Bipartisan legislation passed the House on Wednesday strengthening standards for free expression in the state university system and mandating that all public universities “ensure the fullest degree of intellectual freedom and free expression.” Currently, there are no statutes addressing free speech for the University of North Carolina (UNC) institutions. House Bill 527, modeled after the Goldwater Institute‘s policy report Campus […]
Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the House to help save the lives of people who use public swimming pools in North Carolina. House Bill 598 mandates that a special circuit breaker device be installed on any line that provides power to a pool’s pump motor. This device is known as a ground fault circuit interrupter. […]
Ahead of National Crime Victim Rights Week, the House passed the “Kelsey Smith Act” this afternoon by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 113-5. House Bill 315 allows law enforcement officials to access a cell phone’s tracking technology to quickly locate a missing person in an emergency situation and the legislation shields cell phone service providers from prosecution for potential privacy violations while […]
A new law was enacted in July that helps protect North Carolina’s children from becoming targets of sexual predators. House Bill 1021 bans registered sex offenders from being present in places where children gather, such as libraries, arcades, amusement parks, recreation areas and swimming pools, and in some cases, the state’s fairgrounds. HB1021 is a […]
[youtube_sc url=”https://youtu.be/lY5KT9bDmps” width=”580″ modestbranding=”1″ autohide=”1″ fs=”1″ border=”1″ hd=”1″] The General Assembly has strengthened penalties for boat operators under the influence of alcohol who accidentally injure or kill another person on the water. Governor Pat McCrory signed “Sheyenne’s Law” (House Bill 958) late last month, making the penalties for impaired boaters who cause injuries or fatalities similar to […]
[youtube_sc url=”https://youtu.be/JfpdP-z5aIM” width=”580″ modestbranding=”1″ autohide=”1″ fs=”1″ border=”1″ hd=”1″] Governor Pat McCrory joined law enforcement officers, first responders, legislators and health care officials earlier this week at the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office to sign legislation making naloxone, a life-saving opioid reversal drug that has already saved 3,300 North Carolinians, more accessible. “Addressing mental health, substance use, […]
Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) announced Monday they have filed a lawsuit in the federal Eastern District of North Carolina, asking the court to declare that North Carolina’s commonsense law to maintain sex-specific restrooms complies with federal law. Last week, the Obama administration threatened to withhold federal funding for […]
Revenues for the current year are projected to finish $330 million above initial budget projections, according to the latest figures released by the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management and the legislature’s nonpartisan Fiscal Research Division. The latest revenue forecast also boosts projections for FY 2016-17 by $231 million above the certified budget. […]
[youtube_sc url=”https://youtu.be/pyoWo1kZfvI” width=”590″ modestbranding=”1″ autohide=”1″ fs=”1″ border=”1″ hd=”1″] On a strong bipartisan vote of 83-25, the North Carolina House of Representatives passed legislation this afternoon invalidating a recently-passed Charlotte City Council ordinance that would have forced private businesses to allow grown men to use restrooms, locker rooms, saunas, and other facilities normally designated for […]
[youtube_sc url=”https://youtu.be/oUgT0r4WRb8″ width=”590″ modestbranding=”1″ autohide=”1″ fs=”1″ border=”1″ hd=”1″] Those who think that one person cannot make a difference in the law have never met Laurie Powell. In this video, Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest explains how, through her hard work, a new law was passed to help protect group home residents from sexual abuse. We first […]