Republican lawmakers are forcing their Democratic colleagues to choose between sustaining Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget veto or securing higher teacher pay raises. On Wednesday, Oct. 30, Republicans introduced a mini-budget in the House Education Appropriations Committee covering teacher pay raises. A conference report to Senate Bill…
As the General Assembly scrambles to adjourn, the Senate made another stab at getting money to failing rural hospitals. Senate Bill 537 would create a rural hospital loan program, which would lend $20 million in taxpayer dollars to distressed rural hospitals. University of…
The vape tax disappeared by the time its mini-budget made it to the House floor. The House Finance Committee sprung an amendment that would tax e-cigarette and vapor products on Senate Bill 557 in committee, Wednesday, Oct. 30. The amendment…
Don’t retire the lottery machines just yet. Experts say the General Assembly may soon enter another round of map redraws. The speculation stems from an Oct. 28 court injunction, in which a three-judge panel in Harper v.
The House Appropriations Committee has passed a more than $250-million hurricane relief bill that places a greater emphasis on resilience and disaster mitigation. The committee took up House Bill 1023, the Storm Recovery Act of 2019, on Wednesday, Oct. 30. H.B.
State legislators have sent a tax on vaping to the House. The House Finance Committee amended a mini-budget, Senate Bill 557, Wednesday, Oct. 30, to raise the tax on vaping and send part of the tax revenue toward the Tobacco Use…
One of the most significant documents in N.C. public education is being kept under lock and key. The WestEd report is supposed to restart proceedings in the Leandro court case. After 25 years, the dispute over education opportunities hasn’t found a conclusion. …
U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, R-6th District, has the NCAA’s attention when it comes to fair pay for student athletes. But he wants action from the collegiate sports giant — and from Congress. The NCAA’s board of governors voted Tuesday, Oct. 29, to…
The General Assembly has approved a plan to reform the Innovative School District. On Tuesday, Oct. 29, the Senate and the House took up the conference report for Senate Bill 522. The bill makes several changes to the ISD program and…
The General Assembly’s attempt to regulate pharmacy middlemen has stalled. Senate Bill 432 would have allowed the state to audit pharmacy benefit managers and exercise some control over their payments. The bill passed the House 94-9, but Tuesday, Oct. 29, the Senate voted…
