The 1998 edition of North Carolina Legislation is the thirty-fifth periodic summary of legislation published by the Institute of Government. From 1955 through 1973, the Institute of Government's legislative summary was published biennially in a special issue of Popular Government. From 1974 until the present, the summary has been published annually as a separate publication.

North Carolina Legislation 1998 is a comprehensive summary of legislation enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly during its 1998 legislative sessions that is of interest and importance to state and local government officials. The summaries of legislation are organized by subject matter and divided into twenty-eight chapters. Each chapter is directed primarily toward public officials who have a special interest or responsibility in the subject it covers. In some instances, legislation is discussed in two or more chapters.

North Carolina Legislation does not summarize every bill enacted by the General Assembly. For example, local legislation is given scant attention, as are other significant areas of the law, such as the licensing and regulation of occupations and professions, business regulation, corporate activities, and insurance. Additional information on legislation considered or enacted by the General Assembly in 1998, including the final text of each bill, a detailed history of the actions taken with respect to each bill, and the fiscal impact of some bills, is available on the General Assembly's Web site: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us.

The Institute of Government also publishes two separate reports, the Final Disposition of Bills and the Index of Legislation, that provide additional information with respect to public and local bills considered or enacted during the 1998 legislative sessions. These publications may be purchased through the Institute's Publications and Marketing Division (phone 919-966-4119,
e-mail khunt@sog.unc.edu).

During the legislative session, the Institute of Government's Legislative Reporting Service publishes the Daily Bulletin each day that the General Assembly is in session. The Daily Bulletin includes summaries, written by Institute of Government faculty members, of every bill and resolution that is introduced in the state House and Senate, summaries of all amendments and committee substitutes adopted by the House and Senate, a daily report of the actions taken on the floor of the House and Senate with respect to legislation, and a calendar of legislative committee meetings and agenda of the bills that will be considered by legislative committees or on the floor of the House or Senate on the next legislative day. The Daily Bulletin is available by paid subscription to commercial and governmental subscribers via U.S. mail, telefax, or the World Wide Web. For more information about subscribing to the Daily Bulletin, please contact the Institute's Publications and Marketing Division (phone 919-966-4119, e-mail khunt@sog.unc.edu).

With one exception, each of the chapters in North Carolina Legislation is written by one or more Institute of Government faculty members. Chapter 26 (State Taxation) is written by staff of the General Assembly's bill drafting, legislative research, and fiscal research divisions.

Throughout this publication, references to legislation enacted during the 1998 legislative sessions are cited by the Session Law number of the act (for example, S.L. 1998-202), followed by a parenthetical reference to the number of the Senate or House bill or resolution (for example, S 1352 or H 1532) that was enacted. References to the General Statutes of North Carolina are abbreviated as G.S. (for example, G.S. 7A-567 or G.S. Chapter 58, Article 55). Unless otherwise noted, references to 1997-98, 1998-99, etc., are to the state fiscal year, which begins on July 1 and ends the following June 30.