Last session, the General Assembly passed two new laws dealing with electronic nicotine delivery systems, or “e-cigarettes.” Senate Bill 530 clarified the definition of these vapor products and prohibited the sale of e-cigarettes to minors in North Carolina, and House Bill 1050 included language that both taxed liquid nicotine at five cents per milliliter and […]
[youtube_sc url=”https://youtu.be/2j7G0Yh7q8k” width=”590″ modestbranding=”1″ autohide=”1″ fs=”1″ border=”1″ hd=”1″] The General Assembly voted unanimously last month to stiffen penalties for abuse that occurs in group homes. Senate Bill 445 — “Burt’s Law” — increases the penalties for abuse of residents in facilities that care for those with mental and developmental disabilities and substance abuse disorders. Burt’s Law […]
Two bipartisan pieces of legislation making positive changes to the state’s foster care program are on the way to becoming law. Foster care is a temporary living arrangement for abused, neglected, and dependent children who are in need of a safe place to live when their parents (or other relative) cannot properly take care of them. […]
Governor Pat McCrory’s office announced yesterday that the Governor has signed the following pieces of legislation into law: House Bill 552 – A bill sponsored by Representative Bell creating the criminal offence of graffiti vandalism (more information on the bill here). House Bill 574 – A bill providing that no state or local statues, rules, regulations […]
State funding for Driver Education programs in high schools might get the green light if a provision in the proposed House budget survives the long and winding road to becoming law. Money for the program is currently set to expire at the end of this fiscal year, on June 30. The proposal includes a $26.3 […]
Legislation was passed unanimously by the House last night that would ease the regulatory burden on summer camp operators when it comes to certain types of building structures. House Bill 706 provides that in the case of open air camp cabins, the state’s Building Code Council must not enforce requirements more stringent than the following: The open […]
Aside from baseball, hotdogs, apple pie (and of course Mom), there’s nothing more American than fireworks. Our delight with them dates back to the very founding of the Republic: John Adams, writing to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776, urged that Independence Day should be celebrated “with pomp and parade…bonfires and illuminations, from one […]
When the legislature voted last session to allow permits to be issued for natural gas exploration and production to begin in North Carolina, they also created the Mining and Energy Commission to develop a regulatory framework for the process of hydraulic drilling and horizontal fracturing, also known as “fracking.” Once the draft regulations were presented to the General Assembly for […]
Governor Pat McCrory has issued a state of emergency in anticipation of a winter storm that’s expected to dump between four and eight inches of snow across most of North Carolina starting this evening. It’s the second time in two weeks the governor has issued a state of emergency because of the weather. “We are preparing […]
Legislation introduced earlier this month is aimed at closing a loophole that now lets anyone with a handicapped placard park in spaces meant for wheelchair-accessible vans. Cars parking in these van-accessible spaces can prevent folks who are utilizing these vans from being able to enter or exit properly. Wheelchair-accessible vans — used by many commercial […]