A poll conducted last month by the Raleigh-based Civitas Institute found that about four of five respondents supported stricter licensing requirements for older drivers.

The question, included in a multi-topic survey by the conservative-leaning think tank on July 14-17, asked: "Would you support or oppose a law requiring drivers to renew their license every three years beginning at age 75, and be required to take a new driver's test beginning at 85?"

The question reflected the provisions of a bill sponsored last session by Rep. Ric Killian, a Charlotte Republican, Thomas Goldsmith reports. The bill fell by the wayside in committee hearings following strong opposition from AARP and others.

And older respondents were almost as likely to support the changes, according to the poll. Seventy-three percent supported stricter regulations, compared to 79 percent among all those who answered.

The debate over older drivers has resurfaced after an 83-year-old driver killed a six-year-old girl this week.

The Military Veterans Caucus is the largest in the legislature.

The bipartisan caucus is made up of 64 "military veterans, those who represent a district with military interest, and others with a particular interest in military affairs," according to a press release from Speaker Joe Hackney's office.

This year, it includes 49 representatives and 15 senators.

That makes it bigger than the 30-member Legislative Black Caucus as well as the 43 women in the legislature.

The caucus' steering committee is made up of Democratic Sen. Bob Atwater, Republican Sens. Harry Brown and Pete Brunstetter, Democratic Reps. Larry Hall and Grier Martin and Republican Rep. Ric Killian.

Atwater served in the Air Force; Brunsetter, in the Navy; Hall, in the Marines. Martin and Killian are Army reservists and Brown's district includes Camp Lejeune.

The caucus will meet for the first time this session next week.

After the jump, the members.

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A bill would set tougher standards for older drivers.

Rep. Ric Killian, a Charlotte Republican, filed a bill to require more frequent drivers license renewals for people 65 and older and mandate road tests for people older than 85.

He cited an academic study that shows the oldest drivers have more crashes per miles traveled than anyone except younger teen drivers.

The bill would require drivers older than 75 renew their licenses every three years instead of every five.

"There's clearly a connection between a person's age and their ability to operate a motor vehicle," he said.

The state office of AARP is ramping up opposition to the bill, asking its 66,000 active state members to call legislators about it. (N&O) 

Zeb Alley says veterans didn't write a spate of recent bills.

The longtime lobbyist, who works pro bono for the N.C. Veterans Council, said that group has pushed a handful of bills that would elevate the veterans commission to a Cabinet-level post, for example.

But a spate of recent bills to allow free admission to museums, among other things, comes from legislators themselves.

"Those bills are dreamed up by members of the General Assembly," he said.

Alley, an Army veteran who received a Purple Heart in Korea, said that there are a lot of veterans in the legislature, such as Reps. Grier Martin, Ric Killian and Ronnie Sutton. But he said pretty much all of the legislators are military-friendly.

"It's an easy group to lobby for because they're all anxious to help veterans," he said. "You don't have to be a veteran to be a friend of the veterans."

* Rep. Ray Rapp files a bill that would give Gov. Beverly Perdue the authority to furlough state workers, which she says she won't do.

* Greensboro News-Record's Mark Binker thinks Civitas' polling on gay marriage may have "established a norm" by referring to other states.

* Bill to help members of the military renew their drivers licenses while deployed passes House. Idea came from Army reservist Rep. Ric Killian.

* Democratic consultant Gary Pearce highlights Sen. Charlie Albertson's bill to prevent sports teams from playing if school scores are low.

A coalition of non-partisan, government watchdog groups joined with Republican legislators Thursday to push for televising the state legislature.

North Carolina is among the few holdout states that don't broadcast video of their lawmakers by the Internet or television. (Audio streaming is available on the Internet for House and Senate floor sessions and limited committee meetings.) Two Republicans, Sen. Eddie Goodall, of Union County, and Rep. Ric Killian, of Charlotte, said state government remains out of reach to most North Carolinians.  

"My constituents," Killian said, "They can see their school board...their city council...their county commission and...their federal government on TV, but they can't see their state government."

Many cities and counties broadcast local boards and commissions on local access cable channels, and Congress is the star of C-SPAN. A House study commission last year reported favorably on the idea of televising the legislature, which could cost more than $1 million to start up. Representatives of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform and the Sunshine Center at Elon University back the plan.

Connie Book, who heads the Sunshine Center and is associate dean at Elon's school of communications, underscored that televising the legislature, making it more accessible to the public, is more important now that the news media is shrinking and devoting fewer resources to covering government.

"The end result," Book said, "is a lack of oversight."

Update: House Speaker Joe Hackney and Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight both said through spokesmen that they fully support televising the legislature but the state can't afford to pay for it in the midst of a deep recession. The House recently began archiving recorded floor sessions on its Web site.

Recent House bills of note:

H.B. 414: Judicial Appointment/Voter Retention, Rep. Johnathan Rhyne

H.B. 421: Use of Deadly Force/SBI Investigations, Rep. Kelly Alexander

H.B. 427: Counties May Fund Charter Schools, Reps. Tim Moore, George Cleveland, Larry Brown and William Current

H.B. 430: Voter Identification, Reps. Moore, Current, Paul Stam and Ric Killian

H.B. 431: Abortion-Parental Consent Notarized, Reps. Mark Hilton and Pat McElraft

H.B. 432: Conscience Protection/Health Care Providers, Rep. Hilton

Some interesting bills filed in the House recently:

H.B. 120: Public Municipal Campaigns, Reps. Rick Glazier, Melanie Wade Goodwin, Pricey Harrison and Winkie Wilkins

H.B. 123: Death Penalty / Proportionality Review, Reps. Glazier, Dan Blue, Deborah Ross and Earline Parmon

H.B. 125: Raise the Cap on Charter Schools, Reps. Jim Gulley, Marilyn Avila and Ric Killian

H.B. 126: Eliminate the Cap on Charter Schools, Reps. Gulley, Avila, Killian and Nelson Dollar

H.B. 128: Authorize Grandfather Mountain as State Park, Reps. Phil Frye, Edgar Starnes and Cullie Tarleton

* Conservative blogger Katy Benningfield writes that former Lee County commissioner Chad Adams appears to be running for chairman of the N.C. Republican Party.

* Republican state Rep. Ric Killian files a bill that would give a hunting and fishing license exemption for members of the military on active duty. 

* UNC-Chapel Hill journalism prof Leroy Towns thinks the "hand wringing" over the N&O's new health care newsletter is unwarranted; liberal blogger Adam Linker disagrees.

* Greensboro News-Record reporter Mark Binker writes that a bill to extend legislators' terms to four years is not likely to gain much traction in either chamber. 

Rep. Ric Killian
Mecklenburg County Republican
Second Term

What two things would you cut in the state budget? He favors across the board 3 to 7 percent cuts in all agencies.

Are there any taxes you would be in favor of increasing? No. He would favor tax cuts instead. "I am hopeful this legislative body takes the opportunity to relook and reduce the scope of government in North Carolina," he said.

— Mark Johnson