All in State Government
Leaders from the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services formally launched a collaborative process of developing a report to the North Carolina General Assembly on opportunities to provide workforce development services in conjunction with the state’s Medicaid expansion.
Political strategist Hal Weatherman won the Republican runoff for North Carolina lieutenant governor, defeating Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill with 74% of the vote. Dave Boliek secured the primary win for State Auditor.
Attorney General Josh Stein today reached a $10.25 million multistate settlement with wireless carriers AT&T Mobility LLC, Cricket Wireless LLC, T-Mobile USA Inc., Cellco Partnership, d/b/a Verizon Wireless, and TracFone Wireless Inc., to resolve his investigation into the carriers’ deceptive and misleading advertising practices. North Carolina will receive $220,313.32 from the settlement.
Attorney General Josh Stein today announced that the United States District Court in Arizona denied Avid Telecom’s multiple attempts to dismiss and delay a bipartisan, 49-state lawsuit against the company Michael D. Lansky, L.L.C., which does business as Avid Telecom, as well as its owner Michael D. Lansky and its vice president Stacey S. Reeves.
North Carolina State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, released a report today finding that 340B hospitals billed state employees an average price markup of 5.4 times their discounted acquisition costs for oncology drugs. Hospitals generated average spread profits as high as $13,617 per claim on cancer drugs paid for by the North Carolina State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees.
The NC House of Representatives have approved HB 942, the SHALOM Act, in a bipartisan vote of 105-4.
Republican legislators signaled that one of their top priorities this session is using more taxpayer money to fund private school vouchers for millionaires instead of increasing teacher pay or fully funding North Carolina’s public schools where more than 8 in 10 students receive an education.
As you’ve no doubt heard by now, the interim chancellor at the University of the North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lee Roberts, ordered the removal on April 30 of an “encampment” on a grassy area of campus called Polk Place. Later that day, protestors returned to Polk Place, took down its American flag, and raised a Palestinian flag in its place.
Governor Roy Cooper announced three appointments to the North Carolina District Court.
The North Carolina Senate approved funding to clear the waitlists for the Opportunity Scholarship and Education Student Accounts programs to ensure that more than 56,000 students can begin planning for the upcoming school year.
House Bill 10 requires North Carolina sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration authorities when a suspected illegal immigrant is in custody for committing a violent crime. A new provision of the bill allows any person, including a federal agency, to file a complaint with the North Carolina Attorney General alleging a sheriff failed to comply with the provisions of this bill.
RALEIGH — Over the past decade, the General Assembly has pursued a tax-reform strategy designed to foster growth and expand freedom in the Tar Heel State. North Carolina now has a flat-rate income tax. State taxes on both personal income and retail sales apply lower rates to broader bases. And lawmakers are in the process of phasing out state taxes on corporate income.
Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 44 of North Carolina’s counties in March 2024, increased in 22, and remained unchanged in 34. Hyde County had the highest unemployment rate at 7.6 percent while Greene County had the lowest at 2.8 percent.
Following the unprecedented interest in the Opportunity Scholarship program, the Senate Appropriations Committee will consider a bill to eliminate the program's waitlist.
Governor Roy Cooper announced two appointments to the North Carolina District Court.
RALEIGH — Which major urban area in America experienced the largest decline in homelessness last year? According to a recent analysis by the Brookings Institution, it was Wake County — North Carolina’s most-populous. It had a rate of 78 homeless residents per 100,000 population, down 40% from 2022.
More than 900,000 North Carolinians are at risk of losing their access to affordable internet at the end of this month. The Affordable Connectivity Program is set to lapse if Congress does not allocate more funding. Last month, bipartisan members of the North Carolina House of Representatives sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to renew funding for the ACP.
RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper released his recommended budget for FY 2024-2025, Securing North Carolina’s Future. The Governor’s plan would raise teacher pay by 8.5% and invest over $1 billion in public schools across North Carolina instead of more taxpayer-funded private school vouchers.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column observing that, over the first eight months of the 2023-24 fiscal year, the state’s General Fund revenue was down slightly from what was collected during the first eight months of the previous fiscal year.
Rep. Tricia Cotham has been appointed chair of the House Education Appropriations Committee to oversee education appropriations, the largest area of the state budget. This esteemed leadership position is a testament to her dedication, expertise, and unwavering commitment to enhancing education in our state.
