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Clothesline bill hung out to dry

Back during crossover (click here), Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Greensboro Democrat, got a little bill (H 1353) through the House that would prohibit cities and counties from adopting blanket prohibitions on clotheslines.

The idea, according to Harrison, is to allow people who want to save energy by hanging out their laundry (rather than use their dryers) even if some folks in the community turn up their nose at the idea. Originally, the bill started out as an effort to keep homeowners associations from adopting restrictive covenants prohibiting clotheslines, but Harrison took that out of the bill after getting a lot of resistance. (Related items here, here and here.)

So the bill came before the Senate Commerce Committee today … and it was doomed.

There was philosophical opposition, yes.

“I also think we ought to let cities and counties to elect local ordinances that govern these types of things. I don’t think the state should have an umbrella ordinance for clotheslines…we just can’t legislate everything,” said Sen. Malcolm Graham.

But you really knew the bill was going down when Senators started openly mocking it.

“Is there any kind of a dress code required when you’re hanging out your clothes?” asked Sen. Tony Rand. The question was a sideswipe at what was being whispered around the committee table: who wants to see their neighbors’ unmentionables? (Or, not to put too fine a point on it, who wants to see a senator's unmentionables?)

As other members asked questions of staff, a few Senators had a separate dialogue going.

“So what they’re saying is if it’s your own property we can string our panties up,” Sen. Debbie Clary said to Graham, prompting Graham to reply, “String it up baby!”

Clary continued, questioning how people down at the beach might feel about watching other people’s undies flap in the ocean breeze.

“I can just see Clark stringing up his underwear on the line right outside the beach house,” Sen. Debbie Clary said, referring to Sen. Clark Jenkins.

Back on the actual committee discussion, the best defense of the measure on the committee came from Sen. William Purcell. He allowed as how his wife says it is never a good idea to put cotton sheets in the dryer and that they MUST be hung outside. Oh, and he said it would be good to save energy.

“I think we ought to be encouraging people to do this,” Purcell said.

After one outburst of laughter, Committee Chairman R.C. Soles said, “Alright, this is serious business,” tapping his gavel on the table. That got more chuckles and prompted at least one committee member to remark, “Oh, yeah, this is serious business.”

The bill was voted down on a voice vote, and there was little doubt there were more no-votes at the table. Barring some extraordinary intervention, the bill is down for the count until 2011.

Outside the committee hearing, Harrison was disappointed by the failure.

“It’s been a real problem for folks who feel pretty adamantly they want to use clotheslines,” Harrison said. “It’s their small step that they can take toward global warming issue.”

Harrison said that 10-to-25 percent of a home’s energy usage can come from a dryer.

I asked whether she might come back with a bill that would prohibit home owners associations from prohibiting clotheslines in their covenants. After all, it is more HOA covenants than city ordinances that prove troublesome for those who hang-to-dry. Harrison said she doubted it.

“If I can’t even get the city and county ordinance bill passed in the Senate, it seems a little futile at this point,” Harrison said. “I think once it becomes a bigger problem where more people are turning back to clotheslines and realize the obstacles that they face and restrictions in their covenants, there might be more momentum.”

Accompanying Photos

Morgan Josey Glover (News & Record)

Photo Caption: Drying clothes on an outside line can help cut your heating expenses.