As North Carolina recovers from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the John Locke Foundation is offering help. The new Carolina Rebound project is designed to give policymakers ideas that will help the state recover as quickly and efficiently as possible. Joseph Coletti, JLF senior fellow, discusses Carolina Rebound’s recommendations for state tax and budget policy. The pandemic shut down many N.C. businesses. Even those allowed to stay open had to scramble to adapt their business plans to changing circumstances. Ron Joyce of Triad-based Joyce Farms recently explained during a John Locke Foundation online forum how COVID-19 has transformed his business. Once focused almost exclusively on selling high-quality meat to chefs, Joyce and his team now sell directly to consumers. Joyce discusses the steps his business took to remain viable. One of the most important parts of the COVID-19 story involves the search for an effective vaccine. During a recent Capitol Hill hearing, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.., questioned Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases about ongoing studies of potential vaccines. Even before the pandemic, experts were calling for reform of North Carolina’s public pension plan. Leonard Gilroy, vice president of government reform at the libertarian Reason Foundation, and Jen Sidorova, policy analyst with Reason’s Pension Integrity Project, explain why policymakers should address deficiencies in pension plan funding. In addition to tax and policy proposals, JLF’s Carolina Rebound project recommends changes to state health care policy. Health Care Policy Analyst Jordan Roberts explains how those reforms could lead to better access and outcomes at lower cost.