A $24 billion compromise state budget proposal that provides pay raises supported by the State Employees Association of North Carolina and injects billions of dollars into school construction passed the first of two votes in the state House of Representatives on Wednesday. House Bill 966, the 2019 Appropriations Act, also provides pay raises for teachers, […]
In light of a critical new report of the Cooper Administration’s mishandling of the Hurricane Matthew recovery, House Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne) and Deputy House Majority Leader Brenden Jones (R-Columbus) today sent a letter to Speaker of the House Tim Moore asking him to re-authorize the House Select Committee on Disaster Relief to make […]
The following is a guest post by Dan Way of the John Locke Foundation: A $470-million surge in April tax collections could push the state budget surplus to more than $700 million. Barry Boardman, chief economist for the General Assembly’s nonpartisan Fiscal Research Division, in a Monday, May 6, email alerted legislative leaders of both […]
Today, NC House Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne) unveiled the Passenger Protection Act to improve the safety of ride-sharing in North Carolina in the wake of the recent abduction and tragic murder of University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson by someone impersonating an Uber driver. The bill, which is nearly identical to legislation that […]
Bill Increases Penalty for Deadly Assaults on Law Enforcement Officers and Doubles the Death Benefit Paid to Families of a Fallen Officer N.C. House Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne) and Deputy House Majority Leader Brenden Jones (R-Columbus) today held a press conference to unveil “Conner’s Law,” legislation that will enhance penalties for deadly assaults on […]
Today, N.C. House Majority Leader John Bell sent a letter, signed by over 50 members of the Republican Caucus, to Governor Roy Cooper urging him to respect the will of the voters by replacing Chief Justice Martin with someone who has a similar ideological background and pedigree. Martin, the longest-serving justice on the state’s Supreme […]
The state House of Representatives enacted voter ID into North Carolina law on Wednesday, implementing a ballot referendum approved by voters in November with the legislature’s twenty-first veto override of Governor Roy Cooper. The veto override by the state House is the General Assembly’s final legislative action enacting voter ID into North Carolina law. It […]
State lawmakers yesterday allocated $793 million in additional Hurricane Florence relief funding in response to the preliminary needs assessment released last week, bringing the legislature’s total commitment to disaster recovery since the storm to $850 million. For comparison, after Hurricane Matthew, the legislature appropriated $200 million two months after the storm. With this latest action, […]
Legislation to provide emergency flexibility to schools and elections boards in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, as well as establishing a new recovery fund from the state’s record savings reserve, unanimously passed the North Carolina House of Representatives on Tuesday. Election registration deadlines were extended in the bipartisan House Bill 4 [Hurricane Florence Emergency Response […]
The North Carolina General Assembly will convene Tuesday, October 2, 2018 to begin considering disaster relief legislation in support of victims of Hurricane Florence. Lawmakers supported calling the extra session next week to address pressing needs for education communities, provide policy flexibility to storm victims, and prepare for a fourth disaster recovery act since 2016 […]