The North Carolina Utilities Commission is a government agency that regulates the various utilities of the state of North Carolina. The Commission also regulates household goods transportation, buses, brokers and ferryboats.
91-689: The Commission consists of seven members, including the chair of the Commission. The current chair is Charlotte A. Mitchell, who was named chair on in 2017. In 1891 the North Carolina General Assembly created the Railroad Commission to regulate the rates charged by railways, passenger boat services, telegraph services, and express companies. In 1893 the commission gained jurisdiction over telephone companies, and four years later it regulated street cars . In 1899
182-572: A biennial schedule to annual. African-American men were first elected to the state legislature in 1868, including Henry Epps , Abraham H. Galloway , and John A. Hyman in the Senate and Parker D. Robbins , Wilson Cary Nicholas , B. W. Morris, A. W. Stevens, John S. Leary , Isham Sweat , Henry C. Cherry, John H. Williamson, A.A. Crawford, Cuffie Mayo , W. T. J. Hayes , Ivey Hutchings , John S. W. Eagles , George W. Price , Thomas A. Sykes , James H. Harris, William Cawthorn, and Richard Falkner in
273-511: A body of freemen who selected 12 deputies to represent their interests. Together with the governor and his council, the deputies served as a provisional legislature for Albemarle County and eventually was named the General Court and Committee. It held its first meeting in the spring of 1665. When the governor and his deputy were absent, the assembly would designate a president or speaker to lead its sessions. Approximately two years later,
364-695: A body's respective rules committee before being brought before a full house for a vote. The constitution of North Carolina vests the state's legislative power in the General Assembly; the General Assembly writes state laws/statutes. Legislation in North Carolina can either be in the form of general laws or special/local laws. General laws apply to the entire state, while local laws apply only to specific counties or municipalities. The constitution requires that all effective laws be styled "The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:", with only
455-530: A government with a separation of powers divided amongst executive, legislative, and judicial branches, though the legislative branch retained the most power. The General Assembly was made a bicameral body, consisting of a Senate made up of one member from each county in the state and a House of Commons with two members from each county and one from each of several specially-designated towns. Property requirements stipulated that House members had to own at least 100 acres and senators at least 300 to serve. The assembly
546-558: A lifetime limit on the number of terms an officeholder may serve, or a limit on the number of consecutive terms. Term limits date back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Republic , as well as the Republic of Venice . In ancient Athenian democracy , many officeholders were limited to a single term. Council members were allowed a maximum of two terms. The position of Strategos could be held for an indefinite number of terms. In
637-659: A limit to one term. After Álvaro Obregón violated this law and ran for a second term, he was assassinated. Currently, members of the Congress of Mexico cannot be reelected for the next immediate term under article 50 and 59 of the Constitution of Mexico , and the President of Mexico is limited to a single six-year term, called the Sexenio . The President of Argentina was limited to one consecutive six-year term, but
728-469: A new constitution was crafted by a convention and ratified by popular vote. The document provided for universal male suffrage and abolished all property requirements and religious tests for officeholders. It changed the name of the House of Commons to the House of Representatives. The constitution also created the office of lieutenant governor which was to be filled by popular statewide election. It replaced
819-763: A perpetual dictator and ended the republic. Term limits returned in Medieval Europe through the Novgorod Republic , the Pskov Republic , the Republic of Genoa , and the Republic of Florence . The first modern constitutional term limit was established in the French First Republic by the Constitution of 1795 , which established five-year terms to the French Directory and banned consecutive terms. Napoleon ended
910-605: A quorum. Hearings are often conducted by panels of three commissioners. The commissioners are by law bound to the same standards of conduct as judges in the state. The commission is headquartered in the Dobbs Building in Raleigh . It employs about 71 staffers in four divisions: Legal & Administration, Operations, Clerk & IT Services, and Fiscal Management. The Public Staff of the Utilities Commission
1001-403: A single speaker. Both houses appoint a principal clerk—who keeps their respective bodies' records, a reading clerk—who reads documents as required by the constitution, house rules, or the presiding officer, and a sergeant at arms —who maintains order in their house. Standing committees in each house consider introduced legislation, hold hearings, and offer amendments. All bills are examined by
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#17327832392641092-561: A six-year term and confirmed by the General Assembly. The governor also names one of the commissioners to chair the body. The chair serves as the chief executive of the agency and is an ex officio member of the Agency for Public Telecommunications Board and the Geographic Information Coordinating Council. For the purpose of official meetings and decisions, a majority of the commissioners constitutes
1183-536: A state constitutionally-prescribed oath of office. In the event of the vacancy of a seat, the governor is constitutionally obligated to appoint a person nominated by the previous incumbent's political party's respective district executive committee to fill the seat. The assembly is styled after the citizen legislature model, with legislating considered a part-time job. Members receive a base salary of $ 13,951 per year, supplemented by per-diem payments and travel reimbursements. Increases in legislative pay adopted by
1274-480: A tenure that was characterized by major political reforms leading to the 2010 constitution. Immediate former President Uhuru Kenyatta was the first president under the new law, a position he served for two terms of 5 years each and was succeeded by his deputy William Ruto in September 2022. A member of President Ruto's United Democratic Alliance party revealed plans to scrap the term limits on 7 November 2022 but
1365-562: A transitional government for the state, superseding the authority of the General Assembly and making changes to state law on its own. After the president of the convention declined to convene it to discuss issues of wartime speculation and extortion, authority returned to the state's other civil leaders and institutions. During the Civil War the General Assembly continued to meet in regular biennial sessions, but also convened in seven extraordinary sessions to address wartime issues. In 1868,
1456-403: Is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office . When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes " president for life ". This is intended to protect a republic from becoming a de facto dictatorship . Term limits may be
1547-411: Is also responsible for drawing the districts of its own members and the districts of the state's congressional delegation after every decennial U.S. census . The legislative power of the assembly must be exercised by the whole body and not devolved upon a portion of the whole, and actions taken during one session of the assembly can be undone by a succeeding session. The governor signs bills passed by
1638-399: Is an independent agency over which the commissioners exercise no control. Led by an executive director appointed by the governor, it advises the commission on the appropriateness of rates charged and quality of service delivered by utilities. The current commissioners are: North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the bicameral legislature of
1729-427: Is analogous to that in the Senate, except that in place of a president and president pro tempore , the body is led by a speaker and speaker pro tempore . The speaker is in charge of appointing the body's committees. Both officers are elected by the full house from among its members, with the rest determined by party caucuses. In the event of an even political divide in the House, co-speakers may be elected in lieu of
1820-401: Is not in session. Both houses are empowered to temporarily adjourn for three days or less at their own discretion. The proceedings of each house are constitutionally-required to be reported in official journals and published at the end of each session. The records of individual lawmakers are not subject to the state's public records law. Each house chamber has a gallery from which members of
1911-531: Is subjected to a term limit. Once elected, he is only allowed to serve for a single five-year term and cannot renew for a second term consecutively. This rule makes Malaysia among two constitutional monarchies in the world that is subjected to a term limit, the other country being Andorra . Term limits were one of the major demands of protesters during the Arab Spring . Liberia briefly limited its presidents to an eight-year term between 1944 and 1951. As
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#17327832392642002-787: The 1911 Revolution , Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet Yuan Shikai became the second President of the Republic of China . He was initially subject to a maximum of two five-year terms, but the term was then lengthened to ten years and the term limit was removed. In 1948, the Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion abolished the term limit for the President of the Republic of China and established Chiang Kai-shek as
2093-551: The 2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia made President Vladimir Putin exempt from this limit. The President of Belarus was limited to two terms, but the limit was abolished in 2004. A predecessor of modern term limits in the Americas dates back to the 1682 Pennsylvania Charter of Liberties and the colonial frame of government of the same year, authored by William Penn and providing for triennial rotation of
2184-578: The Constitution of Argentina was amended in 1994, loosening the term limit to a maximum of two consecutive four-year terms. In 1997, the Constitution of Brazil was amended, loosening the term limit for the President of Brazil from one five-year term to two four-year terms. In 2004, the term limit for the President of Colombia was increased from one term to two terms before reverting to one term in 2015. The 2009 Venezuelan constitutional referendum abolished term limits in Venezuela. Following
2275-747: The General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party , who usually represented the paramount leader of China. In March 2018, the National People's Congress passed a set of constitutional amendments including removal of term limits for the president and vice president, as well as enhancing the central role of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), allowing CCP leader Xi Jinping to retain power indefinitely until his death. The President of Tajikistan
2366-684: The North Carolina House of Representatives (formerly called the North Carolina House of Commons until 1868) and the North Carolina Senate . Since 1868, the House has had 120 members, while the Senate has had 50 members. There are no term limits for either chamber. Both chambers have two-year terms and are currently controlled by the Republican Party , but only the House of Representatives by
2457-649: The Provincial Council , the upper house of the colonial legislature . Presidents of the United States typically honored an informal tradition of only serving two terms in office, but this limit was not enshrined into law until the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1951 after Franklin D. Roosevelt had been elected to an unprecedented third and fourth terms. As the countries of Latin America modeled presidential republics after
2548-437: The lieutenant governor . In this capacity they direct the debate on bills and maintain order in that house, but have little influence over its workflow. They cannot cast a vote in the Senate except to break ties. The president pro tempore is elected by the full Senate. They appoint the body's committees. All other leadership positions are filled by the decision of party caucuses. The leadership of House of Representatives
2639-676: The state government of North Carolina . The legislature consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives . The General Assembly meets in the North Carolina State Legislative Building in Raleigh . The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes . The General Assembly is a bicameral legislature, consisting of
2730-503: The "long session" and typically only makes modifications to it during the "short session". Typically the legislature adjourns shortly after June 30, the end of North Carolina's fiscal year , following the passing of a budget. The governor may call the General Assembly into extraordinary session after consulting the Council of State and is required to convene the assembly in specific circumstances to review vetoed legislation. A majority of
2821-553: The 1980s. As a result, the legislature hired its own research staff, created an independent judicial office to review administrative affairs in the state bureaucracy, and began appointing its own members to state board and commissions, though the latter practice was ruled unconstitutional by the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1982. In 1977, the state constitution was amended to allow for governors and lieutenant governors to seek second terms. Shortly thereafter,
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2912-465: The Council of State can call the legislature into session to consider the governor's mental capacity to serve. A basic majority of the members of a house constitute a quorum to do business. When in session, both Houses of the legislature typically meet on Monday evenings and in the middle of the day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Legislative committees usually convene in the mornings and late afternoons. Committees sometimes meet when their house
3003-481: The General Assembly of which they approve into law and are empowered to veto bills of which they disapprove. A veto can be overridden by a three-fifths majority vote of the assembly. Local bills and congressional and legislative reapportionment decisions are not subject to gubernatorial veto. Aside from regular legislation, the two houses of the General Assembly can also issue joint resolutions which are not subject to veto. The assembly wields oversight authority over
3094-521: The General Assembly to provide for the filling of executive offices not already provided for in the constitution. The body is also empowered to resolve contested elections for state executive officers by joint ballot. Its advice and consent is required for the installation of some state agency heads. The assembly can also influence the bureaucracy through its power to create for dissolve agencies or countermand administrative rules by writing laws and by its decisions in appropriations. The constitution empowers
3185-405: The House and that all Senate districts were supposed to contain approximately equal populations, though the latter tenant was undermined by a constitutional requirement that no counties be split between different districts. As a result, by the 1960s, rural constituents were significantly overrepresented in the legislature. Following developments in federal jurisprudence in the early 1960s that led to
3276-434: The House of Representatives in 1969. The number of black legislators steadily increased in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1973, Henry Ward Oxendine became the first Native American member of the legislature. In the early 1970s, Democratic legislators, spurred in part by the election of a Republican governor in 1972, began an effort to strengthen the General Assembly's power and influence in state government which continued into
3367-410: The House of Representatives to impeach elected state officials by simple majority vote. In the event an official is impeached, the Senate holds a trial, and can convict an official by two-thirds majority vote and remove them from office. The General Assembly can also, by a two-thirds majority vote, determine the governor or a judge mentally or physically incapable of serving. The General Assembly has
3458-421: The House, feeling threatened by the strengthened positions of the governor and Senate leadership, broke from a decades-long trend and began electing speakers to successive terms. In the mid-1980s, the legislature ceased using multi-member legislative districts. In 1994, Daniel F. McComas became the first Latino elected to the General Assembly. The General Assembly has 170 elected members, with 120 members of
3549-461: The House. Despite efforts by Red Shirts and other white Democratic paramilitary groups to disrupt Republican meetings and suppress black voting in order to ensure the Democratic takeover, some African Americans continued to be elected in the 19th century, especially to local offices. Between 1868 and 1900, 113 blacks were elected to the House of Representatives. But shortly before the turn of
3640-570: The North Carolina House of Representatives and 50 members of the North Carolina Senate. Each represents a district. Each house has the sole power to judge the election and qualification of its own respective members. Legislators' are elected biennially in even-numbered years. Their terms of office begin at the start of the January following the year of their election. There are no term limits for legislators. All legislators swear
3731-465: The Privy Council's Board of Trade . The directives were binding upon the governor and dealt with nearly all aspects of colonial government. As they were produced by officials largely ignorant of the political situation in the colony and meant to ensure greater direct control over the territory, the instructions caused tensions between the governor and the General Assembly. The assembly controlled
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3822-522: The Railroad Commission was replaced by the Corporation Commission, which assumed regulatory responsibility for the previous utilities as well as banks and savings and loan associations . Shortly thereafter the body was given some taxation responsibilities. Beginning in 1905, some of its duties were reassigned to new agencies. In 1913 the Corporation Commission was given responsibility for regulating water and hydroelectric utilities. In 1920
3913-547: The Roman Republic, a law was passed imposing a limit of a single term on the office of censor . The annual magistrates , including the tribune of the plebs , the aedile , the quaestor , the praetor , and the consul , were forbidden reelection until a number of years had passed. The office of dictator was nearly unrestricted with the exception that it was limited to a single six-month term. Successive Roman leaders weakened this restriction until Julius Caesar became
4004-442: The Senate until 1835. Elections for senators were held annually. Due to the outbreak of hostilities, North Carolina's government met in various locations throughout the war. In September 1781, British forces captured the governor and several members of the General Assembly during a raid on Hillsborough . The war ended in 1783. Construction of a North Carolina State House began in the planned capital of Raleigh in 1792 and became
4095-500: The State Senate in 1930. Female representation slowly increased in the following decades. The General Assembly began increasing the length of its sessions and hiring more support staff in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1959, the General Assembly organized a commission to design and fund a new, larger meeting place to accommodate the body, its staff, and improve the delivery of services to the legislators. Construction began in 1961 and
4186-483: The United States, but they were abolished by Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s. Term limits were restored in the 1987 constitution , after Marcos was deposed in the People Power Revolution . Between 1982 and 2018, the Constitution of China stipulated that the president , vice president , premier , vice premiers could not serve more than two consecutive terms, though there was no term limit for
4277-417: The Utilities Commission to supply it with technical advice. The Utilities Commission regulates electric companies, telephone companies, natural gas companies, water and sewer utilities, moving companies , buses, brokers, and ferry lines in the state of North Carolina. It is empowered by state law to make rules and establish utility rates. It is required to publish two annual reports every year, one summarizing
4368-420: The assembly cannot take effect until after a succeeding election. Each house of the legislature has eight leadership roles. The Senate's leadership is made up of the president of the Senate, president pro tempore , majority leader, majority whip, majority caucus chair, minority leader, minority whip, and minority caucus chair. Per the constitution, the office of president of the Senate is held ex officio by
4459-538: The century, the Democrats regained control of the state legislature (after a biracial coalition between Republicans and Populists had briefly held power) and passed laws to create barriers to voter registration through poll taxes , literacy tests and other devices. Applied subjectively by white administrators, these methods effectively disenfranchised most black people in the state. Black voters were eliminated by 1904. An estimated 75,000 black male citizens lost
4550-591: The colony's finances and used this as leverage by withholding salaries and appropriations, sometimes forcing the governors to compromise and disregard some of the Board of Trade's instructions. Particularly after 1760, the lower house increasingly viewed itself as the representative of the colonists' interests in opposition to the British Crown's interests as relayed by the governor and the council. Frequent tensions between Governor Josiah Martin —a firm supporter of
4641-462: The colony. There would be five provincial congresses. The fifth Congress approved the first constitution in 1776. This constitution was not submitted to a vote of the people. The Congress simply adopted it and elected Richard Caswell , the last president of the Congress, as acting governor until the new legislature was elected and seated. Per the terms of the constitution, North Carolina had
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#17327832392644732-564: The commission was replaced by a single Utilities Commissioner and some part-time staff. In 1941 the General Assembly created the North Carolina Utilities Commission, composed of three commissioners serving six-year terms. Two additional members and technical staff were added in 1949. In 1975 the board was expanded from five to seven members. Two years later the General Assembly created the Public Staff of
4823-728: The countries of sub-Saharan Africa were decolonised in the mid-20th century, most of the new governments established presidential systems, but term limits were rarely established. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Rwanda, and Togo were the only countries to establish them, but they were abolished soon afterward. After the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in 1989-90 and ensuing wave of democratization in Eastern Europe, many African engaged in similar political democratizations and established term limits. The President of Uganda
4914-462: The country's military leader. The term limit was restored after the provisions were repealed in 1991. The President of South Korea was initially permitted to serve a maximum of two four-year terms when the office was created in 1948, but the term limit was removed in 1954 so that Syngman Rhee could run for a third term. After Rhee was elected to a fourth term, the First Republic of Korea
5005-423: The creation of the principle of one man, one vote , in 1965 a U.S. District Court panel ruled that the state's legislative districts were unconstitutional. As a result, in the 1960s and 1970s the legislature designed districts in a manner which significantly rebalanced the representation of the state in a more equitable manner. Henry Frye became the state's first black legislator in the 20th century when he joined
5096-429: The enforcement of term limits is recognized as one of the great challenges in democratic development. Term limits typically receive greater domestic and international recognition than other mechanisms of democracy, and attempts to violate term limits are typically met with strong resistance by a country's population and on the world stage. The violation of term limits is strongly correlated with democratic backsliding and
5187-523: The erosion of human rights. Whether a president seeks to subvert term limits may be affected by how much wealth can be gained from the office, opportunities for acquiring wealth after leaving office, what constraints are in place to enforce term limits, how much control leader has over other branches of government or a political party, precedent in the region, and the likelihood of facing criminal prosecution upon leaving office. Presidents are more likely to be successful in violating term limits if they control
5278-418: The expiry of term limits. Some countries either scrap the requirement or do not have it in their laws. The 2019 Egyptian constitutional referendum expanded the presidential term from four to six years and allowed President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to serve as President of Egypt for a third term over the constitutional limit of two terms. Term limits are an element of constitutionalism that serves to limit
5369-453: The government of the United States in the 19th century, they established term limits for their presidents based on two-term precedent of the United States. In response to presidents overstaying their term, some of these term limits were eventually replaced by a limit of one term without reelection. In Mexico, Porfirio Díaz evaded term limits, running for eight terms before being forced into exile in 1911. A new constitution in 1917 established
5460-433: The governor with the consent of the lords, and an elected assembly. It also stipulated that the assembly's consent was required for taxes to be levied and that vacancies in the assembly were to be filled by elections called by the governor and his council. A new royal charter for Carolina was granted in 1665 and required the forming of an assembly. After receiving his commission, Carolina Governor William Drummond summoned
5551-735: The holders of other offices—in republics, for example, a ceremonial presidency may have a term limit, especially if the office holds reserve powers . Due in part to a lack of legal term limits in African countries, Mo Ibrahim created the Ibrahim Prize with an associated cash prize to incentivize African leaders to promote human rights and democratic transfer of power. Many presidents have tried to overstay their respective term limits by various methods. Between 1960 and 2010, more than one quarter of term-limited presidents successfully extended or violated their term limits to stay in power, and
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#17327832392645642-583: The leadership dismissed him saying that was his personal opinion which he was entitled to. The 1999 constitution of Nigeria limits the President at the Federal level, and Governors at the state level to serving two four-year terms. This has been strictly followed since 1999. In the Sub-Saharan Africa, only Ghana (since 1993), Kenya (since 1964), and Nigeria (since 1999) have experienced smooth transition of power from one president to another after
5733-484: The legal and economic state of utilities in North Carolina and the other listing all of its rulings. The commissioners can hold hearings to gather testimony and evidence and have the same authority as the North Carolina Superior Court in compelling witnesses to testify or produce documentary evidence. The Utilities Commission is led by seven commissioners. Each are appointed by the governor to
5824-633: The legislative services officer. Every legislator is assigned at least one legislative assistant or clerk, who manage legislators' schedules, relay communications with constituents, and offer advice on policy issues. Some legislators employ additional staff. The General Assembly's members and facilities are guarded by the North Carolina General Assembly Police . 35°46′59.53″N 78°38′20.24″W / 35.7832028°N 78.6389556°W / 35.7832028; -78.6389556 Term limits A term limit
5915-662: The limit, they may never again run for election to that office. Lifetime limits are much more restrictive than consecutive limits. Countries that operate a parliamentary system of government are less likely to employ term limits on their leaders. This is because such leaders rarely have a set "term" at all: rather, they serve as long as they have the confidence of the parliament , a period which could potentially last for life. Many parliaments can be dissolved for snap elections which means some parliaments can last for mere months while others can continue until their expiration dates. Nevertheless, such countries may impose term limits on
6006-622: The lords. The lords could refuse to ratify laws and let them expire. From 1692 to 1712, North Carolina and South Carolina were organized as one Province of Carolina . The colony had one governor but North Carolina retained its own council and assembly. After 1731, the members of the governor's council were chosen by the Privy Council and were responsible to the British king. During the period of royal control after 1731, North Carolina's governors were issued sets of secret instructions from
6097-416: The meeting place for the General Assembly in 1794. It was enlarged in 1820 and burnt down in 1831. The North Carolina State Capitol was completed in 1840. The Constitutional Convention of 1835 retained the 1776 Constitution, but made several amendments to it. Going forward, the governor would be elected by the people, but the legislature elected all other officials, including US Senators. Amendments set
6188-475: The negative effects of democracy. Term limits may take the form of consecutive term limits or lifetime term limits. With consecutive term limits, an officeholder can only serve a certain number of terms before they have to stop running for that office. After a set period of time, the clock resets on the limit, and the officeholder may run for election to their original office and serve up to the limit again. With lifetime limits, once an officeholder has served up to
6279-514: The number of senators at 50 and the number of commoners (representatives to the House) at 120. Senate districts were no longer required to be limited to individual counties, but instead be coterminous with which counties were to be included in it and based on a judgement of approximate wealth measured by tax receipts. Sessions for the legislature were changed from annual to biennial. The terms of senators were also changed accordingly. In May 1861, at
6370-463: The other branches of government, whether through their political parties or through insufficient checks and balances . Though violation of term limits is more common in less democratic countries, political opposition, foreign governments, and the citizenry can still enforce term limits in nondemocratic countries. A president may attempt to circumvent term limits indirectly by extending their rule without an additional term. This may be done by extending
6461-401: The power to levy taxes and adopts the state budget. The constitution enumerates a unique procedure for the passing of revenue legislation; all revenue bills must be read three times with each reading occurring on a different day, journal records of votes must include the name of each legislator and how they voted, and all revenue bills must appropriate money for a specific purpose. The assembly
6552-481: The practice of term limits in 1799 in much the same way as Julius Caesar had. The French Constitution of 1848 reestablished term limits, but this was abolished by Napoleon's nephew, Napoleon III . Many post-Soviet republics established presidential systems with five-year term limits after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The President of Russia is allowed a maximum of two consecutive terms, but
6643-639: The public can attend and observe sessions. Administrative support of the General Assembly is overseen by the Legislative Services Commission, a panel comprising five members of each house. As of October 2023, the assembly relies on over 600 support staff who work in the Legislative Building and the Legislative Office Building. Daily operations of the legislature's facilities are directed by
6734-571: The secret instructions—and the Assembly in the 1770s led the latter to establish a committee of correspondence and accelerated the colony's break with Great Britain. In 1774, the people of the colony elected a provincial congress , independent of the royal governor, as the American Revolution began. Inspired by the structure of the lower house of the general assembly and organized in part by House Speaker John Harvey , its purpose
6825-456: The sole power to propose amendments to the state constitution. If a proposed amendment receives the support of three-fifths of the House and the Senate, it is scheduled for ratification by a statewide referendum. State constitutional amendments and state legislative votes on the ratification of federal constitutional amendments are not subject to gubernatorial veto. The General Assembly's sessions are convened according to standards prescribed by
6916-428: The speaker of the Senate as that body's presiding officer and assumed the former office's role in succeeding to the governorship in the event it became vacant. Property qualifications for holding office were abolished in order to enlarge opportunity. Finally, the legislature made executive officers and judges subject to popular election rather than appointment by the legislature. It also reverted legislative sessions from
7007-472: The state constitution and state statute. The General Assembly meets in regular session—or the "long session"—beginning in January of each odd-numbered year, and adjourns to reconvene the following even-numbered year for what is called the "short session". Though there is no limit on the length of any session, the "long session" typically lasts for 6 months, and the "short session" typically lasts for 6 weeks. The legislature crafts its biennial state budget during
7098-457: The state's administrative bureaucracy. It can alter gubernatorial executive orders concerning the organization of state agencies by joint resolution. Its Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations has the authority to seize state agency documents and inspect facilities of agencies and contractors with the state. All legislative committees are empowered to subpoena the testimony of witnesses and documents. The constitution allows for
7189-460: The temporary assembly divided the county into four precincts: Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank, and Perquimans. The freemen in each county were to convene at the beginning of every year to elect five representatives for the permanent assembly. The first election occurred on January 1, 1668. While required to abide by the Concessions and support the interests of the lords proprietor, the assembly
7280-471: The three-fifths majority necessary to override vetoes . In 1663, King Charles II of England granted a royal charter to eight lords proprietor to establish the colony of Carolina in North America. Under the terms of the charter, regular management of the colony was to be overseen by a governor and a council. An assembly consisting of two representatives from each county elected by freeholders
7371-524: The urging of the governor, the General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a convention to consider seceding from the United States. Later that month the convention met in Raleigh and adopted an Ordinance of Secession and adopted the Constitution of the Confederate States . The convention met several times from then until November 1862, during which time it served as
7462-491: The vote. African Americans were closed out of politics in North Carolina for decades, with most not regaining the ability to vote until after passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , and federal overview and enforcement. Lillian Exum Clement became the first female member of the General Assembly when she joined the House of Representatives in 1921. Gertrude Dills McKee became the first woman to be elected to
7553-451: The words following that phrase being legally operative. The legally valid language of each passed bill is punctuated by the ratification certificate, consisting of the obligatory signatures of the presiding officers of each house. Most laws have an "effective date" which stipulate the time they go into effect. Those that do not have an explicit stipulation go into effect 60 days after the assembly's adjournment sine die . The assembly has
7644-441: Was completed by early 1963. The General Assembly held its first session in the new North Carolina State Legislative Building on February 6. In 1968, the General Assembly, in tandem with national trends towards state legislative professionalization, hired its first legislative services officer. For hundreds of years North Carolina's legislative representation was apportioned such that each county had at least one representative in
7735-434: Was initially limited to one five-year term under the 1994 Constitution of Tajikistan . This was increased to one seven-year term in 1999 and to two seven-year terms in 2003. The term limit was reset for President Emomali Rahmon in 2006, and the term limit was abolished in 2016. The Prime Minister of Pakistan was limited to one five-year term until the limit was abolished in 2011. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
7826-657: Was limited to two five-year terms in 1995. President Yoweri Museveni had previously served two terms, but these were not counted toward the new two term limit. The term limit was abolished in 2005, allowing Museveni to continue as president. In Kenya, the 2010 constitution limits the president to a maximum of two five-year terms just like county governors. Before the promulgation of the 2010 constitution, term limits did not exist. The first president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta ruled for 15 years and died in office. His vice president, Daniel Moi took over in 1978 and ruled for 24 years before Mwai Kibaki took over. Kibaki ruled for ten years, in
7917-513: Was overthrown. The two term limit was restored, but it was expanded to three terms in 1969 and abolished again in 1972. In 1981, the President of South Korea has been limited to one seven-year term, which was reduced to five years in 1988. Under the original Constitution of Indonesia the presidential and vice-presidential terms were unlimited but since the first amendment in 1999 holders of both offices are limited to two terms each. The Philippines established term limits following independence from
8008-414: Was powerful and largely left to manage itself. It decided the length and locations of its own sessions, when it adjourned, and its own quorum. It wrote laws, levied taxes, created courts, incorporated towns, determined the sites of ports and forts, regulated the militia, allotted land, and granted citizenship. Laws passed by the legislature held effect for 18 months and were sent to England for ratification by
8099-490: Was responsible for electing the governor, other executive officers, and all judges. The first North Carolina General Assembly was convened on April 7, 1777, in New Bern, North Carolina. It consisted of Senate with one member from each county and a House of Commons with two members representing each of the existing 38 counties, plus one member from each of some select "borough towns". Districts continued to be represented in
8190-540: Was to chose delegates to send to the Continental Congress . In addition to this, the congress adopted punitive measures against Great Britain for its Intolerable Acts and empowered local committees to govern the state as royal control dissipated. A second congress in April 1775 adopted additional economic measures against Great Britain, leading Governor Martin to dissolve the colonial assembly before fleeing
8281-405: Was to have the power to write laws with the approval of the governor, his council, and the lords proprietor. This system of government was ultimately never implemented in the area which eventually became North Carolina. In early 1665 the lords proprietor promulgated a constitution for Carolina, the Concessions and Agreement . The document provided for a governor, a council of six to 10 men chosen by
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