The N.C. General Assembly is expected to being voting Tuesday on the newly-released 2021-23 conference budget. The 2021-22 budget plan, out on Monday, represents a 4.3% increase over the previous plan with $25.9 billion slated to be spent. The fiscal 2022-23 portion of the biennial plan is $27 billion, and the state’s rainy day fund...
[Update / Nov. 10, 2021: U.S. Congressman Madison Cawthorn confirmed he will run in a different congressional district than the one he currently represents. In a call with GOP county chairs in his current District (NC-11), Cawthorn announced he would be running in the adjacent new NC-13, not the new NC-14, which is remarkably similar to the...
On Tuesday, November 2, The N.C. House voted along party lines in favor of its new House election district map, while the N.C. Senate approved new congressional maps. The votes come despite many Democrats saying the redistricting committee should “go back to the drawing board.” Democrats called to redo the maps to include race as...
N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, adjourned a quick session Tuesday, Oct. 26, but not before promising a busy week ahead. House Bill 259, the Election Integrity Act, was on the agenda for discussion and possible vote, but the bill’s sponsors — Reps. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort; Kyle Hall, R-Rockingham; and George Cleveland, R-Onslow — asked...
The N.C. House in a concurrence vote passed House Bill 264, Emergency Powers Accountability Act, 66-44, on Wednesday, Oct. 20. Specifically, the legislation requires the governor to get concurrence from the Council of State for an emergency declaration lasting more than seven days. The bill heads to Gov. Roy Cooper, who, as of late September,...
The television ad run against State Sen. Bob Steinburg was brutal. The ad accused Steinburg, R-Chowan, of being responsible for the closure of a rural hospital, leading to a woman’s death due to heart issues. Visuals in the ad include the woman’s husband visiting her gravesite. The message was clear: Steinburg was killing people by...
The N.C. House voted unanimously Wednesday, Aug. 25, to pass a resolution urging Congress and the Biden administration to take additional steps to ensure all U.S. troops, American citizens, and Afghan allies are evacuated from Afghanistan before withdrawing a U.S. presence there. The resolution comes on the heels of a decision by the Biden administration...
Gov. Roy Cooper wants a provision to curb a governor’s powers removed from state budget plans. Cooper, a Democrat, responding to a question during a press conference Wednesday, Aug. 18, said he plans to talk with Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, as well as House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, about his concerns. “I hope they...
Twenty-five years ago this week the Tar Heel State legalized the creation of public charter schools. School choice advocates came together in Raleigh on Tuesday, June 22, to celebrate the milestone and highlight the impact of charter schools on families and students during the last quarter-century. “There is a philosophical war underway right now,” said...
With the end of the state’s fiscal year just three weeks away, the N.C. House and Senate have reached a deal for the next budget. After weeks of closed negotiations, N.C. Senate and House leaders have agreed to a top-line spending number of $25.7 billion in the first year and $26.7 in the second year....
Republican leadership in the General Assembly has introduced legislation to increase penalties for rioting across North Carolina. House Bill 805 would establish a new level of felony penalties for rioters who cause property damage or serious bodily injury or death to others, including physical violence to first responders. The bill allows business owners who sustain...
