RALEIGH — State Senator Todd Farris confirmed Tuesday that he has read “most” of the 847-page omnibus education bill scheduled for a full chamber vote Thursday, describing his progress as “solid, given everything.”
The bill, which reorganizes funding formulas for K-12 public schools, establishes a new charter authorization process, and contains seventeen provisions related to public pool safety that staffers say are “ancillary but binding,” was distributed to members two weeks ago.
“I’ve got the first two hundred pages really locked in,” Farris told reporters following the chamber’s Tuesday session. “Then there’s a gap where I had some scheduling conflicts. But I’ve read the summary, which is eleven pages, and I feel like I have a strong sense of the shape of the thing.”
Farris said he plans to complete his review of the remaining pages by Wednesday evening, describing his strategy as “targeted.” He has prioritized sections with highlighted margins left by a previous reader, whom he identified as “probably a staffer or someone.”
Asked whether he had questions about the provisions he had not yet read, Farris said he planned to “stay curious” during the floor debate and might ask a colleague.
The bill is expected to pass along party lines. Farris is a member of the majority party.
Three other senators reached for comment said they had also read “most” of the bill, though their estimates of what constituted “most” ranged from 40 to 65 percent. A fourth said she had “a feel for it.”
The Senate Education Committee approved the bill last week after a three-hour hearing at which the bill’s sponsor answered seven questions about provisions in the first thirty pages.