Each week, staff at Carolina Journal looks back at the week in N.C. politics and chooses several interesting, relevant stories you may have missed. Here’s this week’s review: Bond proposal: House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, wants a $3.1-billion bond for education and transportation needs. Reps. Jeffrey…
Gov. Roy Cooper should stop picking winners and losers in business as he reopens North Carolina’s economy, says N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland. Moore called out Cooper during a Thursday, May 28, news conference, saying he hopes the governor will sign newly passed legislation allowing…
Editor’s note: This story was updated Friday, May 29, to include current numbers on COVID-19 deaths, as reported the NCDHHS. A bill to reopen private bars and clubs, as well as expanding outdoor seating in restaurants and brewpubs, is awaiting a decision from the governor.
A Senate committee passed protection for direct primary care providers and discussed regulatory reforms to prepare hospitals and other health care workers for the second wave of the coronavirus. The Senate Health Care Committee on Thursday, May 28, unanimously passed House Bill 471…
It’s not certain whether COVID-19 will continue to spread through North Carolina this fall, but one thing is likely: The 2020-21 school year won’t be typical. North Carolina public health and education officials have been working to determine what the 2020-21 school year…
Health clubs, gyms, spas, and karate dojos have joined to file a lawsuit against Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order keeping their businesses closed during the COVID-19 outbreak. The lawsuit is the latest challenge of Cooper’s response to COVID-19. In the…
The state Department of Transportation defended its overspending and planned reforms to a skeptical Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday, May 27. Lawmakers asked department officials how, in fiscal year 2018-19, the DOT spent $742 million more than its budget, based on a May audit…
A bill forbidding all-mail elections passed unanimously Wednesday, May 27, out of the House Elections and Ethics Law Committee. It’s heading to the House Rules Committee. House Bill 1169 eases some restrictions on absentee ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also tightening oversight…
Lockhart Taylor is out as director of employment security at the N.C. Department of Commerce. Pryor Gibson, who was a top legislative aide for former Gov. Bev Perdue, replaces Taylor. The announcement came Wednesday, May 27, more than a week after…
Unemployment, homelessness, depression, and a host of mental health issues are on the rise for North Carolina’s military veterans. Veterans face challenges even during prosperous times. But COVID-19’s social distancing mandates and the economic shutdown have taken an outsized toll on those who were teetering before…
