Editor’s note: This story was updated Friday, May 29, to include current numbers on COVID-19 deaths, as reported the NCDHHS. A bill to reopen private bars and clubs, as well as expanding outdoor seating in restaurants and brewpubs, is awaiting a decision from the governor. He’ll probably veto the measure, which also applies to breweries,...
Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, said a provision in a pandemic-relief bill allowing restaurants to offer sealed, to-go cocktails may well survive negotiations with the Senate. The House approved a $1.7-billion omnibus bill Thursday, April 30, a day after the Senate passed its $1.3-billion version. The two chambers will try to settle their differences Friday, May...
Virginia, also — like North Carolina — an alcohol control state, is allowing distillers to deliver to people’s homes. It’s a big step, and it would be great if North Carolina found a way to implement a similar service, for myriad reasons, which I’ll get to. The state deems N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control stores essential...
The General Assembly will look a bit different after the 2020 session. Twenty-four lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats — have opted not to run for re-election. Institutional knowledge will shrink as experienced lawmakers leave the General Assembly, political scientists say. But the turnover may allow new issues and ideas to take center stage. See the...
Members of the N.C. General Assembly may meet for only one day this week — Tuesday, Jan. 14 — and will potentially hold a vote to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget veto. According to plans, anyway. Four Senate Democrats joined all Republicans in approving the budget bill, House Bill 966, with a 33-15 vote June...
The N.C. Department of Transportation’s financial woes may be over, but its headaches live on. After the department overspent by $2 billion, the legislature gave the department $200 million, but at a price. The department must undergo a performance audit, and strengthen its transparency and accountability measures. The department paused 900 projects in August, throwing...
Say you want a fidget spinner. Well, if you have a few bucks for one, then you go buy it. Same goes for a burger. Lots of choices, lots of options. Then, say, you want a mixed drink at your favorite local restaurant. If the town or city in which you live allows so-called liquor-by-the-drink,...
The House Appropriations Committee has passed a more than $250-million hurricane relief bill that places a greater emphasis on resilience and disaster mitigation. The committee took up House Bill 1023, the Storm Recovery Act of 2019, on Wednesday, Oct. 30. H.B. 1023 provides money for communities affected by the storms and for disaster recovery efforts,...
If the General Assembly learned anything from recent decades of redistricting battles, it’s that the map-drawing process needs a thorough overhaul. The House Redistricting Committee discussed several proposed redistricting plans Thursday, Oct. 24, intending to make the process as nonpartisan as possible. A timeline regarding a committee vote doesn’t exist, and members adjourned without notice...
It’s time for a break from “summer camp.” Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, acknowledged as much Wednesday, Sept. 11, saying the level of trust between N.C. Republicans and Democrats is as “brittle” as he has ever seen. That’s going to have important implications for redistricting reform. After the General Assembly passes its court-ordered maps, lawmakers may...
It has begun. Or, probably more accurately, a local and statewide crusade to prevent privatization of North Carolina’s liquor business is intensifying. Even though legislative efforts to move toward a system of private licensure are relatively nascent, and a leader in such labors is retiring after his term ends next year, local governments are settling...
