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Robinson demands apology from Hunt over ad he called ‘racist’
Republican North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is demanding an apology from Democrat State Sen. Rachel Hunt for running an ad that he says was racist.
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Twenty-six new laws now in effect in North Carolina
Twenty-six new laws are now on the books in North Carolina. Among those that took effect on Dec. 1 was H.B. 40, Prevent Rioting and Civil Disorder, which makes rioting a felony if it resulted in over $2,500 worth of property damage, involved dangerous weapons or substances, or resulted in someone’s death. It would also make...
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Literacy test repeal sails through first House committee
On Wednesday, North Carolina legislators took a step toward repealing the literacy test requirement from the N.C. Constitution. Legislators heard House Bill 44 in the Judiciary 2 committee Wednesday. The bill would place a constitutional amendment on the 2024 general election ballot. The bill has widespread support in the House, and Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham,...
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Republicans push to remove literacy test from state Constitution
State Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, wants to remove the state's Jim Crow-era literacy test for voters. It "ought to be out of our constitution," Berger said. In 1900, during Jim Crow, the literacy test requirement was added to the state Constitution.
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Cooper vetoes pistol permit repeal, hotel safety measure
Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed a high-profile bill that would have ended North Carolina’s pistol permit requirement. The governor also nixed a hotel safety bill. With his sixth and seventh vetoes of this legislative session, Cooper has now issued 60 vetoes since taking office in 2017. No other N.C. governor has vetoed more than 20...
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Third parties could gain easier access to N.C. ballot
Third parties would face a lower hurdle in seeking a spot on North Carolina’s election ballot, under a bill that cleared a state House committee this morning. The measure also helps unaffiliated candidates and lowers the percentage of votes a candidate needs to win to avoid a primary runoff. The House Elections and Ethics Law...
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Legislature Repeals Durham’s Jim Crow-Era Gun Registration Law
DURHAM — A local legislative bill created Durham County’s gun roll, the only firearm registration system in North Carolina, in 1935. State Sen. Mike Woodard, D-Durham, introduced a local bill that was passed into law June 18 abolishing the registration requirement. Because it was a local bill, it became law without the governor’s signature after passing both chambers of the General Assembly.
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Compromised Charter School Bill Faces Final House Vote
RALEIGH — Concessions made on transportation, food, capital funding, and oversight have added new layers of restrictions and bureaucracy to a proposal that initially offered merely to remove the state’s cap on charter schools. And even with these givebacks, Gov. Bev Perdue has given no indication that she would allow S.B. 8 to become law.
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Partisan Split Intensifies in Busy Week at General Assembly
RALEIGH — Most of the legislative action was in the state House this week, with lawmakers compromising on charter schools and debating a bill to put a roadblock in front of high-speed rail.
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Friday Interview: Home Rule and Black Disenfranchisement
RALEIGH — The rules governing North Carolina elections still show signs of the state’s history, a history in which black voters were denied the right to vote for decades after the official end of slavery. Lee Craig, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Economics at North Carolina State University, lectured on the topic “Home Rule and the Disenfranchisement of African-American Voters in North Carolina” for the John Locke Foundation’s Shaftesbury Society earlier this year. Craig discussed themes from that presentation with Mitch Kokai for Carolina Journal Radio.
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Reparations Bills Could Hurt Dems Most
RALEIGH—The eyes of the nation are watching North Carolina, where state Reps. Larry Womble, D-Forsyth, and Earl Jones, D-Guilford, are sponsoring the first bill in any state that would require companies seeking government contracts to examine their records for evidence of participation in or profiting from slavery. The bill, H1006, has already gone through the House Government Committee with a unanimous vote. If passed into law, it will force corporations to file affidavits of any past investments in or profits derived from slavery. The companies will be required to comply or face termination of their state contracts.
