INSIDER NOTEBOOK
The state House approved a measure that would keep at least some lanes free from tolls on existing highways as the chamber finished its hurried "crossover week."
In a unanimous vote Thursday, the House agreed to let the state collect tolls to help pay for the addition of new lanes on I-95 and other interstate highways -- but only if drivers retain the option to drive toll-free in the old lanes.
Three summers ago, in August, a rainstorm in central North Carolina sent perhaps thousands of fish from the southern end of Jordan Lake scurrying up the Haw River.
House Republicans offered their own North Carolina tax overhaul plan Thursday that would reduce personal and corporate income tax rates and expand the sales tax to cover more services. The proposal's scope is much narrower than what Senate counterparts offered as GOP legislators try to fulfill a commitment to carry out tax reform this year.
The plan attempts to simplify income taxes and reduces the number of income tax brackets from three to one, according to the proposed legislation obtained by The Associated Press.
Gov. Pat McCrory needs more time to decide whether to grant Alcoa Inc. a new 50-year operating license for four dams that once powered an aluminum plant and provided local jobs but are now used solely to generate electricity sold by the company, a state attorney said. In a federal regulatory filing this week, a state attorney said McCrory took office just four months ago and needs time to get up to speed on the relicensing issue that involves job creation, electricity revenues, and water access on the Yadkin River east of Charlotte.
Operators have shut down the Shearon Harris nuclear plant after finding tiny marks of corrosion and cracking that need repair. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the health and safety of employees or the public are not affected.
U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) has issued a statement after Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, committed to consider the Preserving Public Access to Cape Hatteras Beaches Act during the committee’s June mark-up: "I am pleased that Chairman Wyden committed to giving this important bill its proper consideration before the committee. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure its passage into law. I applaud Congressman Walter Jones and the House Committee on Natural Resources for their swift passage of the House companion bill."
We continue to wonder why Republican state lawmakers want so much to tell local governments what to do. The latest chapter comes as N.C. Sen. Buck Newton fights for a bill that would eliminate local tobacco use guidelines.
The concept of home rule is one that Republicans claim to hold dear. People are best equipped to govern themselves at the local level. Yet in Raleigh we are seeing a General Assembly determined to strip local governments.
The legislature will jump right from crossover into budget debates. The Senate budget is set to be released online Sunday evening, said Sen. Pete Brunstetter, a chief budget writer. Budget subcommittees will talk about the proposal in Monday meetings. On Tuesday, the budget proposal will go to the Senate Appropriations Committee and come to the floor on Wednesday and Thursday.
North Carolina’s Open Meetings Law appears to provide strong protection of the public’s right to see its government in action. In fact, however, the law has too many loopholes that allow secrecy.
North Carolina governors would have more latitude to hire and fire state workers under a bill that cleared the state House Wednesday. The measure, which now goes to the state Senate, will give the governor 1,500 political "at will" appointees.
Virtually any employer in North Carolina could opt to buy insurance plans that do not include contraception coverage under a bill that cleared the House Judiciary A Committee Wednesday.
A state auditor's investigation into a Durham Technical Community College employee working a private business on the state's dime led to the employee's firing, a report released Wednesday revealed.
Democratic State Rep. Marcus Brandon made his intentions to seek Congressman Mel Watt's 12th District seat official, according to Federal Election Commission documents made public this week. Watt is President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Federal Housing Finance Administration.
A state Senate panel approved a bill Wednesday that would allow Boards of Commissioners in nine counties, including Wake, to take away from their local school boards their authority to build and own schools.
A state audit has found that the N.C. Board of Funeral Service isn't performing inspections of funeral homes and crematories on an established time line, increasing the risk that violations could go undetected.
Once a year at the N.C. General Assembly, beer and politics and the politics of beer blend like a summer shandy at the “Rush the Growler” party. The soiree hosted by the N.C. Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association draws lawmakers, lobbyists, state officials and plenty of staffers to a historic house near the governor’s mansion for barbecue and beer.
A bill that would give county commissions the right to assume ownership of school properties suddenly has much greater significance and urgency for several counties.
The state House voted unanimously on Monday to take the N.C. Indian Cultural Center property away from a nonprofit agency that has struggled to maintain it and sell it to the Lumbee tribal government.
The General Assembly has an opportunity this session to transition health care across the state, starting with the Medicaid program, to a new technology that makes sure patients can quickly and efficiently get the care they need.
Supporters of legislation to expand who can serve as a midwife said they are disappointed at a decision to pull a bill that would have removed criminal penalties for certified professional midwives.
Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) has submitted testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs in support of the Veterans Education Equity Act of 2013. Butterfield introduced H.R. 595, the House version of the legislation, in February to reward equal educational benefits to veterans whether they choose to attend a private or public institution of higher learning.
N.C. An effort by Gov. Pat McCrory's administration to rework North Carolina state government personnel laws has cleared another House panel. The House Appropriations Committee voted Tuesday for a bill that attempts to reduce the grievance procedure. It also would increase the number of executive branch employees who are not subject to the job protections of the State Personnel Act from 1,000 to 1,500. It also would expand which agencies can hire exempt employees. Such workers generally are policy makers.
As contentious as the N.C. General Assembly can be, it was rewarding last week to see an overwhelming number of N.C. House members pass a bill designed to ensure humane treatment of dogs in commercial breeding kennels.
A southeast Charlotte abortion clinic has been shut down by the state after investigators found that workers had improperly administered a drug that terminates pregnancies.
The suspension of the center’s license involves the drug Methotrexate, which is used to induce abortions. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services began investigating the center in late April because of a complaint. An injectable version of the drug was administered orally, the investigation found, which is dangerous to patients.
House committee approves bill that would allow taxpayers to contribute additional payments to support state programs.
Blue NC blogger argues that GOP took control of #NCGA through "rigged" elections: "Our Republican-controlled legislature is not a legitimate government. We have no obligation to obey or respect the laws they pass or the actions they take. On the contrary, we have a moral responsibility to resist them at every turn."
A bill that adds transparency to the state's ratemaking process for homeowners insurance is headed to the House floor after sailing through the House Insurance Committee.
A Senate committee on Tuesday morning approved a bill that would repeal environmental protections at Jordan Lake that were enacted in 2009. SB515, by Sen. Rick Gunn, a Republican from Burlington, and Sen. Trudy Wade, a Republican from Greensboro, would require the state to study what the best approach is to improve water quality. Results of that study would be presented to the legislature for consideration next year. The North Carolina chapter of the Sierra Club said the protections in place now are the result of years of studies, negotiations and discussions.
