the  event  the  office  of  Speaker 
becomes  vacated,  the  six  Representatives  shall  elect  one  of  themselves  to  perform  the  duties  of  the 
Speaker  as  required  by  this  Article.  In  the  event  the  office  of  President  Pro  Tempore  becomes  vacated, 
the  six  Senators  shall  elect  one  of  themselves  to  perform  the  duties  of  President  Pro  Tempore  as  required 
by  this  Article.  Members  so  elevated  shall  perform  the  duties  required  by  this  Article  until  a  Speaker  or  a 
President  Pro  Tempore  is  duly  elected  by  the  appropriate  house. 

(b)  The  President  Pro  Tempore  of  the  Senate  shall  be  the  chairman  of  the  Commission  in 
odd-numbered  years  and  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  shall  be  chairman  of  the 
Commission  in  even-numbered  years. 


[The  Legislative  Services  Office  has  published  a  pamphlet  containing  the  full  text  of  the  parts  of  G.S. 
Chapter  120  concerning  the  Legislative  Services  Commission  and  staff  services  provided  through  the 
Commission.  The  pamphlet  is  available  through  the  Legislative  Library  in  the  State  Legislative  Building.] 


Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  1 


INTRODUCTION 

This  Manual  provides  information  to  the  members  of  the  General  Assembly  on  arrangements  which 
the  Legislative  Services  Commission  has  made  for  various  legislative  services.  The  Manual  was  originally 
prepared  for  use  during  the  1973  General  Assembly;  it  is  completely  revised  each  biennium,  and  is 
supplemented  as  necessary  for  the  legislative  sessions  within  the  biennium.  The  basic  statutory 
authorization  for  the  Legislative  Services  Commission  is  set  out  on  page  1  of  this  Manual. 

The  Legislative  Services  Commission  was  established  by  statute  in  1969  to  provide  a  continuing 
structure  through  which  decisions  concerning  legislative  services  may  be  made  and  implemented.  The 
Commission  consists  of  the  President  Pro  Tempore  of  the  Senate,  six  Senators  appointed  by  him,  the 
Speaker  of  the  House,  and  six  Representatives  appointed  by  him.  Upon  the  convening  of  each  regular 
biennial  legislative  session,  the  newly  elected  President  Pro  Tempore  and  Speaker  may  appoint  new 
members  to  the  Commission  at  any  time.  The  Legislative  Administrative  Officer  serves  as  chief  staff 
officer  for  the  Commission. 

If  you  have  criticisms  or  suggestions  as  to  the  plans  and  procedures  set  out  in  this  Manual,  please 
communicate  them  to  the  President  Pro  Tempore,  Room  2017,  State  Legislative  Building,  Phone: 
919-733-6854;  or  the  Speaker,  Room  2317,  State  Legislative  Building,  Phone:  919-733-3451;  or  to  the 
Legislative  Administrative  Officer,  Room  2129,  State  Legislative  Building,  Phone:  919-733-7044,  who 
will  transmit  them  to  the  Commission. 

[For  purposes  of  this  Manual,  "session  means  the  period  in  which  the  General  Assembly  meets 
regularly  upon  day-to-day  adjournment;  it  does  not  include  the  interim  period  between  portions  of  the 
biennial  session.] 


Page  2  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


LEGISLATIVE  PAY  AND  ALLOWANCES 

All  salary,  General  Expense  Allowance,  In-Session  Expense  Allowance  and  In-Session  Travel 
Allowance  amounts  are  effective  with  the  convening  of  the  1991  General  Assembly  on  January  30,  1991. 

Salary:  The  Speaker  of  the  House  receives  a  salary  of  S35,100  per  year.  The  Speaker  Pro 
Tempore  of  the  House  receives  a  salary  of  $19,776  per  year.  The  President  Pro  Tempore  of  the  Senate 
receives  a  salary  of  535,100  per  year.  The  Deputy  President  Pro  Tempore  of  the  Senate  receives  a  salary 
of  $19,776  per  year.  The  majority  and  minority  leaders  of  both  houses  each  receive  a  salary  of  $15,396 
per  year.  All  other  members  of  the  General  Assembly  receive  an  annual  salary  of  $12,504.  The  salaries 
are  payable  monthly. 

When  the  General  Assembly  is  in  session,  the  salary  checks  are  placed  in  the  legislators'  mailboxes 
in  the  Mail  Rooms  (Room  2  in  the  basement  of  the  State  Legislative  Building  or  in  Room  102  of  the 
Legislative  Office  Building)  not  later  than  10:00  a.m.  on  the  last  work  day  of  each  month.  When  the 
General  Assembly  is  not  in  session,  the  salary  checks  are  mailed  on  the  next  to  last  working  day  of  each 
month  to  the  legislator's  home  district  mailing  address  (the  address  is  printed  on  the  check). 

Terms  of  newly  elected  legislators  begin  on  January  1,  of  odd-numbered  years,  and  salaries  begin 
as  of  that  same  date. 

Slate  and  federal  income  taxes  are  deducted  from  the  monthly  salary  checks.  Payments  to 
legislators  cannot  commence  until  the  necessary  State  and  federal  withholding  forms  are  completed  (see 
"Payroll  Forms:"  on  page  5  of  this  Manual). 

General  Expense  Allowance:  The  Speaker  receives  a  $l,320-per-month  general  expense 
allowance.  The  Speaker  Pro  Tempore  receives  a  $780-per  month  expense  allowance.  The  President  Pro 
Tempore  receives  a  $l,320-per-month  expense  allowance.  The  Deputy  President  Pro  Tempore  receives  a 
$780-per-month  expense  allowance.  The  majority  and  minority  leaders  of  both  houses  each  receive  a 
$622-per-month  general  expense  allowance.  All  other  legislators  receive  a  general  expense  allowance  of 
$522  per  month.  This  allowance  is  paid  both  during  sessions  and  between  sessions,  without  the  legislators 
having  to  file  any  record  of  expenses. 

The  general  expense  allowance  is  paid  at  the  same  time  and  in  the  same  manner  as  is  the  legislative 
salary  (see  "Salary:"  on  page  3  of  this  Manual).  The  two  payments  -  salary  and  general  expense 
allowance  -  are  combined  in  a  single  check  each  month. 

There  are  no  deductions  from  the  general  expense  allowance. 

In  Session  Subsistence  Allowance:  During  the  time  the  General  Assembly  is  actually  in  session  in 
Raleigh,  each  legislator  receives  a  subsistence  allowance  of  $81.00  per  day.  This  amount  is  paid  for  each 
calendar  day  of  the  session  (seven  days  per  week,  or  a  total  of  $567.00  per  week  for  each  full  week  of  the 
session).  It  is  not  necessary  that  the  legislator  file  a  claim  or  submit  any  record  of  his  expenses  in  order  to 
receive  this  allowance  during  the  session. 


Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  3 


The  subsistence  allowance  is  paid  by  check  placed  in  the  legislator's  mailbox  in  the  Mail  Rooms 
(Room  2  in  the  basement  of  the  State  Legislative  Building  or  in  Room  102  of  the  Legislative  Office 
Building)  not  later  than  10:00  a.m.  every  Thursday. 

Telephone  and  Postage  Allowance:  Effective  January  1,  1991,  each  legislator  will  be  allowed  a 
combined  total  of  $1500  for  his  two-year  term  for  long-  distance  telephone  charges  and  postage  used  for 
member's  official  legislative  business.  This  long-distance  telephone  and  postage  allowance  may  not  be 
used  to  satisfy  debts  incurred  by  members  who  exceeded  the  1990  telephone  and  postage  allowance.  The 
last  paycheck  of  a  member's  two-year  term  will  be  held  until  all  bills  are  paid  for  expenses  exceeding  the 
combined  long-distance  telephone  and  postage  allowance. 

In-Session  Travel  Allowance:  During  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly,  each  legislator  receives  a 
weekly  travel  allowance  amounting  to  25  cents  per  mile  for  one  round  trip  from  his  home  to  Raleigh  and 
return.  This  allowance  is  paid  each  week  regardless  of  the  number  of  actual  trips  made.  [G.S.  120-3.1(2) 
sets  the  mileage  rate  for  legislators  at  the  same  rate  as  for  State  employees  generally:  G.S.  138-6(1)  sets 
the  rate  for  State  employees  at  25  cents  per  mile.] 

The  travel  allowance  is  paid  each  Thursday  and  is  included  with  the  weekly  in-session  subsistence 
allowance  (see  "In-Session  Subsistence  Allowance:"  on  page  3  of  this  Manual). 

Interim  Travel  and  Subsistence  Allowance:  Between  sessions  many  legislators  serve  on  various 
special  boards  and  commissions,  and  may  receive  compensation,  subsistence,  and  travel  allowance  as 
prescribed  in  the  statute  or  resolution  establishing  the  board  or  commission  (sometimes  at  rates  different 
from  the  usual  legislative  rates).  When  a  legislator  is  reimbursed  from  a  special  board  or  commission 
budget,  he  is  sometimes  reimbursed  under  the  provisions  of  G.S.  138-5,  which  concerns  State  boards  and 
commissions  generally.  As  these  claims  are  not  paid  from  the  General  Assembly's  budget,  they  are  not 
processed  through  the  Legislative  Services  Office.  The  board  or  commission  clerk  sends  them  directly  to 
the  Budget  Office  of  the  Department  of  Administration  where  they  are  handled  under  the  provisions  of 
the  applicable  statute,  resolution,  or  administrative  rule. 

Between  sessions  a  legislator  may  travel  not  as  a  member  of  a  special  board  or  commission  but 
rather  as  a  representative  of  the  General  Assembly,  or  its  committees  or  commissions.  Such  travel  may  be 
to  a  meeting  in  Raleigh  or  in  some  other  in-State  city,  or  it  may  be  to  attend  an  out-of-State  meeting.  If 
the  legislator  expects  to  receive  any  subsistence  or  travel  allowance  for  such  travel,  he  must  obtain  the 
prior  approval  of  the  Legislative  Services  Commission.  The  chairman  of  a  committee  which  wishes  to  meet 
in  North  Carolina  may  obtain  the  approval  for  the  entire  committee,  and  individual  committee  members 
need  not  then  obtain  individual  approval  for  that  meeting. 

In  the  absence  of  this  kind  of  group  approval,  or  if  a  meeting  is  to  be  held  out  of  the  State,  prior 
approval  must  be  obtained  by  each  legislator  who  wishes  to  attend.  Requests  for  approval  may  be 
submitted  through  the  Legislative  Services  Office.  This  office,  acting  pursuant  to  policies  adopted  by  the 
Legislative  Services  Commission,  will  obtain  the  approval  of  the  President  Pro  Tempore  or  Speaker  and 
will  execute  Form  GA-2  -  Travel  Authorization  -  which  will  then  be  delivered  to  the  requesting  legislator. 


Page  4  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


Or,  if  a  legislator  prefers,  he  may  apply  directly  to  the  President  Pro  Tempore  (Senators)  or  Speaker 
(House  members)  for  approval,  and  those  offices  will  transmit  copies  of  Form  GA-2  to  the  legislator. 
When  the  travel  is  performed,  the  legislator  should  deliver  this  form,  together  with  the  statement  as  to 
travel  performed,  hotel  receipts,  parking  receipts,  toll  receipts,  common-carrier  ticket  receipts,  taxicab 
charges,  and  personal  automobile  mileage  to  the  Legislative  Services  Office.  A  subsistence  allowance  of  a 
flat  $81.00  per  day,  regardless  of  actual  expenses,  is  authorized  by  statute  for  in-state  travel.  A  member 
who  is  authorized  to  travel  to  a  high  rate  geographical  area  outside  of  North  Carolina  within  the  U.S.  may 
elect  to  receive,  in  lieu  of  the  S81.00  subsistence  allowance,  a  subsistence  allowance  for  meals  of  S20.00  a 
day  and  a  subsistence  allowance  for  lodging  of  actual  lodging  expenses  not  to  exceed  that  allowed  for  high 
rate  geographical  areas  as  designated  by  the  Federal  General  Services  Administrator  and  published  at  52 
Federal  Register  26630-26648  (July  15,  1987)  and  at  52  Federal  Register  33616-33617  (September  4, 
1987),  a  copy  of  which  is  in  the  Legislative  Services  Office. 

When  the  Legislative  Services  Office  receives  the  necessary  documents  and  information,  it  will 
prepare  the  necessary  budget  Division  Claim  Form  -  Form  BD  403S,  Request  for  Reimbursement  for 
Travel  and  Other  Expenses  -  and  send  it  to  the  legislator  for  his  signature.  When  the  legislator  signs  and 
returns  this  form  to  the  Legislative  Services  Office,  reimbursement  will  follow  shortly. 

Payment  for  Attending  Interim  Standing  Committee  Meetings:  Legislators  receive  no  additional 
salary  for  attending  interim  committee  meetings.  Members  of  a  committee  who  attend  an  officially 
scheduled  committee  or  subcommittee  meeting  are  entitled  to  receive  $81.00  per  day  subsistence 
allowance,  plus  25  cents  per  mile  for  miles  actually  traveled. 

The  committee  clerk  submits  to  the  Legislative  Services  Office  a  list  of  members  attending 
scheduled  committee  or  subcommittee  meetings,  plus  a  statement  of  the  mileage  traveled.  The  Legislative 
Services  Office  combines  all  of  the  entries  for  each  legislator  and  issues  the  appropriate  checks.  It  is  not 
necessary  that  the  legislator  file  a  detailed  expense  account,  as  he  will  be  paid  a  flat  subsistence  allowance 
of  $81.00  per  day,  regardless  of  actual  expenses. 

Payroll  Forms:  Before  any  salary  payments  can  be  made,  the  legislator  must  execute  certain 
payroll  forms.  Immediately  after  the  general  election  in  November,  the  Legislative  Services  Office  sends 
each  member  a  document  which  combines  a  mileage  form.  Federal  Internal  Revenue  Service  Form  W-4 
(Employee's  Withholding  Exemption  Certificate);  and  North  Carolina  Department  of  Revenue  Form 
NC-4  (Employee's  Withholding  Exemption  Certificate).  The  member  should  fill  out  each  of  the  forms 
and  sign  each  (a  total  of  three  signatures  being  required  on  the  single-sheet  document). 

New  members  cannot  be  paid  until  these  forms  have  been  executed  and  returned  to  the  Legislative 
Services  Office.  If  the  forms  are  not  received  from  incumbent  members  who  are  returning  for  another 
term,  payment  will  be  made  on  the  basis  of  forms  filed  for  the  preceding  term. 

Once  these  forms  have  been  executed  and  filed  in  the  Legislative  Services  Office,  payments  of 
salary,  general  expense  allowance,  in-session  subsistence  allowance,  and  in-session  travel  allowance  will 
be  made  automatically  without  further  action  by  the  legislator. 


Legislative  Manual  -  January,   1991  Page  5 


The  Legislative  Retirement  System:  The  Legislative  Retirement  System  is  pan  of  the  package  of 
benefits  available  to  members  of  the  General  Assembly.  A  contribution  of  7%  of  the  monthly  salary  is 
deducted  from  the  monthly  salary  check  and  is  tax  deferred  until  the  member  retires  with  the  General 
Assembly.  In  addition,  the  State  contributes  40.25%  of  the  monthly  salary.  All  members  of  the  General 
Assembly  are  eligible  for  membership  provided  they  are  not  contributing  to  any  other  state-administered 
retirement  system.  Benefits  of  the  Legislative  Retirement  System  are  explained  in  the  booklet  entitled 
"Your  Retirement  System". 

Health  Insurance:  Members  of  the  N.C.  General  Assembly  are  entitled  to  hospital  insurance 
coverage  on  themselves  at  no  cost.  If  the  member  wishes  to  cover  family  members,  he  will  have  to  pay  the 
additional  cost  which  will  be  deducted  from  his  paycheck  each  month. 

The  Health  Insurance  Plan  open  enrollment  period  is  January  1,  1991  through  January  31,  1991. 
Applications  received  after  January  31,  1991  will  be  subject  to  the  12-month  pre-existing  condition  rule. 

Dental  Insurance:  Dental  Insurance  is  available  to  General  Assembly  members  and  their  families 
with  the  member  paying  the  full  cost  of  the  monthly  premiums  by  payroll  deduction. 

The  Dental  Insurance  Plan  open  enrollment  period  is  January  1,  1991  through  February  28,  1991. 
Applications  received  after  February  28,  1991  may  not  be  accepted. 

Excess  Liability  Insurance:  Each  legislator  is  provided  with  $1,000,000  of  liability  insurance  at  no 
charge  to  the  member. 

In  addition  to  the  above-explained  benefits  members  of  the  General  Assembly  are  eligible  to 
participate  in  40 IK,  Deferred  Compensation,  and  the  Dependent  Care  Assistance  Plan.  For  information 
on  any  of  these  plans,  contact  the  Disbursing  Office,  733-7500. 


Page  6  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


LEGISLATORS'  OFFICES 

1.  Legislators'  Offices.  Each  member  of  the  General  Assembly  is  assigned  a  private  office  and 
is  free  to  use  his  office  as  he  chooses.  If  he  wishes  to  have  furniture  removed  or  added,  he  should  so 
inform  the  Legislative  Administrative  Officer.  The  Legislative  Services  Commission  has  ruled  that  office 
furnishing  equipment  may  not  be  removed  from  the  Legislative  Building  or  Legislative  Office  Building. 
The  North  Carolina  General  Assembly  is  not  responsible  for  the  loss  or  damage  of  personal  items 
members  place  in  their  offices. 

(a)  Hanging  pictures.  The  walls  of  the  individual  offices  are  constructed  of  marble  blocks.  Nails 
driven  carelessly  into  these  walls  cause  large  holes  which  cannot  be  properly  repaired  and 
result  in  defacing  the  office.  A  legislator  who  wishes  to  hang  a  picture  or  other  object  on  the 
wall  of  his  office  should  apply  to  the  Legislative  Building  Superintendent  who  will  see  that  the 
necessary  hangers  are  properly  installed. 

(b)  Floor  covering.  Rugs  are  not  provided  by  the  General  Assembly  for  legislators'  offices.  Any 
member  of  the  General  Assembly  who  wishes  to  provide  his  own  rug  may  do  so  if  the  rug  is  of 
the  area  type  and  does  not  have  to  be  fastened  to  the  floor  with  adhesive  or  nails. 

(c)  Doors.  Signs  identifying  the  legislator  and  his  county  of  residence  are  provided  for  each  office 
door.  No  other  signs,  maps  or  other  materials  may  be  affixed  to  the  outer  side  of  an  office 
door.  Doors  will  not  be  cut  or  altered  in  any  way  in  order  to  open  or  close  over  floor 
coverings. 

2.  Office  Keys:  Legislators  obtain  office  keys  from  the  Security  Office.  If  the  legislator  desires 
a  key  for  his  secretary,  he  should  send  her  to  the  Security  Office,  State  Legislative  Building,  to  sign  for  her 
key.  The  secretary  should  return  her  key  to  the  Security  Office  at  the  end  of  the  session.  A  legislator  who 
is  not  re-elected  for  the  next  term  should  return  his  own  key  prior  to  January  1  next  following  the  general 
election  in  November. 

Each  key  to  an  office  in  the  State  Legislative  Building  will  unlock  the  extreme  right-hand  door  at 
the  front  of  that  building.  Each  key  to  an  office  in  the  Legislative  Office  Building  will  unlock  the  fire  door 
(the  extreme  left-hand  door)  of  that  building's  Lane  Street  entrance.  Thus  a  member  may  have  access  to 
his  office  at  any  day  and  hour.  Each  member's  key  also  unlocks  the  far  right-hand  door  of  the  Lane 
Street  (bridge  level)  entrance  of  the  Legislative  Building  and  the  far  right-hand  door  on  the  mall  entrance 
(third  floor)  entrance  of  the  Legislative  Office  Building  thereby  allowing  members  using  the  pedestrian 
bridge  to  have  access  to  both  the  Legislative  Building  and  the  Legislative  Office  Building. 

3.  Use  of  Offices:  The  legislative  office  is  for  the  use  of  the  legislator  and  staff  persons 
authorized  by  him. 

In  order  to  avoid  unpleasant  incidents  and  to  improve  the  building  security,  when  the  legislative 
buildings  are  closed,  building  security  personnel  are  instructed  to  evict  from  the  legislator's  office  anyone 

Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  7 


(except  for  the  legislator  and  his  regular  clerk)  who  does  not  have  written  authorization  from  the  legislator 
to  use  the  office  after  hours.  Keys  will  be  taken  from  unauthorized  persons  and  returned  to  the  legislator 
by  security  personnel. 


Page  8  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


PARKING 

Members  of  the  General  Assembly  are  allowed  to  park  in  the  following  areas  during  sessions  of  the 
General  Assembly: 

(1)  Parking  area  under  the  State  Legislative  Building; 

(2)  Both  sides  of  the  portions  of  Lane  Street,  Jones  Street,  Wilmington  Street,  and  Salisbury 
Street  that  surround  the  State  Legislative  Building; 

(3)  Designated  area  in  Lot  65,  (parking  deck  immediately  behind  the  Slate  Legislative  Building. 
During  interim  periods: 

(1)  Parking  area  under  the  State  Legislative  Building; 

(2)  Visitor  parking  area  in  Lot  65,    (parking  deck  immediately  behind  the   State   Legislative 
Building. 

All  parking  is  on  a  first  come,  first  serve  basis.  There  are  no  reserved  parking  spaces  for  General 
Assembly  members  under  the  State  Legislative  Building,  on  the  street,  or  the  in  the  parking  deck. 


Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  9 


SECRETARIAL  ASSISTANCE 


Each  committee  chairman  is  entitled  to  a  committee  clerk,  and  each  indivddual  legislator  is  entitled 
to  a  private  secretary.  This  clerk  or  secretary  is  situated  in  the  committee  chairman's  suite  or  in  the 
legislator's  office.  (In  the  interest  of  brevity,  both  clerks  and  secretaries  are  sometimes  referred  to  as 
"clerks"  in  this  manual,  and  the  feminine  pronoun  is  used.) 

Selection  of  House  Clerks:  Employment  of  House  Clerks  is  handled  by  the  House  Supervisor  of 
Clerks  under  the  supervision  of  the  House  Principal  Clerk.  Each  committee  chairman  may  choose  his  own 
clerk,  and  each  individual  Representative  may  choose  his  private  secretary.  Clerks  and  secretaries  are 
subject  to  discharge  at  any  time  by  the  Representative  whom  they  serve.  If  the  Representative  desires,  he 
may  employ  the  clerk  and  simply  notify  the  House  Supervisor  of  Clerks  who  will  request  the  Legislative 
Administrative  Officer  to  enter  the  employee  on  the  payroll.  Or,  the  Representative  may  notify  the  House 
Supervisor  of  Clerks  as  to  whom  he  desires  to  have  as  clerk,  and  the  Legislative  Administrative  Officer  will 
employ  that  person  if  she  is  available.  Or,  the  Representative  may  request  the  House  Supervisor  of  Clerks 
to  employ  a  qualified  person  as  clerk,  and  the  House  Supervisor  of  Clerks  will  employ  and  assign  the  best 
qualified  person  available.  Clerks  generally  are  employed  as  of  the  opening  day  of  the  session;  clerks  to 
major  standing  committees  may  be  allowed  to  begin  work  at  an  earlier  date,  if  prior  approval  is  granted  by 
the  Services  Commission  Chairmen. 

Two  Representatives  may  agree  to  share  a  clerk;  if  they  agree  upon  the  desired  person,  these 
Representatives  have  available  the  same  alternatives  as  do  chairmen  and  individual  Representatives. 
Otherwise,  the  House  Supervisor  of  Clerks  will  employ  and  assign  the  best  qualified  person  available. 
Where  two  Representatives  agree  to  share  a  clerk,  they  may  then  employ  a  Joint  Research  Assistant  or 
Administrative  Aide  at  the  same  pay  rate  which  a  clerk  receives. 

Selection  of  Senate  Clerks:  Employment  of  Senate  Clerks  is  handled  by  the  Senate  Supervisor  of 
Clerks.  Each  committee  chairman  may  choose  his  own  clerk,  and  each  individual  Senator  may  choose  his 
private  secretary.  Clerks  and  secretaries  are  subject  to  discharge  at  any  time  by  the  Senator  whom  they 
serve.  If  the  Senator  desires,  he  may  employ  the  clerk  and  simply  notify  the  Senate  Supervisor  of  Clerks 
who  will  request  the  Legislative  Administrative  Officer  to  enter  the  employee  on  the  payroll.  Or,  the 
Senator  may  notify  the  Senate  Supervisor  of  Clerks  as  to  whom  he  desires  to  have  as  clerk,  and  the 
Legislative  Administrative  Officer  will  employ  that  person  if  she  is  available.  Or,  the  Senator  may  request 
the  Senate  Supervisor  of  Clerks  to  employ  a  qualified  person  as  clerk,  and  the  Senate  Supervisor  of  Clerks 
will  employ  and  assign  the  best  qualified  person  available.  Clerks  generally  are  employed  as  of  the  opening 
day  of  the  session;  clerks  to  major  standing  committees  may  be  allowed  to  begin  work  at  an  earlier  date,  if 
prior  approval  is  granted  by  the  Legislative  Services  Commission  Chairmen. 

Two  Senators  may  agree  to  share  a  clerk;  if  they  agree  upon  the  desired  person,  these  Senators 
have  available  the  same  alternatives  as  do  chairmen  and  individual  Senators.  Otherwise,  the  Senate 
Supervisor  of  Clerks  will  employ  and  assign  the  best  qualified  person  available.  Where  two  Senators  agree 

Page  10  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


to  share  a  clerk,  they  may  then  employ  a  Joint  Research  Assistant  or  Administrative  Aide  at  the  same  pay 
rate  which  a  clerk  receives. 

Qualification  of  Clerks:  When  a  clerk  is  hired  by  or  at  the  request  of  a  legislator  that  legislator 
vouches  for  the  employees'  competence,  and  she  will  not  be  tested  by  the  Legislative  Services  Office. 
When  a  clerk  is  hired  and  assigned  by  the  appropriate  Supervisor  of  Clerks,  the  employee's  competence 
will  be  checked  by  the  supervisor. 

Pay  of  Clerks:  Employees  of  the  General  Assembly  are  paid  according  to  classifications  and 
schedules  adopted  by  the  Legislative  Services  Commission.  Each  clerk,  no  matter  how  she  is  hired,  will  be 
classified  by  the  Legislative  Services  Office  and  paid  according  to  the  appropriate  schedule. 

Working  Hours:  The  normal  working  day  for  committee  clerks  and  members'  secretaries  is  from 
9:00  a.m.  to  5:00  p.m.  daily.  Because  the  General  Assembly  does  not  usually  observe  holidays,  employees 
are  expected  to  work  on  those  days  also. 

Each  legislator  is  responsible  for  seeing  that  his  clerk  works  the  proper  number  of  hours.  Each 
legislator  may  adjust  his  clerks'  work  schedule  to  meet  his  own  special  needs.  He  should  realize  that  if  he 
grants  special  privileges  to  his  clerk,  others  who  are  not  granted  such  privileges  will  complain,  and  a  major 
morale  problem  will  result.  If  a  legislator  allows  his  clerk  to  come  in  later  on  Monday,  or  leave  early  on 
Friday,  for  example,  he  should  not  call  on  other  clerks  or  the  Legislative  Services  Office  for  assistance  in 
her  absence.  Unexcused  absences  or  absences  by  reason  of  illness  should  be  reported  to  the  Legislative 
Services  Office  so  that  proper  adjustments  of  pay  can  be  made. 

Control  and  Direction  of  Clerks:  Each  legislator  has  exclusive  control  and  direction  of  his  clerk. 
No  clerk  will  be  assigned  any  work  or  duty  by  any  person  without  the  approval  of  the  legislator  for  whom 
she  works. 

The  House  and  Senate  Supervisors  of  Clerks  assist  in  the  hiring,  assigning  and  training  of  clerks. 
These  supervisors  are  available  to  advise  clerks  as  to  proper  procedures  and  techniques  for  handling 
legislative  business. 

If  a  clerk  is  absent,  the  legislator  concerned  may  notify  the  appropriate  supervisor  and  substitute 
services  will  be  provided.  A  clerk  who  knows  in  advance  that  she  will  be  absent  during  scheduled  hours 
should  notify  the  appropriate  Supervisor  of  Clerks  in  advance.  Whenever  substitute  service  is  made 
necessary  by  the  absence  of  a  clerk,  the  Legislative  Services  Office  is  instructed  to  deduct  an  appropriate 
amount  from  the  absentee's  salary  unless  the  clerk  has  sufficient  accumulated  earned  sick  leave.  Any 
substantial  deviation  from  these  general  rules  is  subject  to  approval  by  the  President  Pro  Tempore  of  the 
Senate  or  the  Speaker  of  the  House. 

General  Policies  Governing  Clerks:  In  order  to  minimize  morale  problems  among  the  clerks  and 
other  temporary  employees  of  the  General  Assembly,  the  Legislative  Services  Commission  requests  that  all 
legislators  enforce  certain  general  rules.  These  rules  are  discussed  with  clerks  in  each  house  at  the 
beginning  of  the  session  by  the  Supervisor  of  Clerks,  and  the  Supervisor  is  directed  to  call  violations  to  the 


Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  11 


attention   of  the   clerk  concerned;   this  function  is  designed  to  assist,    and  not  to  interfere   with,   the 
legislator's  control  over  his  own  clerk. 
The  general  rules  follow: 

1.  Working  hours  are  from  9:00  a.m.  to  5:00  p.m.  daily,  with  one  hour  off  for  lunch.  This 
schedule  is  subject  to  variation  by  the  individual  legislator,  but  the  total  time  devoted  to 
legislative  service  by  the  employee  must  be  not  less  than  the  minimum  hours  included  in  this 
regular  schedule. 

2.  One  of  the  primary  duties  of  a  clerk  is  to  act  as  receptionist  for  the  legislator  served.  Clerks 
should  stay  in  their  own  office  except  when  moving  about  in  performing  their  duties. 

3.  Except  at  the  express  direction  of  the  legislator  served,  clerks  should  not  occupy  balcony  seats 
in  the  legislative  chambers  during  the  daily  sessions. 

4.  With  the  approval  of  the  legislators  concerned,  clerks  may  assist  each  other  at  times  when  the 
workload  of  one  is  great,  and  the  workload  of  another  is  slight.  As  there  is  no  longer  any 
secretarial  pool  to  come  to  the  aid  of  an  overburdened  clerk,  the  willingness  to  assist  is 
encouraged,  but  only  with  the  approval  of  all  legislators  concerned.  From  time  to  time  the 
Supervisor  of  Clerks  will  seek  a  legislator's  permission  to  channel  work  from  another  source  to 
that  legislator's  clerk. 

Interim  Clerical  Services:  Standing  committees  meeting  during  interim  periods  may  utilize  the 
services  of  their  individual  clerks  on  a  part-time  basis.  Each  clerk  will  be  situated  in  the  chairman's  office. 
She  will  be  paid  a  full  day  for  each  day  on  which  she  attends  a  committee  or  subcommittee  meeting  plus 
one  additional  day  for  preparation  and  minute-keeping.  Thus,  if  a  clerk  attends  a  one-day  meeting  on 
Friday,  she  will  be  paid  for  two  days;  if  she  attends  a  two-day  meeting,  she  will  be  paid  for  three  days. 


Page  12  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


MAIL  SERVICE  AND  POSTAGE 

The  Legislative  Mail  Rooms  are  located  in  Room  2  in  the  basement  of  the  State  Legislative  Building 
and  Room  102  in  the  Legislative  Office  Building.  The  service  window  in  the  Mail  Room  is  manned  from 
8:30  a.m.  to  5:30  p.m.  daily. 

Incoming  Mail:  The  Mail  Rooms  are  equipped  with  post  office  type  mailboxes,  one  of  which  is 
assigned  to  each  legislator.  Incoming  mail  is  not  delivered  to  individual  offices  but  is  placed  in  the 
legislator's  box.  Once  permanent  office  assignments  have  been  made,  legislators  will  be  given  the  number 
and  combination  of  their  mailbox  by  the  Mail  Room  Supervisor. 

Outgoing  Mail:  Outgoing  mail  must  be  bundled  with  the  Legislator's  Postage  Authorization  slip. 
This  Authorization  slip  bears  the  name  of  the  legislator,  clerk  or  secretary,  date,  number  of  pieces  of  mail, 
and  the  legislator's  assigned  postage  account  number.  Outgoing  mail  may  be  deposited  in  the  Mail  Rooms 
or  in  collection  centers  maintained  in  Room  2125  and  in  Room  2225  on  the  second  floor  of  the  State 
Legislative  Building. 

Legislators  may  have  printed  materials  placed  in  other  legislators'  mailboxes  only  if  each  piece  of 
the  material  is  designated  as  coming  from  a  legislator. 

Postage:  Postage  on  outgoing  official  mail  is  paid  from  General  Assembly  funds.  A  postage  meter 
interfaced  to  an  electronic  accounting  system  is  used.  Effective  January  1,  1991,  each  legislator  is  allowed 
a  combined  total  of  S1500  for  his  two-year  term  for  long-distance  telephone  charges  and  postage  used  for 
member's  official  legislative  business.  There  is  no  limit  on  the  number  of  pieces  mailed  or  cost  per  piece; 
however,  once  a  member  has  used  his  combined  allowance  for  his  two-year  term,  our  Disbursing  Office 
will  begin  billing  him  for  postage.  Allowances  not  used  are  not  transferable  to  another  legislator's  account 
and  are  not  transferable  to  a  member's  next  two-year  term  upon  re-election.  The  last  paycheck  of  a 
member's  two-year  term  will  be  held  until  all  bills  are  paid  for  expenses  exceeding  the  combined 
long-distance  telephone  and  postage  allowance. 

Personal  mail  of  both  the  legislator  and  his  clerk  or  secretary  should  be  stamped.  Stamps  may  be 
purchased  at  the  service  window  at  the  Mail  Rooms. 

When  an  unstamped  envelope  bearing  a  legislator's  name  and  accompanied  by  an  authorization 
slip  is  deposited  in  one  of  the  collection  locations  for  outgoing  mail,  the  legislator  thereby  certifies  that  the 
envelope  contains  official  legislative  business. 

Returned  Mail:  A  substantial  number  of  letters  are  returned  to  the  Mail  Rooms  by  the  United 
States  Post  Office,  frequendy  marked  "Address  Unknown",  or  with  some  similar  notation.  This  mail  will 
be  returned  to  the  sender  by  placing  it  in  his  box. 

Registered  Mail  and  Certified  Mail:  By  arrangement  with  the  U.S.  Post  Office,  the  Mail  Rooms 
pick  up  registered  and  certified  mail.  A  notice  of  such  mail  is  placed  m  the  legislator's  box  and  delivery  is 
made  at  the  service  window. 


Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  13 


Interim  Mail:  Between  sessions,  first-class  mail  is  forwarded  to  legislators'  home  addresses.  Other 
mail  is  placed  in  the  individual  legislator's  Mail  Room  mailbox  to  be  picked  up  by  the  legislator  whenever 
he/she  happens  to  be  in  Raleigh. 

Interim  Postage:  Legislators  are  expected  to  use  their  combined  postage  and  long-distance 
telephone  allowance  to  pay  postage  for  any  individual  mailings  during  an  interim  period.  Clerks  for  interim 
legislative  committees  who  prepare  mailings  from  Raleigh  will  transmit  the  material  to  the  Mail  Rooms 
where  it  will  be  processed  through  a  postage  meter  and  charged  to  the  appropriate  Committee  account. 

Express  Mail  Service:  Legislators  on  occasion  request  materials  be  sent  to  them  by  staff  via 
Federal  Express,  UPS,  USPS  Express  Mail,  etc.  in  order  to  insure  next-day  delivery.  Materials  can  be 
mailed  in  this  manner;  however,  legislators  will  be  billed  by  our  Disbursing  Office  for  the  costs  incurred  for 
expedited  mail. 


Page  14  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


TELEPHONE 

Each  legislator  has  a  private  telephone  on  his  desk  in  his  legislative  office.  This  telephone  may  be 
reached  by  dialing  an  individual  number.  In  addition,  during  the  session  Southern  Bell  maintains  a 
telephone  switchboard  center  in  the  State  Legislative  Building  just  off  the  House  side  of  the  second-floor 
rotunda  next  to  the  chapel.  The  telephone  number  of  this  center  is  (919)  733-4111.  The  center  is 
operated  during  normal  business  hours.  Incoming  calls  to  the  center  number  reach  a  switchboard  which 
will  ring  the  legislator's  office  and  will  take  and  deliver  messages  if  the  office  telephone  does  not  answer. 
Calls  to  the  legislator's  individual  private  number  do  not  go  through  the  telephone  center  switchboard. 
A  telephone  room  has  been  established  in  the  Legislative  Office  Building  in  Room  642  for  the 
exclusive  use  of  legislators.  There  are  two  telephones  in  this  room  which  can  be  used  for  toll-free  local 
calls. 

Local  Service:  The  charges  for  local  service  to  the  individual  legislator's  office  telephone  are  paid 
by  the  General  Assembly.  This  service  is  provided  on  a  continuing  basis  throughout  the  biennial  session. 
(See  "Telephone  Service  During  Interim  Periods:"  page  16.) 

Long-Distance  Service:  Each  legislator's  office  telephone  is  connected  to  the  State  Telephone 
Network  (STN).  Long-distance  rates  for  calls  made  over  this  network  are  about  40%  of  the  regular 
commercial  rate  for  the  average  in-State  long-distance  call.  The  STN  rate  is  the  same  for  calls  to  all 
points  in  North  Carolina,  regardless  of  the  distance  from  Raleigh.  Thus,  it  is  possible  to  give  each  legislator 
the  identical  long-distance  allowance  and  thereby  assure  that  each  has  available  the  same  long-distance 
time  at  the  expense  of  the  General  Assembly.  Effective  January  1,  1991,  each  legislator  is  allowed  a 
combined  total  of  S1500  for  his  two-year  term  for  long-distance  telephone  charges  and  postage  used  for 
member's  official  legislative  business.  All  long-distance  calls  made  from  a  member's  Legislative 
Building/Legislative  Office  Building  office  phone  and  calls  made  using  the  State  Network  Credit  Card  will 
be  charged  against  the  allowance.  Members  exceeding  the  combined  allowance  will  be  billed  for  the 
amount  over  the  allowance.  Allowances  not  used  are  not  transferable  to  another  legislator's  account  and 
are  not  transferable  to  a  member's  next  two-year  term  upon  re-election.  The  Legislative  Administrative 
Officer  has  been  directed  not  to  make  such  transfers,  and  the  Legislative  Services  Commission  requests 
that  legislators  not  apply  for  such  transfers.  The  last  paycheck  of  a  member's  two-year  term  will  be  held 
until  all  bills  are  paid  for  expenses  exceeding  the  combined  long-distance  telephone  and  postage 
allowance.  Long-distance  bills  are  paid  in  the  first  instance  by  the  General  Services  Division  of  the 
Department  of  Administration.  The  Legislative  Services  Office  then  reimburses  the  General  Services 
Division  and  sends  to  each  legislator  a  monthly  statement  showing  calls  made  on  his  phone  and  the 
charges  made  against  his  allowance.  If  the  legislator  does  not  exceed  his  combined  allowance  for  his 
two-year  term,  the  account  is  closed  at  the  end  of  the  year  and  the  legislator  owes  nothing.  If  the  charges 
exceed  the  combined  long-distance  telephone  and  postage  allowance,  the  Services  Office  bills  the 
legislator  for  the  excess.  In  using  the  State  Telephone  Network,  certain  important  points  should  be  kept  in 
mind. 

Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  15 


1.  STN  billing  is  different  from  ordinary  commercial  WATS  line  billing.  All  calls  on  STN  are 
billed  to  the  calling  phone.  If  a  legislator  allows  his  office  phone  to  be  used  for  any  long 
distance  calls  except  on  his  legislative  business,  the  legislator's  allowance  for  business  purposes 
is  reduced  accordingly.  The  idea  that  this  is  a  WATS  line,  and  that  it  makes  no  difference 
how  many  calls  are  made  over  it,  is  erroneous. 

2.  A  legislator  may  make  long-distance  calls  from  his  hotel  room  or  other  location  and  may 
charge  the  calls  to  his  office  phone,  but  the  charges  for  such  calls  will  be  made  by  the 
telephone  company  at  the  regular  commercial  rate  and  not  at  the  reduced  STN  rate. 

3.  The  reduced  STN  rate  is  possible  because  the  Department  of  Administration  leases  only  as 
many  long-distance  lines  as  are  necessary  to  give  reasonably  adequate  service  at  peak  hours 
without  having  a  great  many  idle  lines  during  periods  of  minimal  use.  Use  by  the  permanent 
agencies  of  State  Government  follows  a  predictable  and  relatively  even  pattern.  Legislative  use 
patterns  are  more  variable  and  less  predictable.  Normal  peak  hours  of  the  existing  STN 
pattern  occur  between  9:00  and  11:30  a.m.  and  between  2:00  and  4:00  p.m.  If  temporary 
inconvenience  caused  by  peak  period  overload  of  the  STN  develops,  legislators  can  cooperate 
in  reducing  the  problem  by  placing  their  calls,  when  possible,  outside  these  peak  hours. 

Telephone  Services  During  Interim  Periods:  The  telephone  in  an  individual  legislator's  private 
office  remains  connected  while  the  General  Assembly  is  not  in  session.  The  charge  for  local  services  is 
paid  by  the  General  Assembly.  Long-distance  calls  made  by  the  legislator  from  his  office  telephone  during 
these  interim  periods  will  be  charged  against  the  legislator's  long-distance  telephone  allowance  (See 
"Long-Distance  Service:"  page  15.) 

Calls  to  State  Offices  in  Raleigh  from  Legislator's  Home  Area:  Each  legislator  is  issued  a  State 
Telephone  Network  (STN)  card  which  allows  him  the  advantage  of  the  low  STN  long-distance  rates  when 
calling  anywhere  in  the  continental  United  States.  All  charges  made  on  the  STN  card  will  be  charged 
against  the  legislator's  combined  postage  and  long-distance  telephone  allowance  (See  "Long-Distance 
Service"  page  15.)  In  order  to  use  this  service  the  legislator  must  follow  the  instructions  printed  on  the 
STN  card.  The  legislator  should  not  dial  the  regular  long-distance  operator;  attempts  to  use  the  STN  card 
through  regular  commercial  long-distance  procedures  will  fail.  There  are  a  few  areas  of  the  State  in  which 
the  STN  card  service  is  not  yet  available,  but  the  service  is  being  constantly  expanded  and  it  will  soon  be 
available  in  the  few  legislators'  home  areas  not  currently  served. 


Page  16  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


STATIONERY 

Each  legislator  will  be  provided  with  up  to  4,000  sheets  of  stationery  and  4,000  envelopes  at  State 
expense.  This  allotment  is  for  the  full  two-year  term.  If  a  legislator  requires  more  than  the  allotment,  the 
Legislative  Services  Office  will  order  additional  stationery  and  will  bill  the  legislator  for  the  excess.  The 
4,000  sheets  of  stationery  may  be  any  combination  of  bond  and  onionskin  letterheads  requested  by  the 
legislator. 

When  new  legislators  arrive  at  the  beginning  of  the  session  they  are  provided  with  500  sheets  of 
bond  letterhead  bearing  the  Senate  or  House  designation  and  the  legislator's  name,  district,  and  home 
address.  Envelopes  showing  Senate  or  House  designation  and  the  legislator's  name  are  also  provided. 

As  soon  as  committee  appointments  have  been  completed,  each  legislator  should  have  his  clerk 
prepare  and  bring  to  the  Disbursing  Office  a  sample  of  his  letterhead  showing  Senate  or  House 
designation,  legislator's  district  and  home  address,  and  committee  assignments.  The  Disbursing  Office  will 
then  order  letterhead  and  envelopes.  Further  orders  for  stationery  will  be  placed  upon  request  of  the 
legislator.  Requests  may  be  made  directly  to  the  Disbursing  Office  in  Room  5  of  the  State  Legislative 
Building. 

The  N.C.  General  Assembly  does  not  furnish  engraved  letterhead. 

As  directed  by  the  Legislative  Ethics  Committee  "it  is  inappropriate  for  any  legislator  to  use  or 
allow  another  to  use  his  official  legislative  stationery  paid  for  by  the  State  for  soliciting  campaign 
contributions  to  or  thanking  contributors  to  the  legislator's  political  campaign.  A  legislator  may  use  a 
facsimile  of  the  legislator's  official  legislative  stationery  in  soliciting  campaign  contributions  or  thanking 
contributors  to  the  legislator's  political  campaign  if  it  is  paid  for  by  other  than  State  funds  and  if  it  bears  a 
clear  disclaimer  that  indicates  the  stationery  was  not  printed  or  mailed  at  State  expense." 

Letterhead  and/or  envelopes  ordered  through  the  Disbursing  Office  cannot  be  ordered  bearing  the 
"not  printed  at  government  expense"  disclaimer  although  the  legislator  may  desire  to  pay  for  the 
letterhead  and/or  envelopes.  Because  the  letterhead/envelopes  are  printed  at  a  much  cheaper  cost  than 
would  be  charged  in  the  open  market,  the  disclaimer  would  not,  in  fact,  be  a  true  statement.  Legislators 
are  requested  to  purchase  any  letterhead/envelopes  bearing  "not  printed  at  government  expense"  from  a 
private  vendor. 


Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  n 


DICTATING  EQUIPMENT 

Every  legislator  who  desires  it  will  be  provided  with  dictating  equipment  by  calling  Don  Hibbert 
(Telephone  733-2170).  Dictating  equipment  should  not  be  removed  from  the  legislative  buildings. 


Page  18  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


FACSIMILE  MACHINE  (FAX) 

There  are  two  FAX  machines  for  use  of  General  Assembly  members.  Telephone  line  charges  for 
the  use  of  the  FAX  machine  will  be  charged  to  the  using  member's  telephone  allowance.  A  legislator  or 
his  secretary  should  be  present  at  the  time  of  transmission  to  receive  a  confirmation  of  the  transmission. 

The  FAX  machines'  locations  and  receiving  numbers  are: 
Room  400  Legislative  Office  Building,  919-733-3113 
Room  7  Legislative  Building,  919-733-2599 
(located  in  Room  2129  during  the  interim) 

If  a  member  receives  documents  over  the  FAX,  there  is  no  charge  and  the  member  will  be  notified 
of  the  receipt  of  the  document. 


Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  jg 


PRINT  SHOP  AND  COPYING  MACHINES 

The  Print  Shop  is  located  in  Room  107  of  the  Legislative  Office  Building.  Legislators  and  their 
clerks  should  use  the  Print  Shop  when  they  need  20  or  more  copies.  The  Print  Shop  should  be  used  for 
copying  official  legislative  materials  only  (no  personal  printing,  i.e. letters  to  constituents,  newsletters, 
invitations,  etc.). 

For  less  than  20  copies  legislators  and  their  clerks  should  use  the  copying  machines  located  in 
Room  618  in  the  Legislative  Office  Building  or  on  the  second  floor  of  the  State  Legislative  Building. 
Operators  are  there  to  assist  you. 


P^g^  20  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


BILL  DRAFTING 

Bill  Drafting  Division:  The  Bill  Drafting  Division  of  the  Legislative  Services  Office  is  located  in 
Room  100  on  the  first  floor  of  the  Legislative  Office  Building.  The  Division  is  staffed  by  a  Director  (Gerry 
F.  Cohen),  nine  staff  attorneys,  a  research  assistant,  and  two  permanent  secretarial  employees.  Legislators 
may  present  their  bill-drafting  requests  to  this  office  in  person  or  by  telephone  (733-6660).  If  the 
legislator  knows  which  staff  attorney  he  wishes  to  talk  with,  he  may  call  for  that  attorney.  Otherwise,  the 
secretary  will  refer  the  legislator  to  the  drafter  who  specializes  in  the  field  affected  by  the  requested  draft. 
When  all  staff  attorneys  are  temporarily  occupied,  the  secretary  will  take  the  request  and  transmit  it  to  the 
appropriate  drafter  as  promptly  as  possible.  Drafting  requests  and  bills  drafted  are  confidential  within  the 
Bill  Drafting  Division  Office  until  the  sponsoring  legislator  releases  them. 

Research  Division:  The  Research  Division  of  the  Legislative  Services  Office  provides  staffing 
support  (broad  range  of  legal  and  non-fiscal  research,  and  drafting  and  redrafting  of  amendments  and 
committee  substitutes)  to  selected  standing  committees  on  a  regular  basis  and,  where  requested,  to 
conference  committees.  The  Division  also  provides,  subject  to  availability  of  personnel,  a  significant 
amount  of  initial  drafting  of  bills  where  the  subject  matter  concerns  legislative  procedure  or  internal 
legislative  operations  (creation  of  interim  legislative  study  commissions  and  committees,  modification  of 
House  or  Senate  rules,  etc.)  or  other  matters  within  the  expertise  of  individual  staff  members.  Drafting 
requests  in  these  areas  may  be  presented  to  the  Director  of  Research  (Terrence  D.  Sullivan,  Room  545, 
Legislative  Office  Building;  Phone:  733-2578).  Research  and  drafting  requests  made  to  Research  Division 
personnel  are  kept  confidential  under  the  provisions  of  the  law  on  confidentiality  of  legislative 
communications. 

Other  Bill  Drafting  Sources 

Attorney  General's  Drafting  Division:  A  legislator  who  has  a  bill  to  be  drafted  may  present  his 
request  to  the  Attorney  General's  Drafting  Office  (Floyd  M.  Lewis,  Revisor  of  Statutes  and  Assistant 
Attorney  General,  Raney  Building,  104  Fayetteville  St.  Mall;  Phone:  733-6026).  A  member  of  the 
Attorney  General's  staff  will  discuss  the  matter  with  the  legislator  and  a  bill  will  be  drafted. 

Normally,  a  legislator  should  use  the  services  of  the  Bill  Drafting  Division,  Research  Division  or  the 
Attorney  General's  office  for  bill  drafting.  There  is,  however,  no  requirement  that  all  bills  be  drafted  by 
those  offices.  The  legislator  may  do  his  own  drafting,  or  he  may  turn  to  any  other  competent  source. 


Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  21 


BILL  PROCESSING 

Preparation  of  Copies  for  Introduction:  The  drafter  provides  the  legislator  with  one  or  more 
copies  of  the  finished  bill  draft.  Sometimes,  these  copies  are  not  yet  in  the  format  required  for 
introduction.  In  1969  a  computerized  bill  processing  and  printing  system  was  first  installed  and  copies 
from  computer-produced  printouts  are  now  delivered  to  the  legislator  for  use  as  introduced  copies.  After 
approval  of  the  draft  by  the  legislator,  the  drafter  will  forward  a  copy  to  the  Computer  Input  Center 
(Room  104  on  the  first  floor  of  the  Legislative  Office  Building)  for  handling  by  the  Legislative  Text 
Storage/Bill  Processing  System.  If  the  bill  is  drafted  by  anyone  other  than  legislative  staff  members  or  the 
Attorney  General's  Office,  the  legislator  must  send  the  copy  to  the  Computer  Center  although  legislative 
staff  are  available  to  review  and  comment  on  outside  drafts.  The  bill  is  put  into  computer  storage  and 
proofread,  and  a  corrected  print  is  obtained.  Forty  copies  of  the  print  are  reproduced  in  the  Printing 
Room  (Room  107  on  the  first  floor  of  the  Legislative  Office  Building).  The  copies  bear  a  large  "D"  in  the 
upper  right-hand  corner  to  denote  that  the  bill  is  a  draft  copy.  An  official  bill  jacket  is  prepared  and 
affixed  to  one  of  the  copies.  All  of  these  copies  are  placed  in  an  envelope  and  delivered  to  the  sponsoring 
legislator  through  the  office  of  the  Principal  Clerk  of  the  appropriate  house;  or  on  request,  the  Computer 
Center  will  deliver  bills  directly  to  the  sponsor.  At  this  point,  the  text  of  the  bill  is  still  confidential,  insofar 
as  the  legislative  staff  is  concerned.  Only  the  operator  who  inputs  the  bill  can  retrieve  it  from  computer 
storage  at  this  point,  and  computer  operators,  proofreaders,  and  printers  are  constantly  cautioned  and 
checked  to  make  certain  that  the  sponsor's  confidence  is  not  violated. 

Introduction:  Under  the  Senate  and  House  rules,  a  bill  is  filed  with  the  Principal  Clerk's  Office 
and  given  a  number.  In  the  House  this  filing  constitutes  introduction.  On  the  next  legislative  day  the  bill 
receives  its  first  reading  on  the  floor  of  the  House.  In  the  Senate  the  bill's  presentation  to  the  Senate  is  its 
introduction.  The  bill  is  given  a  number  and  is  normally  referred  to  a  committee.  The  bill  number,  date  of 
introduction,  and  committee  reference  are  input  into  computer  storage  and  a  new  print,  with  a  large  figure 
"1"  in  the  upper  right-hand  corner  of  the  first  page  is  produced.  A  copy  of  this  print  is  placed  in  the  bill 
notebook  of  every  legislator,  and  additional  copies  are  available  from  the  Printed  Bills  Office  in  Room 
2022  of  the  State  Legislative  Building. 

Amendments:  As  bills  are  amended  in  the  house  of  origin,  new  engrossed  prints  are  produced  and 
distributed.  Subsequent  prints  bear  the  figure  "2",  "3",  etc.,  in  the  upper  right-hand  corner  of  the  first 
page  for  easy  distinction  from  earlier  prints. 

If  a  bill  passes  the  house  of  origin,  all  amendments  are  routinely  engrossed  in  a  new  print  before 
the  bill  is  sent  to  the  other  house.  If  the  bill  is  amended  in  the  second  house,  the  amendments  are  not 
engrossed,  as  the  bill  must  be  returned  to  the  house  of  origin  for  approval,  not  of  the  basic  text,  but  solely 
of  the  amendments  adopted  by  the  second  house. 

If  the  house  of  origin  concurs  in  the  amendments,  the  bill  is  sent  to  the  enrolling  office. 

Conference  Committee  Reports:  If  the  house  of  origin  fails  to  concur  in  the  amendments 
approved   by  the   other  house,    a   conference   committee   is  usually   appointed  to   try   to   resolve   the 

Page  22  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


differences.  This  committee  reports  back  to  both  houses  a  recommended  text  without  amendment.  If  the 
report  is  adopted  in  both  houses,  the  bill  is  sent  to  the  enrolling  office.  If  the  conferees  fail  to  agree,  new 
conferees  may  be  appointed  and  the  conference  process  is  reported.  However,  if  either  house  refuses  to 
adopt  the  report  of  its  conferees,  no  new  conferees  may  be  appointed. 

Enrollment  and  Ratification:  The  Legislative  Administrative  Officer  or  his  designee  serves  as 
Enrolling  Clerk  to  the  General  Assembly.  Bills  for  enrollment  are  sent  to  the  Assistant  Enrolling  Clerk  who 
checks  the  text  for  accuracy  and  then  turns  the  copy  over  to  the  Computer  Center.  The  Computer  Center 
obtains  a  clean  print  of  the  final  text.  This  print,  called  the  enrolled  bill,  is  submitted  to  the  two  presiding 
officers  for  their  signatures.  The  signing  of  the  enrolled  bill  by  the  presiding  officers  is  the  act  of 
ratification  (the  bill  is  at  that  time  enacted,  i.e.  law).  The  signed  copy  is  filed  permanently  in  the  Secretary 
of  State's  Office. 

Identification  and  Status  of  Introduced  Bills:  Members  of  the  General  Assembly  and  staff,  and 
the  public,  have  easy  access  to  complete  information  on  the  identification,  status,  and  legislative  history  of 
all  current  legislation  being  considered  by  the  General  Assembly.  Any  interested  person  may  get 
information  on  the  status  of  current  legislation  from  the  Bill  Status  (Video)  System  by  calling,  writing,  or 
visiting  the  Bill  Status  Desk  in  the  Legislative  Library  (Phone:  919/733-7779;  Room  2226  of  the  State 
Legislative  Building). 

Public  terminals  to  access  the  status  of  bills  are  also  located  in  the  Printed  Bills  Office  (Room 
2022),  the  Legislative  Office  Building  Library  (Room  500  LOB),  and  the  Automated  Systems  Division 
(Room  400  LOB). 


Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  23 


DISTRIBUTION  OF  PRINTED  BILLS 

Desk  Copies:  As  soon  as  a  bill  is  introduced,  a  printing  is  ordered  and  is  available  the  next 
morning.  Copies  of  every  new  bill  are  collected  each  morning  for  each  legislator  by  the  Bill  Distribution 
Center  in  Room  105  on  the  first  floor  of  the  Legislative  Office  Building.  Each  House  secretary  must  pick 
up  copies  for  her  legislator  and  place  the  bills  in  the  legislator's  Chamber  notebooks.  The  Senate 
Sergeant-at-Arms  will  deliver  bills  to  each  Senator's  office  and  a  daily  bill  notebook  should  be  prepared 
by  the  secretary.  If  a  House  member  desires  an  office  file,  he  should  notify  the  Bill  Distribution  Center  in 
Room  105  of  the  Legislative  Building  and  the  Bill  Distribution  Center  will  prepare  for  that  member  two 
sets  of  bills  daily;  the  House  member's  secretary  will  maintain  the  bill  books  in  both  the  chamber  and  the 
legislator's  office. 

Bills  for  Committee  Use:  A  committee  chairman  may  obtain  such  copies  of  bills  as  his  committee 
needs  by  sending  his  clerk  to  the  Printed  Bills  Room  (Room  2022).  To  avoid  last-minute  congestion, 
clerks  are  urged  to  obtain  committee  copies  of  bills  on  the  day  following  reference  to  committee,  and 
should  hold  them  for  later  committee  use. 

Additional  Copies  for  Individual  Legislators:  A  legislator  may  obtain  up  to  50  additional  copies 
of  any  bill  for  distribution  to  his  constituents.  If  he  requires  a  greater  number,  they  will  be  provided  to  him 
and  he  will  be  billed  for  their  actual  cost. 

Copies  to  Private  Citizens:  Any  person  may  obtain  one  free  copy  of  any  current  bill  by  requesting 
it  to  the  Printed  Bills  Room.  Additional  copies  may  be  obtained  at  a  cost  of  10  cents  per  page.  The 
Printed  Bills  Room  will  mail  one  free  copy  of  any  bill  to  any  citizen  who  requests  it. 

The  Legislative  Administrative  Officer  has  been  instructed  not  to  provide  complete  sets  of  all  bills 
to  private  citizens  or  organizations. 

Copies  to  State  Agencies  and  Institutions:  Any  State  office,  agency  or  institution  will  be  supplied 
with  three  free  copies  of  any  bill  in  which  the  office  has  a  particular  interest.  The  Legislative 
Administrative  Officer  has  been  instructed  not  to  provide  complete  sets  of  all  bills  —  several  thousand  per 
session  —  to  State  offices.  State  offices  that  require  more  than  three  copies  of  any  bill  may  obtain  them  at 
cost. 


Page  24  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991 


PROFESSIONAL  STAFF  SERVICES 

[A  more  complete  directory  of  legislative  staff  is  included  in  another  publication  prepared  by  the 
Legislative  Services  Office;  copies  of  the  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina  Telephone  Directory  are 
available  through  the  Legislative  Library.] 

The  Legislative  Administrative  Officer  (George  R.  Hall,  Jr.,  Room  2129,  State  Legislative 
Building;  Phone  733-7044)  is  responsible  for  supervision  of  all  the  Divisions  and  is  available  generally  for 
consultation  and  assistance  concerning  overall  legislative  staff  policy  matters,  administrative  matters,  and 
the  affairs  of  the  General  Assembly  generally  regarded  as  business  and  personnel  matters. 

The  Building  Superintendent  (Mike  Minshew,  Room  1,  State  Legislative  Building;  Phone; 
733-4292)  is  available  on  matters  concerning  security,  building  maintenance,  and  custodial  services. 

The  Budget  Officer  (Elaine  Robinson,  Disbursing  Office,  Room  5,  State  Legislative  Building; 
Phone:  733-7500)  is  available  on  matters  concerning  payroll,  budget,  insurance,  retirement,  and 
legislative  staff  leave  policies  and  records. 

The  staff  of  the  Bill  Drafting  Division  of  the  Legislative  Services  Office  is  available  to  individual 
legislators  through  the  Director  of  Legislative  Drafting  (Gerry  F.  Cohen,  Room  100,  Legislative  Office 
Building;  Phone:  733-6660).  [Further  information  on  drafting  including  the  Attorney  General's  Drafting 
Office,  is  found  on  page  21  of  this  Manual.] 

The  staff  of  the  Fiscal  Research  Division  of  the  Legislative  Services  Office  is  available  to 
individual  legislators  or  to  non-fiscal  committees,  subject  to  limitations  of  available  personnel,  for  fiscal 
research  and  information  through  the  Director  of  Fiscal  Research  (Tom  Covington;  Room  619  in  the 
Legislative  Office  Building;  Phone:  733-4910).  The  Fiscal  Research  staff  regularly  assists  the 
Appropriations  Committees  and  their  chairmen,  and  it  provides  some  support  to  the  Finance  Committees 
and  their  chairmen. 

Professional  services  from  the  Research  Division  of  the  Legislative  Services  Office  (research  and 
bill-drafting)  are  available  to  committees  that  do  not  have  regularly  assigned  staff  or  to  individual 
legislators,  subject  to  limitations  of  available  personnel,  through  the  Director  of  Research  (Terrence  D. 
Sullivan;  Room  545,  Legislative  Office  Building;  Phone  733-2578).  Some  of  the  standing  committees  will 
have  a  member  of  the  Research  Division  professional  staff  on  a  regular  assignment  basis,  operating  under 
the  direction  of  the  committee  chairman. 

The  Legislative  Library  (Mrs.  Cathy  Martin,  Librarian;  Room  500  of  the  Legislative  Office 
Building;  Phone  733-9390;  and  Room  2226  State  Legislative  Building;  Phone  733-7778)  is  part  of  the 
Research  Division  and  library  staff  can  provide  assistance  on  bill  identification  and  research  questions. 
(The  Legislative  Library  is  also  the  depository  for  records  from  the  Senate  and  House  electronic  voting 
systems  (as  directed  by  Senate  and  House  Rules),  for  filings  under  Legislative  Ethics  law  requirements 
(G.S.  120-95),  and  for  lobbying  records  (G.S.  120-47.2)).  The  Legislative  Library  has  two  component 
locations  —  one  in  each  of  the  legislative  buildings  —  for  the  convenience  of  legislators.  The  main 
component  is  in  the  Legislative  Office  Building  and  is  designed  as  the  principal  legal  and  general  research 

Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991  Page  25 


unit.  The  auxiliary  component  remains  in  the  State  Legislative  Building  and  will  contain  North  Carolina 
Statutes  and  Journals  which  might  be  needed  immediately  during  the  legislative  sessions  or  for  committee 
meetings  held  in  the  State  Legislative  Building. 

The  Legislative  Automated  Systems  Division  of  the  Legislative  Services  Office  (Glenn  Newkirk, 
Director)  is  located  in  Room  400  of  the  Legislative  Office  Building;  Phone  733-6834.  The  Legislative 
Automated  Systems  Division,  established  in  November,  1984,  has  designed,  developed,  implemented, 
and  maintained  a  number  of  computer  applications  for  the  General  Assembly.  Among  these  applications 
are  bill  typing,  legal  document  search  and  retrieval,  bill  status  reporting,  office  automation,  electronic 
publishing,  budget  and  expenditure  tracking,  legislative  payroll,  general  accounting,  electronic 
communications  with  the  State  Computer  Center,  and  a  number  of  microcomputer  applications.  Policies 
and  procedures  for  access  to  the  various  applications  on  the  computer  system  are  set  by  the  Legislative 
Services  Commission  and  its  Subcommittee  on  Legislative  Information  Systems.  There  is  a  Facsimile 
Machine  (FAX)  located  in  the  Legislative  Automated  Systems  Division  for  the  use  of  General  Assembly 
Members.  (See  Page  19). 

The  Legislative  Information  Office,  a  division  of  the  Legislative  Services  Office  (Margaret  Webb, 
Legislative  Information  Officer)  is  located  in  Room  9  of  the  State  Legislative  Building;  Phone  733-4200. 
The  Legislative  Information  Office  releases  information  on  ratified  bills  of  statewide  interest  and  interim 
committee  recommendations  to  the  approximately  500  dailies,  non-dailies  and  electronic  news  outlets 
located  in  North  Carolina.  The  office  also  maintains  press  lists  by  county  and  district  which  are  available 
to  legislators. 

The  Institute  of  Government,  which  is  part  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill, 
provides  services  to  the  General  Assembly  on  a  contract  basis.  The  Daily  Bulletin,  which  digests  every  bill 
and  records  the  history  of  the  progress  of  bills,  is  prepared  and  distributed  by  the  Institute.  Several 
members  of  the  Institute's  staff,  in  areas  such  as  motor  vehicles  or  local  government,  provide  regular  or 
periodic  services  to  legislative  committees  and  to  individual  legislators. 

With  the  approval  of  the  Legislative  Services  Commission,  the  Legislative  Administrative  Officer  is 
authorized  to  contract  for  and  assign  part-time  professional  assistance  from  the  University  or  other 
sources. 

A  Legislative  Intern  Program  is  operated  for  the  General  Assembly  (during  long,  odd-year, 
sessions  only)  by  the  North  Carolina  State  University  Department  of  Politics.  The  Intern  Program  is  under 
the  direction  and  control  of  the  Legislative  Intern  Program  Council  (Lt.  Governor,  Speaker,  and 
Chairman  of  the  North  Carolina  State  University  Department  of  Politics  -  G.S.  120-56).  The  program 
provides  staff  assistance  at  the  subprofessional  level  to  select  committee  chairmen,  legislative  leaders,  and 
individual  legislators,  and  the  interns  receive  political  science  and  related  instruction  from  North  Carolina 
State  University. 


Page  26  Legislative  Manual  -  January,  1991