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