A N.C. Senate committee passed a bill on Wednesday by voice vote that would legalizing the use of medical marijuana with more than 0.3% of THC, a Schedule 6 controlled substance under the N.C. Controlled Substances Act. Meantime, the full House voted Wednesday to remove hemp with less than 0.3% THC from the state’s controlled substance list.
State lawmakers are trying again to eliminate the use of hand-held cellphones by operators of motor vehicles. A bipartisan group of legislators recently introduced Senate Bill 20, “Hands Free NC,” in hopes it will go into effect July 1 if passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper. The bill would...
It’s been five years in the making, and it’s almost free from the budget stalemate. When Republicans quashed Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto in the House, they passed the funding for an ambitious overhaul of North Carolina’s Medicaid system. House Bill 555, Medicaid Transformation Implementation, would privatize the management of Medicaid by contracting it out to...
If the state budget process seems polarized now, just wait. It could get even more quarrelsome as lawmakers contemplate how their votes might affect 2020 political prospects. Call it the Three P’s — preening, posturing, and preparing for election campaigns — and some of that was on display during House committee and floor debate on...
The legal landscape for a major health insurance reform shifted dramatically Thursday with a decision from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The ruling, by Judge John Bates, struck down a Trump administration policy making it easier for small businesses and self-employed workers to form Association Health Plans and buy the same...
The Senate has overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 86, which could make high-quality, affordable health care insurance available to tens of thousands of North Carolina residents lacking coverage. The bill enables the growth of Association Health Plans, designed for small businesses and individuals unable to afford insurance. The plans allow individuals and business owners to cluster...
North Carolina’s fiscal policy is relatively strong when compared to much of the country. A 2017 survey by the National Association of State Budget Officers found state governments have collected less revenue than expected after tax season. North Carolina, though, has done pretty well. NASBO says governors are recommending spending increases averaging 1 percent in fiscal 2018 compared to the levels budgeted...
The way the General Assembly confirms Cabinet appointees, by invoking the Senate’s constitutional authority, will mirror methods used in other states. The Senate unanimously adopted a framework for its advice-and-consent confirmation process for Cabinet secretaries as part of the rules for the session on the opening day of the 2017 legislative long session. Some states use select...
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit that convinced a panel of federal judges to toss out North Carolina’s legislative redistricting maps want new districts drawn during a special session in January 2017. The plaintiffs’ proposal is just that at this point. There’s no guarantee federal courts will order the General Assembly to convene a special session for...
If the General Assembly approves State Treasurer Janet Cowell’s request for more flexibility in how it invests the state’s pension plan, North Carolina’s investment in real estate could be among the largest in the nation. The department wants to increase the percentage of real estate investments the pension plan can hold from the current maximum...
RALEIGH — The idea goes by a number of names, but it’s most commonly known as a vehicle miles traveled tax, or VMT fee. If fully implemented, fuel taxes would be replaced by a fee assessed on motorists for every mile they travel on public highways. Setting the rate and determining how it would be paid — at gas pumps, as part of vehicle registration, or using some sort of regular billing procedure — remain to be decided.
