A new state law passed last session helps keep small-scale urban beekeepers from being regulated out of existence by their own towns. A provision in the “Local Government Regulatory Reform of 2015” (House Bill 44) prohibits cities and counties from enforcing any ordinance or resolution that prohibits folks from owning or operating five or fewer beehives. The bill […]
Guest post by Barry Smith The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals handed the states of North Carolina and Tennessee a victory on Wednesday when it struck down a Federal Communications Commission rule that pre-empted the states’ regulation of municipal broadband service within their borders. The three-judge panel said that the FCC overstepped its authority. The […]
Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) held a joint press conference yesterday to announce details of the $22.34 billion budget agreement reached between Senate and House conferees this past weekend. The compromise budget includes a responsible 2.8 percent spending increase and achieves both chambers’ shared goals with Governor Pat McCrory of […]
With a unanimous vote this afternoon, the House gave its final approval to the Regulatory Reform Act of 2016. The measure now goes to the Senate for its consideration. The wide-ranging legislation, which continues the legislature’s ongoing commitment to reforming the North Carolina’s burdensome and outdated system of regulations, amends a number of state laws related to business, […]
Yesterday, the North Carolina House of Representatives passed its version of the state’s budget for the second year of this session’s biennium. The spending plan cleared the chamber by an overwhelming margin, with a bipartisan vote of 103-12. Representative Bell voted with all of his House Republican colleagues for the Budget, joining with 30 other House Democrats who also supported […]
Tonight, the North Carolina House of Representatives passed a bipartisan State Budget by a vote of 80-35. Representative Bell voted with all of his Republican colleagues and nine moderate Democrats in support of the plan. The budget, which covers funding for Fiscal Year 2015-2016 and Fiscal Year 2016-2017, invests more in government functions — including public education […]
House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate Leader Phil Berger led a joint press conference yesterday afternoon to announce details of the $21.735 billion budget agreement reached by members of the House and Senate this past weekend. The compromise plan includes a responsible 3.1 percent spending increase, invests hundreds of millions of additional dollars in public education and other […]
Today the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation limiting when a county or municipality may enact zoning ordinances to control design and aesthetics of private property. Senate Bill 25, just approved by a vote of 98 to 17, now heads to the Governor’s desk for his signature. “Government does not have the authority to tell homeowners […]
There’s nothing quite more thrilling for state government geeks (like us) than the annual publication of the General Assembly’s Summaries of Substantive Ratified Legislation. This weedy tome, of which only a few hundred are printed, is produced at the end of each legislative session by the good folks of the Research Division. The Research Division is a non-partisan central office […]
The recently enacted Energy Modernization Act — authorizing shale oil and gas exploration, development, and production in the state of North Carolina — contains a provision that prevents individual city governments from enacting their own anti-development regulations which seek to ban or hamper these activities. Any local ordinance that, by intent or in effect, impedes operation […]