Updated at 1 p.m. May 16 to include comments from Wake Forest University law professor Michael Curtis The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to review the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision striking down the Republican-led General…
One item in Senate’s $22.9 billion spending plan isn’t budgeted to cost the state a penny, with advocates arguing it will reduce government bureaucracy and improve access to medical services. Indeed, the former head of the state medical society has estimated that shift — the gradual repeal of…
After roughly two hours of debate, Thursday evening the Republican-led Senate passed a $22.9 billion General Fund budget for the 2017-19 fiscal cycle by an initial 34-15 party-line vote, more than the 30 votes that would be needed to override a veto by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Discussions of…
RALEIGH — A legislative effort to “raise the age” for some juvenile offenders has instead raised concerns about costs. Most lawmakers agree that, in most cases, 16- and 17-year-0lds should not be criminalized as adults, but the impact on taxpayers of leaving those kids in the juvenile…
The $22.9 billion General Fund budget plan released Tuesday by Senate Republicans would increase spending over the two-year budget cycle by less than Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan would in its first year alone. That’s one conclusion from Joe Coletti, a senior fellow at the…
UPDATE: Links to budget below. RALEIGH — Two numbers not mentioned during Tuesday’s press conference rolling out the Senate budget for the next two fiscal years may be the most important: 30 and 72. Sure, the $22.9 billion in General Fund spending, the $1 billion in tax cuts, and…
The controversy over the possible impact of wind energy turbines on military base operations has not blown over, even though none of the relevant bills met the April 27 legislative crossover deadline. Concerns exist that the towering wind turbines could disrupt radar operations and interfere with…
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s foster kids are not all right. More than 12,000 children are wards of the state — up about 25 percent over the past five years, Sen. Tamara Barringer, R-Wake, told Carolina Journal. No one can…
Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday vetoed House Bill 467, a measure limiting damages property owners can receive if they win nuisance lawsuits against nearby hog farms or other agricultural or forestry operations. The bill passed in April. It capped the amount of compensatory damages in those lawsuits at the…
The battle to preserve the state’s certificate-of-need laws is about to get personal. A newly formed political organization, connected with the North Carolina Hospital Association, seems poised to target elected officials who oppose CON laws, which require a state bureaucracy to approve new free-standing ambulatory…
