Americans for Prosperity–North Carolina, a conservative grass-roots organization, on Wednesday released a 2017 legislative agenda that puts state spending limits atop the project list.
AFP asked the legislature to consider a Taxpayer Protection Act and to push tax reforms allowing North Carolinians to keep more of their money.
While AFP did not endorse any specific proposal, in 2015 the state Senate passed a Taxpayer Protection Act, a proposed constitutional amendment capping the state personal income tax rate at 5 percent, requiring surplus revenues to go to the rainy day fund, and limiting spending growth to not exceed the growth in state population plus the rate of inflation. That measure died in the House without reaching a vote.
Other priorities, outlined in a news release, include:
- Eliminating corporate welfare programs
- Defeating Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan for Medicaid expansion
- Reforming health care by repealing Certificate of Need laws and promoting Right to Try legislation
- Pushing for cuts in regulation on sales for the state’s local distilleries and breweries
- Repealing North Carolina’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard
- Promoting school choice, including expansion of Opportunity Scholarships and charter schools
- Removing barriers to entry for small businesses via reform of occupational licensure laws
“One of the reasons it is so exciting to work for Americans for Prosperity is that we advocate for good policy year-round, not merely during election cycles,” AFP State Director Donald Bryson said. “Our aggressive state and federal legislative agendas reflect our tireless commitment to standing up for the taxpayers, workers, parents, and job creators against the special interest that want more of their money. There are dozens of opportunities for lawmakers to improve the lives of their constituents by getting government out of the way — our agenda is only a starting point.
“Politicians of both parties should be on notice: Americans for Prosperity is watching, and we will alert their constituents and hold those politicians accountable for votes not in the interest of economic freedom,” Bryson added.