North Carolina lawmakers are focusing on options for empowering parents of school-aged kids with more choices. Among the options being analyzed is a voucher system. Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation Director of Research and Education Studies, says vouchers are a transparent and easy-to-understand form of school choice. He lays out the benefits of vouchers and concerns as well. Then we turn to a potential change to North Carolina election law. Lawmakers are trying again this year to approve legislation requiring photo identification for voters. The N.C. House’s Election Committee chairman, Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, recently explained why he and his colleagues are seeking input from both supporters and critics of a voter ID requirement. Next is a look at another legislative priority: regulatory reform. Legislators have approved regulatory reform measures in each of the past two years. House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, says we can expect more. But Tillis says the latest regulatory reform measure might take a new form: Regulators will be asked to justify existing rules that might otherwise go away. That’s followed by a look at our state’s justice system and issues of public corruption, which North Carolina is familiar with. Attorney General Roy Cooper and Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby say the state might have an easier time tackling future corruption cases if state lawmakers will make two changes. Cooper and Willoughby would like state prosecutors to be able to convene investigative grand juries in cases of corruption and financial fraud. They also urge lawmakers to make lying to an SBI agent in a criminal investigation a felony. And finally, Carolina Journal Associate Editor Barry Smith delves further into the issue of requiring a photo I.D. to vote. Smith attended a recent public hearing on the issue, which saw advocates for and against an I.D. making their case to lawmakers. Smith also explains what’s ahead.