In Federalist 49, James Madison wrote, “The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived.” This still holds today and applies equally to the U.S. Constitution and to state constitutions like North Carolina’s. One...
A lo largo del acalorado debate sobre la expansión de Medicaid en Carolina del Norte, una palabra se repitió una y otra vez: suministro. Quienes se oponen a la expansión mencionaron la escasez de profesionales de la salud como una preocupación grave que se agravaría si se agregaran más de 600,000 personas a las listas...
Throughout the heated North Carolina Medicaid expansion debate, one word was repeated time and again: supply. Opponents of expansion cited the health care professional shortage as a serious concern that would be exacerbated if over 600,000 individuals were added to the Medicaid rolls. Thankfully, there are some policy reforms that can help alleviate the health-care...
Jordan Roberts, John Locke Foundation director of government affairs, speaks in favor of Senate Bill 669, Solar Decommissioning Requirements. Roberts offered these comments during the April 18, 2023, meeting of the Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee.
The American dream of owning a home is falling out of reach for many in our state. Home prices continue to rise in North Carolina as we lag pre-recession levels of new construction. Simultaneously, our state welcomed over 100,000 new residents just last year. Both current residents and newcomers to North Carolina will face hardships...
North Carolina’s economic success is no secret. CNBC recently named our state No. 1 for business, and the state budget has recently seen surpluses in the billions. This economic boom is attributable to leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly prioritizing fiscal responsibility in budgeting and wise tax policy, making our state attractive for families...
Despite a nationwide underperformance by Republicans, North Carolina Republicans made meaningful gains, picking up two seats in both the state Senate and House. The change in legislative composition presents additional opportunities for lawmakers to continue their decade-long record of successful governing and increasing freedom for all North Carolinians. As is the case every two years,...
The 2021 long legislative session was the longest in North Carolina history, lasting from January 2021 into March of this year. During the session, lawmakers faced many complex issues, such as dealing with the ongoing pandemic, passing a biennial budget, and redrawing voting district lines for the next decade. While those issues dominated the headlines,...
Jordan Roberts, director of government affairs at the John Locke Foundation, discusses “Granting Nurses Full Practice Authority: Benefits for NC.” Roberts offered these remarks March 29, 2022, to the N.C. General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Committee on Access to Healthcare and Medicaid Expansion.
The latest debate in the North Carolina General Assembly is one over pharmacy benefit managers or PBMs. Senate Bill 257 and a House committee substitute (PCS) to that bill represent similar but competing visions of regulating PBMs. Though sometimes villainized, PBMs play an important role in the U.S.’s third-party payer health care system. PBMs deserve...
Jordan Roberts of the John Locke Foundation explains his opposition to new N.C. health insurance mandates. Learn more here: “Insurance mandates are bad health care policy.”
If a state government agency wants to avoid complying with N.C. law, it might be able to accomplish its goal through a collusive lawsuit settlement. But state lawmakers could take steps this year to strike back against those settlements. Andy Jackson, director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, explains...