Agenda - 03-16-2021; 6-b - Orange County's Proposed 2021 Legislative Agenda

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DRAFT Attachment 2 6 Other Orange County 2021 Legislative Interests In addition to Orange County's Priority Legislative Issues, there other legislative items of importance to the County for 2021. 1) Expansion of Protected Classes — Seek statewide legislative action to provide all North Carolina local governments with the authority to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in order to protect these classes from discrimination and discriminatory practices; and authorize complaints for discrimination to be brought in North Carolina Courts by any Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recognized protected class; 2) School Impact Fee Authority — Support legislation authorizing all North Carolina local government jurisdictions providing funding for public education to levy impact fees on new residential development to help pay for school construction. The North Carolina General Assembly approved legislation in the 1980's for some jurisdictions to levy these impact fees to support public school infrastructure. The authority to levy the fee to support school facility needs should be available to all local government jurisdictions providing funding for public education; 3) Repeal of the Monument Protection Act — Support legislation that repeals the (so-called) Monument Protection Act which was enacted to protect confederate monuments and symbols in the wake of the murders of nine African Americans in South Carolina in 2015, and that restores the regulation of monuments or symbols on public property to local governments; 4) Legislative Leadership Term Limit — Support legislation that limits the length of time a North Carolina General Assembly member can serve in the same leadership position to eight consecutive years; 5) Bona Fide Farm Use — Support legislation clarifying that the farm use and agriculture exemption of 153A-340 that restricts local zoning authority applies only to property on which the production of crops or livestock is the primary use. Clarify that marketing and agri-tourism activities must be secondary uses of the property and do not qualify for the exemption in the absence of the production of crops or livestock; 6) Renewable Energy — Support renewable energy initiatives available to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural activities to create a market for energy credits. This support will provide incentives to produce renewable energy, which will become increasingly important to preserving and strengthening the economy and infrastructure, and in the case of agriculture help maintain rural heritage and culture;