All in State Government
RALEIGH — Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have legitimate grievances against the Democrat-controlled State Board of Elections. The latter has abused its power in overtly partisan ways in recent years, most egregiously by striking a collusive settlement with Democratic attorney Marc Elias and Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein in 2020 to change our election procedures in direct contravention of election laws enacted by the General Assembly.
Yesterday the NC House passed HB 140 - Civilian Traffic Investigators - by a vote of 100 to six. Rep. Jon Hardister )R-Guilford, Majority Whip) is a lead sponsor of the bill. The legislation is now heading to Governor Roy Cooper, who is expected to sign it into law.
Today, Governor Roy Cooper and the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) announced that seven public school teachers across the state will get $1,000 each for professional development as part of the Governor’s Educator Discovery Award.
Governor Roy Cooper signed House Bill 347, Sports Wagering/Horse Racing Wagering, into law. The bipartisan legislation will authorize and regulate wagering on professional, college and amateur sports and on horse racing in North Carolina.
Earlier this year, Representative Ashton Wheeler Clemmons filed HB 344-QRIS/Star Rating System Reform to strengthen the childcare system in North Carolina. Today, she will stand with Governor Cooper as he signs the identical Senate companion bill, SB 291, into law.
North Carolina’s own Patrick McHenry, who represents our 10th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, helped negotiate the debt-ceiling compromise that President Joe Biden signed on June 3. Not surprisingly, McHenry described it as a major accomplishment.
Senate Republicans introduced Senate Bill 749, "No Partisan Advantage in Elections." The bill restructures the North Carolina State Board of Elections by splitting the appointments between the majority and minority leaders in the General Assembly. The new structure would ensure that one party does not have control of the State Board of Elections and the county boards.
Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) introduced the Leveraging Quantum Computing Act. This legislation will instruct federal agencies to identify potential uses for quantum computing, an emerging technology that can perform certain calculations faster than today’s supercomputers. For example, future quantum computers could exceed regular computers in simulating chemical interactions, potentially reducing the time required for drug development.
Attorney General Josh Stein today announced the final approval of $17.3 billion in opioid agreements with drug makers Teva and Allergan and pharmacies CVS and Walgreens. Following successful state sign-on and subdivision sign-on periods, the defendants have committed to the deal and will start releasing funds to a national administrator later this summer.
Families across the country are feeling the effects of inflation, an increased cost on common goods, in part a byproduct of gridlock and bad policy in Washington, D.C. Thankfully, North Carolinians are fortunate to have state leaders who have enacted pro-growth, pro-business-and most importantly, pro-taxpayer policies over the last decade.
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clarify the federal rules requiring telemarketers to obtain consent between an individual consumer and one specific seller or business entity before making telemarketing robocalls and texts. Attorney General Stein joined a coalition of 28 state Attorneys General in urging for rules to better prevent nuisance calls and texts.
Governor Roy Cooper directed $3 million in new federal funding to provide support for aspiring teachers to become fully licensed teachers in North Carolina. These funds will be used to cover the cost of licensure exams and licensure exam preparation for beginning teachers. The Governor is partnering with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and TeachNC on the initiative.
This week, Governor Cooper announced a statewide initiative to raise awareness on the importance of safe firearm storage. NC S.A.F.E. (Secure All Firearms Effectively) is a campaign including TV, radio, social media and a website with information about safely and effectively storing guns.
On May 23, Governor Roy Cooper sent a letter to all state legislators in the House and Senate urging them to make meaningful investments in North Carolina’s public schools, students and teachers and stop their plans to dismantle public education by causing public schools to lose hundreds of millions of dollars through the expansion of private school vouchers, exacerbating the state’s teacher shortage and providing no substantive funding for early childhood education and child care.
RALEIGH — The North Carolina General Assembly seems poised to strip additional appointment powers from the governor. Senate Bill 512 would alter the composition of the state’s Board of Transportation, Environmental Management Commission, and six other entities. The House passed its version May 31. The two chambers will work out their differences in conference.
State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, today endorsed H750 that is being heard this afternoon in the Senate Commerce and Insurance Committee.
The Governor’s Crime Commission on June 1 approved the allocation of $43.5 million in federal funding across 243 criminal justice initiatives in the state of North Carolina.
Governor Roy Cooper announced the NC S.A.F.E. (Secure All Firearms Effectively) initiative to urge North Carolinians to take action to safely store their firearms and save lives. This call-to-action highlights firearm safety in response to mounting numbers of deaths of children and youth from firearm injury, along with a surge in firearm thefts across the state.
Republican legislators are focused this Session on further eroding public education in North Carolina. The latest effort is a massive expansion of the state’s voucher program. North Carolinians deserve to know the facts about how this would affect education in our state.
