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N.C. Senate Democrats unveil a plan for families with legislation that includes picking up where Build Back Better left off

North Carolina Senate Democrats held a press conference Wednesday, June 15 to announce their “North Carolina Families Plan.” Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, Wake, said the plan was based on different pieces of legislation and the budget proposals laid out by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

Theresa Opeka
News

Sparks fly as N.C. Senate Education Committee OK’s Parents’ Bill of Rights

The North Carolina Senate Education Committee passed a measure May 25 that would enshrine a Parents’ Bill of Rights into state law. The discussion became heated at times as Republicans and Democrats clashed over specific provisions in the bill, including those that would expand academic transparency and prohibit curriculum focused on gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade classrooms.

David N. Bass
News

NC Senate fails to override mask veto, votes for adjournment

The N.C. Senate voted Wednesday evening to adjourn the longest long session of the legislature in decades, effective March 10. The adjournment resolution calls to reconvene the state legislature on April 4, then gavel out until May 4. The beginning of the short session would officially begin on May 18. The adjournment measure, Senate Joint...

CJ Staff
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Hospitals take more heat from treasurer; calls for change in billing practices

State Treasurer Dale Folwell is once again sounding the alarm on some nonprofit hospitals in the state, with a new report that shows low-income patients are being billed when they were eligible for charity care. This comes on the heels of a similar report released in October by Folwell, who oversees the State Health Plan...

Theresa Opeka
News

Robinson, Chaudhuri clash as Senate committee OKs anti-indoctrination bill

A bill that would ban schools from promoting more than a dozen controversial views in public schools is one step closer to a full vote in the state Senate. It cleared the Senate Education and Higher Education Committee through a voice vote on Tuesday, August 24. Among the ideas House Bill 324 would prevent schools...

David N. Bass

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Overhaul of high school sports governance presented in Senate committee

On Tuesday, the N.C. Senate Education Committee presented a bill that would effectively end the High School Athletic Association’s role in supervising high school athletics, a role the organization has held since 1913. The PCS for House Bill 91, Accountability and Fair Play in Athletics was presented for discussion and is the result of a...

Dallas Woodhouse
News

Senate passes sweeping tax cut package with 8 Democrats on board

The North Carolina Senate passed a Republican-led tax reform package Wednesday evening in a quick, 36-14 vote that drew eight Democrats to cross the aisle and vote in favor of the bill. House Bill 334 would raise the standard deduction from $21,500 to $25,500 for joint filers, which would take about a quarter of a...

CJ Staff
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Bill revamping Innovative School District gets legislative stamp of approval

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 delays the number of schools that must be added to the ISD. Despite objections...

Lindsay Marchello
News

Bill ending three retirement options sent back to committee to make it more ‘lawyer-proof’

Persistent questions about the constitutionality of legislation to stabilize the underfunded state retirement system have slowed the bill’s advance. On Tuesday, April 16, Senate Rules Committee Chairman Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, recommended sending Senate Bill 374 back to the Senate Pensions, Retirement, and Aging Committee. The committee agreed. The bill would eliminate three methods of paying retirement...

Dan Way