You Don’t Say

“I’m concerned about somebody by the name of ‘Totes Legit’ looking at voter rolls and deciding who can be on them and who can’t.”

Rep. Allison Dahle, D-Wake, on a bill that would require the State Board of Elections to work with so-called “election integrity” groups. (The News & Observer, 6/27/24)

Session End

Gary D. Robertson, The Associated Press, 6/27/24

The North Carolina General Assembly wrapped up this year’s chief work session Thursday after overriding Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes, putting a constitutional amendment about citizens and voting on the November ballot and sending to Cooper’s desk many additional bills. But during its two months of work, the Republican-dominated legislature stumbled by failing to pass a comprehensive budget-adjustment measure for the next 12 months. Attempts at putting additional constitutional referendums before voters fell short. And bills on other contentious topics didn’t get over the finish line.

“I wish we had been able to get more done. I think if we had gotten more done, we’d have a little more to talk about,” Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters after his chamber passed an adjournment resolution. But, Berger added, “there was a lot of productive activity that took place.”

The two chambers disagreed over how much more to spend for the fiscal year that began July 1. That included whether state employees and teachers should get raises that are higher than what were already planned in the second year of the already enacted two-year state budget.

And while the House and Senate managed to approve $67.5 million to help for six months child care centers at risk of closing after federal grants expire, they couldn’t agree on setting aside close to $500 million for scholarships and other funds for K-12 students to attend private schools or receive services. GOP leaders in the two chambers identified the funding as a leading priority to address a spike in applications — and children on waiting lists — this year after the General Assembly removed income limits to receive Opportunity Scholarships.

“It would be a real shame and a missed opportunity if we don’t get those Opportunity Scholarship dollars out,” Moore told reporters earlier Thursday. “At the same time, we need to make sure we’re doing all that we can for our public schools.” Moore said later Thursday he was hopeful that the money could still be approved in time for the school year.

Lawmakers will still get another crack at these and other matters. The General Assembly formally agreed to reconvene occasional short sessions for the rest of the year, mainly to address veto overrides or emergencies. But they also could deal with larger matters.

Legislators did have bipartisan successes in the final days. They sent to Cooper bills that would create new sex exploitation and extortion crimes and that would help combat human trafficking. And the two chambers backed a compromise measure that will allow the resumption of the automatic removal of criminal charges that are dismissed or that result in “not guilty” verdicts. Such removals had been suspended since August 2022 while problems carrying out the expunctions got resolved. [Source]

 

Funding Bills

Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi and Avi Bajpai, The News & Observer, 6/27/24

On what was expected to be the final day of legislative business this week, state lawmakers passed provisions extending funding for child care centers and authorizing previously passed teacher raises to go into effect. After budget talks between the House and Senate broke down, Republican leaders in both chambers agreed to pass standalone bills that allocate $67.5 million in funding for child care centers through the end of the year, and formally authorize pay raises for teachers and other school employees. Those raises, for the fiscal year that starts on Monday, were passed in last year’s two-year budget, but needed additional language to actually take effect.

The House approved both bills near-unanimously on Wednesday. The Senate approved both bills Thursday afternoon, sending them to Gov. Roy Cooper.

Child care funding has been one of the biggest issues this session, with advocates visiting the General Assembly multiple times over the past few months to call on lawmakers to extend funds provided during COVID-19 that allowed centers to pay employees, cover rent and mortgage costs, and subsidize child care costs for some families.

On Wednesday, police arrested protesters calling for funding for child care at the legislature, after the group chanted outside the Senate and House chambers.

The funding under the bill passed Thursday should extend stabilization grant funding through the end of the year. As for teacher pay, last year’s GOP-passed state budget included raises based on experience ranging from 3.6% to 10.8% across two years.

In order for the raises to be paid out, however, lawmakers needed to enact legislation to authorize the money, as previously reported by The News & Observer. Lawmakers were expected to take action on these issues through a budget adjustment bill, which is supposed to pass by the end of June but rarely does so. But negotiations on a budget bill broke down between the House and Senate and it seemed possible that the chambers would go home and leave these issues hanging.

On Wednesday, the House took an alternative route and revived a couple of Senate bills — originally on unrelated issues — that hadn’t seen any movement in the House since early April.

A budget compromise is not expected. House Speaker Tim Moore said on Thursday that what the House is proposing “should take care of the backlog. That number wasn’t pulled out of thin air. My understanding is that was a number that was provided by” the state’s health and human services. DHHS has “some additional funds — some additional federal funds — that have not been purposed that they can also use to put in at this point. And we certainly want the agencies to use federal funds first because a lot of those funds revert back if not used,” Moore said.

On police arresting protesters, Moore said “there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about advocating for your position.” “My understanding was they were creating a disturbance,” he said. “I didn’t see it … so I don’t know what happened.” NC General Assembly Police Chief Martin Brock told reporters Wednesday that protesters were arrested after they did not quiet down following a noise complaint. [Source]

 

Constitutional Amendments

Kyle Ingram, The News & Observer, 6/27/24

In November, North Carolina voters will be able to decide on a new amendment to the state constitution that would clarify that only citizens are allowed to vote.

“We’ve got an opportunity to empower the people of North Carolina to amend their own constitution and declare that citizens and only citizens of the state of North Carolina are allowed to vote in our elections,” Sen. Brad Overcash, a Gaston Republican, said.

It is already a crime for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, and state law requires residents to be citizens to register to vote.

Republican lawmakers who sponsored the amendment say it will clear up ambiguity in the constitution and prevent municipal governments from allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections, as has happened in some other states. Critics say it could fuel anti-immigrant conspiracy theories and that Republicans are using it to drive conservatives to the polls.

“I don’t want to impugn the motives of my colleagues,” Sen. Julie Mayfield, a Buncombe County Democrat, told The News & Observer last week. “…But ultimately I think these are coming up because it’s a turnout issue.”

The amendment passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support.

Other constitutional amendments, including ones dealing with voter ID and income tax, passed the Senate but will require further approval from the House before they can be sent to voters. In order for a constitutional amendment to be sent to voters, it must first be approved by a supermajority of both chambers of the legislature.

In addition to the citizen voting proposal, senators passed two more amendments that would largely codify existing law. One would specify that voter ID is required for all forms of voting, not just in-person. This is already the law in North Carolina.

The other would lower the state’s income tax cap from 7% to 5%. The current individual income tax rate is already below that, at 4.5%. Those amendments could also sway an ongoing legal challenge in Republicans’ favor, if approved.

The North Carolina NAACP sued the state over similar constitutional amendments in 2018, arguing that since many lawmakers were found to have been elected in racially gerrymandered districts, they did not have the authority to amend the constitution. That case still hasn’t been resolved, but if voters approve new amendments in 2024, it could become moot.

“We will not allow these elected officials to roll back the freedoms that people sacrificed their very lives to gain,” Deborah Dicks Maxwell, president of the NC NAACP said in a statement on Monday. “We will continue to pursue every legal challenge to these discriminatory laws and encourage every eligible voter to make their voices heard at the polls this November.” [Source]

Opportunity Scholarships

Emily Walkenhorst, WRAL News, 6/27/24

An effort to expand a North Carolina program that uses taxpayer dollars to send students to private school collapsed in the statehouse as lawmakers drew the short legislative session to a close on Thursday.

Republican leaders of the state House and Senate had hoped to expand the Opportunity Scholarships program and had earmarked more than $460 million for the program in separate budget proposals. But negotiations between the chambers fell apart. The Senate approved a standalone bill to expand the program, but the House did not.

Leaders from both chambers support the program because for giving families more choices for an education for their child.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has opposed expanding voucher access, saying the private schools that receive the funds aren’t held publicly accountable and that traditional public schools need more funding to recruit and retain quality teachers. Cooper is likely to veto a bill expanding private school vouchers. Republicans have veto-proof supermajorites in both chambers and so far this session have overridden all of Cooper’s vetoes.

But the chambers couldn’t agree on a budget ahead of the July 1 start to the upcoming fiscal year.

In a spending plan approved last week, the House earmarked $487 million over the next two years for the state’s private school voucher program, known as Opportunity Scholarships — including $24.6 million the associated Personal Education Student Accounts for Children with Disabilities funds. The proposed funding would be a major increase to what was already budgeted for the program in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. The House proposed spending $175.6 million more from the general fund for those two programs, plus $97 million from the State Lottery Fund and $215.5 million from a savings fund, to pay for the vouchers for tens of thousands of more students.

Of the voucher spending, $248 million would be for the 2024-25 school year. That would nearly double spending for the state’s program that writes checks to families who wish to send their children to a private school instead of a public school.

The increase for next year would be on top of the $293.5 million already appropriated for next year from the Opportunity Scholarship fund and from two other funding sources, leading to a total appropriation of $541.5 million.

Without additional funding, the voucher program is set to be short by more than $200 million, which would mean 54,000 students whose families applied wouldn’t receive vouchers. Next year is the first year that families of any income and families of current private school students have been allowed to receive a voucher, resulting in about 72,000 new applicants for the program that already enrolled more than 32,000 students. The vouchers cover at least $3,000 for families and up to more than $7,000 for the lowest-income families, unless actual tuition is lower than that.

It’s unclear how many of the 72,000 new students who applied for an Opportunity Scholarship already attend a private school, because the state Educational Assistance Authority doesn’t ask for that information when students apply.

About one-fifth of applicants were from families in the highest-income tier. That means a family of four earning more than $259,740. About two-fifths were from families with incomes in the tier below — between $115,400 and $159,740 for a family of four. But none of those families are set to receive a voucher next year. Very few families in the second-lowest income tier — between $57,720 and $115,440 for a family of four — are set to receive a voucher. All families in the lowest-income tier — $57,720 for a family of four — are set to receive a voucher, and all families who already have a voucher are set to receive one again. [Source]

Veto Overrides

Will Doran, WRAL News, 6/27/24

Three politically controversial new bills are now law, as the state Senate voted to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes Thursday following the House doing the same on Wednesday. One bill would undo some of the juvenile justice reforms North Carolina implemented in 2019.

Another would allow billboard companies to cut down more trees on the side of the road, and would raise toll road late fees by as much as 50%. The third is a wide-ranging bill that would change the rules for wearing face masks in public, enact new civil and criminal penalties targeting protesters, and change state campaign finance laws to create loopholes around North Carolina’s ban on making unlimited or anonymous financial contributions to political candidates.

Of the six total votes to override the three vetoes from Cooper, five passed entirely along party lines in the Republican-controlled legislature. The only exception was for the pro-billboards law, which won a small amount of Democratic support in the state House.

More vetoes could still be on the way; Thursday is likely the last day of the 2024 legislative session and state lawmakers have been rushing to pass a flurry of new bills to send to Cooper to sign or approve. Some of them won broad bipartisan support, but others passed with steep political divisions and fierce debate.

Of the three new laws, the most contentious and high-profile has been the one that would change rules for masks, protesters and campaign finance.

Republicans abandoned their original plan to fully ban people from masks in public for health reasons; the new language that’s now law instead contains stricter language than what’s been in place since the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it would require people to wear medical-grade masks, and would only allow people to wear masks for “preventing the spread of contagious disease.”

Democrats say it’ll lead to people being targeted for harassment by the general public, and could put anyone at risk of being arrested for even good-faith efforts to protect their health in public.

On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina focused on the new mask and protest rules that are now law — and hinted that a lawsuit might be on the way.

“House Bill 237, which raises First and Fourth Amendment concerns, threatens North Carolinians’ right to protest and allows police officers to stop anyone wearing a mask and ask them to remove it,” the ACLU wrote. “The bill is designed to apply heightened penalties to protesters and increases the sentence for any offense committed while wearing a mask, contributing to our mass incarceration crisis. We will continue to push back against government and police overreach and support North Carolinians’ rights to protest safely.” [Source]

Summerfield Boundaries

DJ Simmons, WFDD Radio, 6/27/24

The North Carolina State House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that will de-annex nearly 1,000 acres of land in the town of Summerfield. Its passage comes a day after Summerfield residents and town officials rallied outside the state legislature in opposition to the bill.

The legislation is connected to a controversial proposal by developer David Couch to create a new housing and retail complex on the land. Couch presented his plan to the Summerfield Town Council nearly a decade ago, and the two parties have been in a dispute about zoning requirements for the development since.

The council recently approved a change that would pave the way for mixed-used housing on the land. But critics, including Senate leader Phil Berger, said it didn’t go far enough and that the town’s zoning laws have been too restrictive. Berger backed the legislation to take land out of Summerfield’s control, which sparked outrage in the town.

Around two dozen people gathered in Raleigh on Wednesday to oppose the bill with Summerfield Mayor Tim Sessoms among them. He said the issue should be resolved at the local level, or it may have far-reaching effects. “I do believe it’s time that we sit down together, talk through this and find an acceptable resolution for everyone,” he said.

Following the hour-long rally, residents entered the state legislature with signs opposing the bill. Among the attendees was Robert Vansteen who said he was concerned about what this would mean for small towns across the state. “I really think that it’s a poor decision to let state government decide local issues,” he said. “I don’t think anybody could disagree with that.”

In a statement, Couch said he’s thankful lawmakers recognized the “importance of reasonable rules that accommodate new housing.”

The new law will make the land a part of unincorporated Guilford County. It goes into effect Sunday. [Source]

 

Literacy Tests

Will Doran, WRAL News, 6/27/24

North Carolina House Republicans stumbled again Thursday in their attempt to approve two new constitutional amendments to be put on the ballot this fall. But they also approved a surprise last-minute proposal, to repeal a piece of the state constitution with a racist history. The vote to approve a constitutional amendment repealing the state’s Jim Crow era literacy test rules passed unanimously, 109-0.

If it’s now approved by the state Senate and put before voters this fall, it would be North Carolina’s first attempt in 54 years to repeal the rules — which were abused for decades to stop Black North Carolinians and other minorities from voting.

Although literacy test rules in North Carolina and throughout the rest of the U.S. were made unenforceable by the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, they’ve remained written into North Carolina’s state constitution. State lawmakers proposed a constitutional amendment in 1970 asking voters to get rid of the rules, but voters elected to keep the rules in place.

Lawmakers have never again attempted to repeal the rules. Privately, politicians on both sides of the aisle have long expressed fears that such a vote would fail and embarrass the state.

On Thursday Rep. Terry Brown, D-Mecklenburg, thanked GOP leadership for getting behind the idea now. “The reasons why this was implemented in the past are not representative of this state we all know and love,” Brown said.

Now that the House gave the amendment the greenlight, it’s up to Senate Leader Phil Berger to decide whether to put it on the ballot. In the past, he’s expressed support for the idea but has stopped short of putting it on the ballot.

Carolina Partnership for Reform, a political dark money group closely associated with state Senate GOP leadership, conducted a poll earlier this month to gauge public support for five potential constitutional amendments — including the literacy test repeal. It had the lowest amount of support among the five, by a substantial margin, the poll found — with 50% saying they’d be in favor, 39% saying they’d oppose it and the other 11% undecided.

While amendments require 60% support at the legislature to be put on the ballot, they only need to win 50% of the vote of the people to be added to the state constitution.

That poll indicates it could be a hard-fought battle, and on Thursday one Republican lawmaker called on his colleagues to get out and educate their friends, family and constituents about why it’s important to undo. Rep. Jarrod Lowery, R-Robeson, is a member of the Lumbee Tribe and said his grandfather was prevented from voting for decades, due to the literacy test rules.

“My grandfather, who I lived with for a large portion of my life, was born in 1921,” Lowery said. “When he turned 21 years old and was allowed to vote, in 1942, he was allowed to go fight in World War II. But he wasn’t allowed to vote.” [Source]

 

Election Groups

Kyle Ingram, The News & Observer, 6/27/24

North Carolina House Republicans passed a bill that would require the State Board of Elections to work with so-called “election integrity” groups to update voter rolls. These groups typically push for stricter rules in election administration and tighter maintenance of voter lists.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. George Cleveland, R-Onslow, said these groups work to find errors in the voter rolls and their research should be considered by the state board. “We need to clean up our rolls between now and November,” Cleveland said.

Democrats expressed concerns that the groups could push the state board to disqualify eligible voters.

“I’m really concerned about the message that this bill sends,” said Rep. Allison Dahle, D-Wake, “…that we don’t have any faith in our voting system. Our voting system has been a good voting system until one team lost and got upset.”

The bill itself, House Bill 1071, does not define what an election integrity group is.

When asked for an example of one by a Democrat on the Rules Committee, Cleveland said he knew of two individuals leading such efforts. He did not know the real name of one of them, he said, but the person went by the moniker “Totes Legit.”

“He (Totes Legit) has consistently over the past several years sent note of these problems to the state board,” Cleveland said.

“I’m concerned about somebody by the name of ‘Totes Legit’ looking at voter rolls and deciding who can be on them and who can’t,” Dahle said. “…I feel as though this is a chance for anybody to sign up and be a voter integrity group and that concerns me.”

Pat Gannon, a spokesperson for the State Board of Elections, said the bill could run afoul of federal law, which requires voter list maintenance efforts to be conducted in a uniform and nondiscriminatory way. The bill “appears to require the state board to remove voters from the rolls based on lists supplied by any third party that claims to be an ‘election integrity organization,’” Gannon said. “…It would be difficult for the state board to determine whether any such private organization is gathering lists of voters to remove in a uniform and nondiscriminatory way.”

The House also unanimously passed a bill that would regulate the use of AI in political ads. [Source]

 

Newby Flag

Kyle Ingram, The News & Observer, 6/27/24

A flag with connections to the Jan. 6 insurrection that was at the center of a controversy involving the U.S. Supreme Court was flown outside a beach home owned by North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby’s wife.

The flag, called the “Appeal to Heaven” or Pine Tree flag, has its roots in the Revolutionary War but has become notable in recent years for its presence among rioters at the Jan. 6 insurrection and its connections to the Christian conservative movement.

It was also flown outside a home owned by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, prompting calls for him to recuse himself from cases involving former President Donald Trump.

Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of North Carolina has also flown the flag outside his office building in downtown Raleigh, The News & Observer reported.

Newby, a Republican who won his election in 2020 by 401 votes, told the N&O in a statement that he was given the flag as a gift before Jan. 6, 2021 and flies it during national holidays such as Memorial Day.

“Until recently, we had no idea of the association of the ‘An Appeal to Heaven’ flag with anything other than its actual history — a history that reminds us to pray for our nation,” he said. “At no point did we intend the display of the flag to be a political statement, only a statement of our faith.”

Photos obtained by The N&O show the flag flying outside a beach home owned by Newby’s wife, Macon Newby, in Carteret County on May 23, 2024 — the day after the New York Times published its story on Alito flying the flag. That was the Thursday before Memorial Day.

A tipster who wished to remain anonymous shared the photos with The N&O. Using metadata and property records, The N&O was able to authenticate the date and location of the photos as well as the ownership of the home. Property records for the home, which is in Pine Knoll Shores, indicate that it is owned by an LLC called MTN RE. That LLC is owned by Newby’s wife, Macon Newby, who is also listed as owning a property in Pine Knoll Shores in statements of economic interest filed by the chief justice.

When Robinson flew the flag, his spokesperson said it was in celebration of Halifax Resolves Day, which honors the date that the Fourth Provincial Congress noted its intent to become independent from Britain. That holiday is held on April 12 every year. [Source]

 

ETJ Bill

Bob Liepa, State Port Pilot, 6/26/24

Rep. Charlie Miller, R-Brunswick, was born in Southport, raised in Southport and lives in Southport. In May he introduced legislation in the North Carolina General Assembly that opponents fear could change the face of Southport.

Miller filed House Bill 1064 which would eliminate the City of Southport’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) authority – the power to exercise planning and development regulations beyond its contiguous corporate limits – to be effective July 1. The bill navigated local government and rules committees in the House of Representatives and passed the House floor. It was then referred to the Senate, included among a number of other local bills and sent back to the House as House Bill 911. Should it be passed by the House in a so-called concurrence vote, it becomes law, which could happen as soon as this week.

If approved, the ETJ in question would become subject to Brunswick County’s development regulations. Although Southport’s ETJ residents pay county taxes, not city taxes, those property owners are subject to city building permit fees, inspections and fines. Proponents of the bill see it as a protection of private property rights, a strike against government overreach and a stand against a form of taxation without representation.

A number of Southport’s political leaders have spoken out against the legislation, arguing that it would threaten the area with development and endanger the city’s character.

“I hope it gives people in the ETJ representation at the county level,” Miller said. “I have full confidence in Brunswick County and their UDO (unified development ordinance) and their zoning and planning policies and, you know, it will give those people a voice to the county, and I just feel strongly about it.”

While the ETJ has representation on various Southport boards, committees and commissions, Miller said those representatives are not voted on by ETJ residents.

“That’s decided for them, who their representative is, not that they’re bad or good,” he said. “I’m sure they’re doing a fine job, but my personal feeling is, if you’ve got a governing board telling you what to do on your property, you should be able to vote for that person, and that’s not the case here.”

The city outlined the impact dissolving the ETJ would have in a May 22 letter to state Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick. Permit fees and inspection fees would be lost, as well as staffing, and the city’s UDO would not be enforceable, the letter said. Since fiscal year 2021, the city said, permitting and inspections have collected approximately $178,670 in revenue from ETJ projects. Fire inspection revenue would decrease by a projected 25% in the upcoming fiscal year, for which the city expects to net $40,000 for the Southport Fire Department.

Elimination of Southport’s ETJ could lead to the loss of four city positions – a code enforcement officer, director of development or a planner position, an administrative clerk and a building inspector, according to City Manager Bonnie Therrien. She said she has already spoken to the employees who could be affected to give them a heads-up. [Source]

 

Labor Commissioner

Ames Alexander, The Charlotte Observer, 6/27/24

Despite their wide political differences, the two candidates competing to run North Carolina’s labor department agree on this: Too many construction workers are dying on the job.

Once every 10 days, on average, a construction worker in North Carolina dies at work, a recent Charlotte Observer investigation found. Construction workers here die on the job at a significantly higher rate than those nationally, the reporting revealed, and many of those deaths are preventable.

Democrat Braxton Winston and Republican Luke Farley say they’d both work to change that if elected labor commissioner. “When a construction worker is being killed on the job site every 10 days, that’s a need for urgent action,” said Winston, 41, a former three-term Charlotte City Council member who is a stagehand and grip by trade. “My first and foremost point is that you need an adequately staffed department,” he added.

Farley, 39, is a Wake County lawyer who regularly represents construction companies that have been cited by the state labor department for workplace safety citations. He’s been on job sites where workers have been killed, he said.

“I’ve seen legs amputated, arms crushed,” said Farley, who has served on public boards but has never held an elected political position. “So I know how high the stakes are… When you see these things up close, they affect you deeply. I don’t think the fact that I have been involved in this industry will prevent me from doing the job that needs to be done here.”

Although the race for labor commissioner tends to be low-profile, both candidates know the stakes for North Carolina are high on Nov. 5. The workplace fatality rate for construction workers in North Carolina — 11.5 deaths per 100,000 employees in 2022 — was about 20% higher than that for construction workers nationally, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows.

To improve safety, Farley would have the department focus on training workers and consulting with employers on a voluntary basis, in addition to penalizing companies that don’t follow workplace safety rules. “The very first thing — and this will be a big focus of my time as labor commissioner — is making sure that businesses understand the labor department is not their enemy, that we’re here to help them do the right thing and create safe work environments,” Farley said. “We issue citations, and fines and penalties. But that’s only part of what we do,” he added, noting: “I would much rather help somebody figure out how to do something right than punish them on the back end when they’ve done something wrong, and somebody has already been injured.”

Winston said the labor department needs to be better staffed so that it can conduct more inspections. The number of workplace safety inspections at North Carolina construction sites decreased by more than half since 2013. This happened during a decade when the death toll rose and when construction employment here has grown by nearly 50%, federal data shows.

Staff shortages have made it difficult for the state to conduct as many inspections as it did in years past, labor officials say. Only about 80 of the department’s safety compliance officer positions are currently filled.

“You need an adequately staffed department,” Winston said. “…When you have 400,000 businesses, 20,000 elevators, millions of workers, I question whether we have an adequately staffed department to do the job at hand.”

Farley said he, too, would work to fill vacancies, and that he would examine whether inspector salaries are competitive. [Source]

 

Wilmington Power Breakfast

Madison Lipe, Wilmington StarNews, 6/27/24

Local political and business leaders gathered in downtown Wilmington Thursday to hear gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and Attorney General Josh Stein talk about important issues for not only North Carolinians, but also those in the Cape Fear Region.

For the past two years, North Carolina has been named the top state for business by CNBC, and many have acknowledged Wilmington’s contributions to this ranking with its focus on workforce and entrepreneurship. Not only is Wilmington a hot spot for business, but New Hanover County also has played a pivotal role in the state’s previous gubernatorial races with the winning candidate also winning in the county for over 125 years.

Hosted by the Wilmington Business Journal, the Power Breakfast Series gave Robinson and Stein the opportunity to make their case on various issues, including affordable housing, affordable healthcare, public education, the workforce and infrastructure. Both candidates also answered questions from the audience. Both candidates expressed strong passion for the state’s public education system, specifically educators.

Robinson’s approach to the state’s education system aims to take learning back to a more traditional approach and to remove inappropriate materials from the classrooms, including what he considers pornographic material.

“Not fit for the consumption of their six o’clock viewers, but they’re somehow fit for the consumption of fifth-graders,” Robinson said when referring to television stations blurring the photos in a book that he opposed. He said the education system should focus more on the tenets of capitalism and how it works as well as teaching financial literacy to students. Robinson stressed that success does not come from just attending a four-year university, but that going into careers in trades are just as successful.

Stein acknowledged that the state has some of the finest educational institutions and that if he is elected, he will support educators. He also shared the same support for those who want to pursue technical education and apprenticeship programs.

Stein and Robinson both said they support raises for teachers.

Affordable healthcare for North Carolinians was a major focus for Stein as he addressed his efforts as attorney general to take big pharmaceutical drug companies to court for their role in the opioid crisis. New Hanover County earned nearly $34 million from the settlement to help those struggling with addiction.

Stein also talked about how through bipartisan work, the backlog of rape testing kits has been eliminated throughout the state, further supporting survivors of sexual assault. He also acknowledged current Gov. Roy Cooper’s work that expanded Medicaid in December 2023. Stein said he will continue to focus on tackling the fentanyl crisis and helping local law enforcement agencies to recruit and retain well-trained officers.

As people flock to North Carolina’s coast, specifically the Wilmington Metro Area, which ranked top 10 in fastest-growing metro areas in the country, Stein said housing demands have done up but the supply hasn’t been there to match those demands. Robinson said the affordable housing crisis should be handled by lowering taxes and unnecessary regulations for renters and homebuilders without damaging the environment or breaking the rules.

“We’ve got to do it folks,” Robinson said. “We’re not getting any less people. In fact, we’re getting more people.”

Both Robinson and Stein said they support strong workforce development, which is one of the Cape Fear region’s strong suits, especially in northern New Hanover County, where industrial parks are popping up. [Source]

 

Drought Conditions

Adam Wagner, The News & Observer, 6/27/24

North Carolina has officially entered a flash drought, with more than half of the state classified as in moderate drought, according to the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council.

Parts of 99 of North Carolina’s 100 counties are either in moderate drought or are abnormally dry, according to the council. The council is made up of experts from a variety of fields, including agriculture, climate and water, among others.

Just two weeks ago, only 4.5% of the state was classified as abnormally dry. Since then, a heat dome has set in, spiking temperatures and preventing any significant rainfall.

“The lack of rainfall has been made worse by the warm weather and low humidity. We have already seen impacts to stream flows and reservoirs. The late spring and early summer are critical in the growing season, and impacts to agriculture have already been seen,” Klaus Albertin, the council’s chairman, said in a statement.

This update marks only the second time since 2000 that more than half of North Carolina has seen drought classifications worsen, according to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. Nearly all of North Carolina is either abnormally dry or in drought conditions, with the state officially entering a flash drought.

Some utilities, including Johnston County, are asking customers to conserve water amid the ongoing dry conditions.

The immediate forecast offers a chance of thunderstorms for the Triangle over the coming days, with the National Weather Service saying storms are likely on Sunday.

Storms likely won’t be enough to snap the dry conditions that have set in, though, said Chip Konrad, a UNC-Chapel Hill professor and director of the Southeast Regional Climate Center. In North Carolina, Konrad noted, pop-up afternoon thunderstorms tend to drop heavy rains on a relatively small area.

“Even if we get some showers or thunder showers they’re not going to provide a big relief. You need a bigger system, you need a lot of rain and the pattern that’s forecasted for the next couple of weeks just doesn’t support that,” Konrad said.

NWS forecasters are predicting that Monday will likely snap an 18-day stretch where the high temperature was above 90 degrees. [Source]

 

Abused Children

Tammy Grubb, The News & Observer, 6/27/24

Over 100,000 North Carolina children wake up to violence, substance abuse and neglect every day, often because their parents are struggling to meet basic needs. Those who catch the attention of Child Protective Services find a system also in crisis, with too little staff to provide urgently needed services and not enough foster homes where they can stay temporarily or permanently, state officials and advocates say.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reports that, so far this year, an average of 16 children a week stay overnight in a Department of Social Services office because there is nowhere else for them to go.

Last year, it was an average of 32 children a week, according to NCDHHS spokeswoman Kandice Scarberry. Others are staying in emergency rooms and psychiatric centers, because the state doesn’t have enough foster care homes. It’s even harder to place children with special needs, advocates said.

The foster home shortage has multiple causes, including too few child welfare staff to support the families that take on what can be challenging work, The News & Observer has reported. Staffing has reached a crisis after several years of retirements, resignations and vacancies in county child welfare offices.

The average turnover rate was over 30% in 2023, according to an internal letter from Peter West, section chief for N.C. Department of Social Services county operations.

Some counties were seeing turnover rates as high as 50% or more, compared with a national turnover rate of 14% to 22%, state and federal reports noted. Child welfare jobs can be challenging and emotionally draining, leading to burnout, secondary trauma and job dissatisfaction, state and federal reports said.

Staff members work with limited resources and face a public perception that they are trying to take children from their families, West said.

A state study released earlier this year found that most child welfare workers feel overwhelmed, despite having caseloads that largely meet state guidelines. Intake workers, who review reports and decide next steps, are supposed to handle up to 100 reports a month. Assessment and in-home services workers, who work directly with families, have a standard caseload of up to 10 families.

The statewide average in December 2022 was 45 intake reports per employee, and eight to 12 cases for each assessment and in-home services employee. But some counties, such as Orange County, reported more than 100 intake reports per worker. Several counties also reported in-home and assessment services caseloads that were two to four times the state standard.

Foster care workers in some counties were handling a few dozen cases at once, despite a 15-case state standard, because a family can have multiple children with multiple outcomes.

The staffing crisis worsened during the pandemic and has not recovered, West told The N&O in an interview. Child welfare workers are also handling more intense needs involving drug abuse, domestic violence and mental health problems, he said.

A further complication in North Carolina is structural, and an overhaul is in the works, state officials say. North Carolina uses a state-supervised and county-administered social services system — one of only nine such systems in the country, NCDHHS officials said. While the system gives county child welfare agencies flexibility to address local challenges and work with regional partners, it also leads to inconsistent training and reporting, inadequate data and children being left in unsafe situations.

A 2019 legislative report found that county DSS offices did not provide services to families in over a third of the allegations reported statewide. But the percentage varied widely, from 12% of reports being screened out in some counties to as much as 60% in others. Some child deaths are not preventable, Putnam-Hornstein acknowledged. But what’s really hard is when a child fatality review detects human errors or missing information that could have helped avoid a tragedy, she said.

“It’s heartbreaking, because you realize that had we assembled all of that in real-time, we probably would have made a decision that would have protected that child, but we missed it,” she said. Kella Hatcher, executive director of the N.C. Child Fatality Task Force, said the state’s child fatality prevention system is also “disjointed.”

“We’ve been told by national experts that we have one of the most complicated systems in the country. Not the best or the worst — we do a lot of good work — but it’s complicated,” she said. [Source]

 

Psych Hospitals

Taylor Knopf, NC Health News, 6/27/24

A U.S. Senate report released last week accused four of the nation’s largest behavioral health companies of putting profits above the safety and treatment of children placed in their care.

The blistering report — Warehouses of Neglect — is the result of a two-year investigation by Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) into psychiatric residential treatment facilities run by Acadia Healthcare, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, Vivant Behavioral Healthcare and Universal Health Services. UHS manages nearly a quarter of North Carolina’s licensed inpatient psychiatric beds.

Some children with complex mental health needs are placed in long-term psychiatric treatment with a goal of receiving specialized intensive care, but the Senate committee’s investigation found that too often that doesn’t happen. These facilities “offer minimal therapeutic treatment in deficient physical settings with lean staff composed of non-professionals, which maximizes per diem margins,” according to the report.

“The experiences and trauma these kids are left with reads like something from a horror novel,” Wyden said during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on June 12 where he presented the final report.

The lack of trained staff results in little to no mental health therapy, and, the report said, staffing shortages lead to children attempting self-harm, patients escaping from facilities and even child fatalities. The report also documented frequent occurrences of patient sexual abuse by staff and by other patients. The investigation found that the facilities improperly used seclusion and chemical restraints — such as padded rooms and powerful sedatives — to control children in ways that violate federal regulations.

In North Carolina, Universal Health Services manages 562 of the state’s 2,401 licensed psychiatric inpatient beds and has been under repeated scrutiny from state and federal regulators. The company owns Brynn Marr Hospital in Jacksonville, Holly Hill Hospital in Raleigh and Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services in Winston-Salem.

NC Health News and WRAL-TV recently published a two–part investigation into Brynn Marr Hospital in which more than a dozen former employees alleged the facility was a chaotic, violent place for staff and patients. They described conditions similar to what was documented in the Senate report, alleging that the understaffing and frequent turnover at the hospital led to unchecked violence from patients, as well as conditions that allowed patient-to-patient sexual assault.

Brynn Marr’s chief executive denied the allegations made by the former employees. In response to the Senate’s report, Universal Health Services said in a statement: “We vehemently dispute this characterization of our facilities.” The UHS statement acknowledged that there have been some harmful incidents over time, but said the company “provided information demonstrating the rates of such occurrences are extremely rare across the UHS spectrum and disproves this inaccurate portrayal.”

Nonetheless, the U.S. Senate investigation concluded that the risk of harm to children in psychiatric facilities operated by Universal Health Services and the other three companies is “endemic to the operating model.”

“Unfortunately, it seems more often than not, abuse and neglect is the norm at these facilities,” Wyden said during the June 12 committee hearing. “The providers running these treatment facilities have figured out how to turn big profits off of taxpayer-funded child abuse.” [Source]

 

Silver Line

Mary Ramsey, The Charlotte Observer, 6/27/24

Developers are high on Matthews’ and east Mecklenburg County’s growth potential whether the long-planned Silver Line through the area brings trains or buses.

A panel of developers offered optimism Thursday during an event hosted by the Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition. It occurred as Charlotte-area leaders decide whether they can execute the 29-mile, 30-station light rail line amid uncertainty over funding.

News about part of the plan potentially being scrapped or replaced with bus rapid transit prompted critical responses from some, including in Matthews and east Charlotte. But the panelists, including Grubb Properties CEO Clay Grubb, said bus rapid transit would still attract developers who are eager to develop sites near public transit.

“We go where we can get people out of cars,” said Grubb, whose company works in Charlotte and more than 20 other U.S. cities.

Charlotte’s tried for years to hold a referendum for a sales tax increase that pays for its multi-billion dollar transit plan, which includes the Silver Line and Red Line trains, improved bicycle infrastructure and fewer traffic fatalities. But that requires the blessing of the General Assembly, where Republican leaders have yet to be won over and called for more funding for roads.

Things came to a head in recent weeks when Matthews Mayor John Higdon spoke out over a reported new proposal that would dramatically cut the amount of new sales tax revenue allocated for rail, leading to the elimination of the portion of the Silver Line between uptown and Matthews.

Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs previously told The Charlotte Observer the initial idea of putting 80-90% of that new revenue into rail “was really unacceptable” to leaders in Raleigh. Driggs didn’t specify the latest allocation proposed. WFAE reported it was just 40% for rail.

One alternative Driggs said is on the table: funding for bus rapid transit in the Silver Line corridor stretching from uptown through east Charlotte and into Matthews. An earlier plan for transit along the corridor, adopted in 2002, called for bus rapid transit but was later changed to light rail.

Light rail train cars run on a fixed track, whereas bus rapid transit involves running buses in dedicated lanes or busways that often have traffic signal priority, elevated platforms and enhanced stations. Higdon was the loudest voice pushing back on a possible shift back to bus rapid transit, saying it wouldn’t spur economic growth like rail. But Jon Morris, senior partner at the North Carolina-based developer Beacon Partners, said on Thursday’s panel he’s “fascinated” by the bus rapid transit option because of the “certainty” it could provide developers and those who finance their projects. “You have to have certainty of timing and funding. You got to know the mode of transportation is going to go and when it’s going to happen,” he said.

Grubb said it’s critical for cities like Charlotte to find an option they can pay for, noting his company has scaled back its work in communities such as Nashville and Raleigh because they haven’t figured out how to finance transit.

“Anytime we can get people out of cars, it makes it much more cost-effective for us to build our product,” he said. “And we can provide a product that’s much more accessible.” [Source]

 

Toll Lanes

Steve Harrison, WFAE Radio, 6/27/24

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said Wednesday the cost of building express toll lanes on Interstate 77 in south Charlotte has now gone up to $5 billion/ That’s up from an earlier estimate this year of $4 billion. It’s been decided that drivers will pay tolls to use the new lanes. The question is who will build and manage them.
One option is the DOT would turn to a public-private partnership, which is what the state did for I-77 in north Mecklenburg. That means a private company will decide how much motorists pay.

The other option is for the state to finance the project on its own. The DOT said it doesn’t think it has enough money to do that.

Mecklenburg Commissioner Leigh Altman said the state is not talking about the downsides to having a private company control the lanes. “It’s not the same level of transparency if this was government run,” she said. “I would like a graph that details the financial benefits and non-financial benefits if this were publicly funded.”

The DOT said it will keep studying the project to try and find cost savings. [Source]

Hurricanes Arena

The Associated Press, 6/27/24

The Carolina Hurricanes said the governing body for PNC Arena has approved a development agreement to create a long-discussed mixed-use district around the arena including entertainment, retail and office space, a music venue, apartments and a hotel.

In a statement on Thursday, the Hurricanes also said the Centennial Authority officially approved and signed the lease extension for the Hurricanes to remain at PNC Arena at least through the 2043-44 season, which was first agreed to last summer. That jumpstarts a $300 million project to upgrade the 25-year-old home to the Hurricanes and the North Carolina State men’s basketball team, set to begin in 2025.

“We are thrilled to begin the transformation of the 80-acre campus around the arena,” Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon said in a statement. “The expansion of our dynamic sports and entertainment offerings beyond the walls of the arena will provide fans with a world-class experience.”

The first phase of the development includes more than 200,000 square feet of entertainment and retail space, 150,000 square feet of office space, a hotel and apartments, projected for completion in 2030. Additionally, there are plans for a 4,300-seat ballroom operated by Live Nation to bring music and entertainment to a district featuring dining, plazas, promenades, parking and tailgating areas. [Source]

 

DMV Building

Joseph Holloway, CBS 17 News, 6/27/24

The City of Raleigh now officially owns the old NCDMV headquarters on New Bern Avenue. The city closed on the sale this week, purchasing it from the state for $20 million. Assistant city manager Evan Raleigh says crews will soon put up fences and lights to protect the property, then demolition will happen in the coming months.

The city is working with a group of people in the community to decide what to do with the property, and the assistant city manager says they’re looking for ways to get more people involved.

“This redevelopment opportunity is geared toward ensuring that whatever they want to see happen happens,” Evan Raleigh said. The city isn’t setting a timetable for when to make the decision, saying it’ll follow the community’s lead on how quickly to move along. [Source]

 

Special Ops Leadership

Rachael Riley, The Fayetteville Observer, 6/27/24

A new commander is in charge of overseeing the training and development of Army special operation forces soldiers at Fort Liberty. Brig. Gen. Guillaume ”Will” Beaurpere turned over command of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School to Brig. Gen. Jason Slider during a ceremony Friday.

Slider arrives from his most recent assignment as deputy commander of operations for the French army’s 3rd Division through an Army personnel exchange program. Beaurpere, who has led the command since August 2022, will head to Tampa, Florida, as the next chief of staff for the U.S. Special Operations Command.

The Special Warfare Center oversees the Special Forces assessment and selection course, training for Special Forces and special operation forces and foreign language training, with more than 100 courses for civil affairs, psychological operations, Special Forces and allied and sister service students. [Source]

 

Microsoft Construction

William Chapman, The Hickory Daily Record, 6/27/24

Microsoft is building two data centers in Catawba County. Work is expected to continue for 18 to 24 months, the company said in a pair of blog posts. A permit for construction of the 244,676-square-foot facility in Conover was submitted June 6 by Olsson, an engineering firm based in the Midwest. The site is located off N.C. Highway 16. The permit said the project is expected to cost $223.6 million.

The data center in Maiden will be constructed on 296 acres off Zeb Haynes Road and West Maiden Road. The data center, which will be the same size as the one in Conover, is expected to cost around $231 million. Microsoft will, “keep neighbors informed in advance of construction work” at the Maiden and Conover sites, blog posts from the company said.

According to Microsoft, data centers are large buildings that house thousands of data servers. Data centers help people access the internet and store and manage their data. Relative to their size, data centers do not require many jobs. In 2022, Microsoft said data centers would create at least 50 jobs in Catawba County. [Source]

 

Musical Judge

Chloe Collins, The Gaston Gazette, 6/27/24

After several guest appearances on WSGE 91.7FM, Gaston College’s radio station, retired Gaston Superior Court Judge Jesse Caldwell III recently recorded his debut single, “Meet Me at the Beach.” The song brings together old-school beach music and Caldwell’s radio persona which plays heavily into his career as a judge, according to him. “I can’t sing worth a lick, so I sort of rapped the song,” he said.

While purists might not call it beach music, there are a number of songs in the genre that are talked through like, “Meet Me at the Beach,” he added. While the song is talked through, Caldwell said it includes many elements of Carolina beach music including directing listeners to do a beach music dance.

According to Caldwell, he got a lot out of making the song, though it is likely just a one-time fun project. “I never thought I could get into law school, and I wound up being a lawyer and a judge,” he said. [Source]

NC Insider Legislative Report

REQUEST A DEMO | LEGISLATIVE TRACKING SERVICE

HOUSE BILLS FILED

Thursday, June 27, 2024

• HB 1076 (Reives) EXPRESSING GERMAN FRIENDSHIP

SENATE BILLS FILED

Thursday, June 27, 2024

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE HOUSE

Thursday, June 27, 2024

• Added to Calendar
  • HB 44 (Alexander, K.) CONST. AMENDMENT/REPEAL LITERACY TEST
  • HB 98 (Biggs) RIGHT TO TRY INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENTS
  • HB 250 (Arp) ME/IDS/DRIVING PRIVILEGES/XYLAZINE CHANGES
  • HB 426 (Gillespie) VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL AMENDMENTS
  • HB 591 (Davis, T.) MODERNIZE SEX CRIMES
  • HB 1071 (Cleveland) USE METHODS OF CERTAIN GROUPS/VOTER ROLLS
  • HB 1072 (Cleveland) REQUIRE DISCLAIMER/USE OF AI IN POLITICAL ADS
  • SB 166 (Krawiec) 2024 BLDG. CODE REGULATORY REFORM
  • SB 355 (Jackson, B.) NORTH CAROLINA FARM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 425 (Krawiec) HHS OMNIBUS
  • SB 559 (Krawiec) ENABLE CERTAIN CHARTER SCHOOLS TO ELECT SHP
  • SB 743 (Hise) BROADBAND/GRANT CHANGES
  • SB 902 (Woodard) DURHAM COUNTY OCCUPANCY TAX MODIFICATIONS
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Amend Adopted A1
  • HB 44 (Alexander, K.) CONST. AMENDMENT/REPEAL LITERACY TEST
• Cal Pursuant Rule 36(b)
  • HB 98 (Biggs) RIGHT TO TRY INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENTS
  • HB 1071 (Cleveland) USE METHODS OF CERTAIN GROUPS/VOTER ROLLS
  • HB 1072 (Cleveland) REQUIRE DISCLAIMER/USE OF AI IN POLITICAL ADS
  • SB 743 (Hise) BROADBAND/GRANT CHANGES
• Ch. SL 2024-15
  • HB 198 (Jones, B.) DOT LEGISLATIVE CHANGES.-AB
• Ch. SL 2024-16
  • HB 237 (Torbett) VARIOUS CRIMINAL AND ELECTION LAW CHANGES
• Ch. SL 2024-17
  • HB 834 (Davis, T.) JUVENILE JUSTICE MODIFICATIONS
• Ch. SL 2024-14
  • HB 1064 (Miller) VARIOUS LOCAL PROVISIONS III
• Concurred In S Com Sub
  • HB 98 (Biggs) RIGHT TO TRY INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENTS
  • HB 591 (Davis, T.) MODERNIZE SEX CRIMES
• Concurred On 3rd Reading
  • HB 199 (Jones, B.) DMV PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE CHANGES.-AB
  • HB 228 (Bradford) REV. LAWS TECH., CLARIFYING, & ADMIN. CHNGS
  • HB 593 (Gillespie) VARIOUS GENERAL LOCAL LAWS
  • HB 909 (Paré) VARIOUS LOCAL PROVISIONS I
  • HB 911 (Gillespie) VARIOUS LOCAL PROVISIONS II
• Conf Com Appointed
  • HB 426 (Gillespie) VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL AMENDMENTS
  • SB 355 (Jackson, B.) NORTH CAROLINA FARM ACT OF 2024
• Conf Com Reported
  • HB 250 (Arp) ME/IDS/DRIVING PRIVILEGES/XYLAZINE CHANGES
  • SB 166 (Krawiec) 2024 BLDG. CODE REGULATORY REFORM
  • SB 355 (Jackson, B.) NORTH CAROLINA FARM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 425 (Krawiec) HHS OMNIBUS
  • SB 559 (Krawiec) ENABLE CERTAIN CHARTER SCHOOLS TO ELECT SHP
• Conf Report Adopted
  • HB 250 (Arp) ME/IDS/DRIVING PRIVILEGES/XYLAZINE CHANGES
  • SB 166 (Krawiec) 2024 BLDG. CODE REGULATORY REFORM
  • SB 355 (Jackson, B.) NORTH CAROLINA FARM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 425 (Krawiec) HHS OMNIBUS
  • SB 559 (Krawiec) ENABLE CERTAIN CHARTER SCHOOLS TO ELECT SHP
• Conf Report Failed
  • SB 166 (Krawiec) 2024 BLDG. CODE REGULATORY REFORM
• Conf Rpt Recon
  • SB 166 (Krawiec) 2024 BLDG. CODE REGULATORY REFORM
• Failed Concur In S Com Sub
  • HB 426 (Gillespie) VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL AMENDMENTS
• Filed
  • HB 1076 (Reives) EXPRESSING GERMAN FRIENDSHIP
• Ordered Engrossed
  • HB 44 (Alexander, K.) CONST. AMENDMENT/REPEAL LITERACY TEST
• Ordered Enrolled
  • HB 98 (Biggs) RIGHT TO TRY INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENTS
  • HB 199 (Jones, B.) DMV PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE CHANGES.-AB
  • HB 228 (Bradford) REV. LAWS TECH., CLARIFYING, & ADMIN. CHNGS
  • HB 250 (Arp) ME/IDS/DRIVING PRIVILEGES/XYLAZINE CHANGES
  • HB 591 (Davis, T.) MODERNIZE SEX CRIMES
  • HB 593 (Gillespie) VARIOUS GENERAL LOCAL LAWS
  • HB 909 (Paré) VARIOUS LOCAL PROVISIONS I
  • HB 911 (Gillespie) VARIOUS LOCAL PROVISIONS II
  • SB 902 (Woodard) DURHAM COUNTY OCCUPANCY TAX MODIFICATIONS
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Passed 1st Reading
  • SB 630 (Newton, E.) VARIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Passed 2nd Reading
  • HB 44 (Alexander, K.) CONST. AMENDMENT/REPEAL LITERACY TEST
  • HB 1071 (Cleveland) USE METHODS OF CERTAIN GROUPS/VOTER ROLLS
  • HB 1072 (Cleveland) REQUIRE DISCLAIMER/USE OF AI IN POLITICAL ADS
  • SB 743 (Hise) BROADBAND/GRANT CHANGES
  • SB 902 (Woodard) DURHAM COUNTY OCCUPANCY TAX MODIFICATIONS
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Passed 3rd Reading
  • HB 44 (Alexander, K.) CONST. AMENDMENT/REPEAL LITERACY TEST
  • HB 1071 (Cleveland) USE METHODS OF CERTAIN GROUPS/VOTER ROLLS
  • HB 1072 (Cleveland) REQUIRE DISCLAIMER/USE OF AI IN POLITICAL ADS
  • HB 1074 (Hall, D.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/CITIZENS-ONLY VOTING
  • SB 743 (Hise) BROADBAND/GRANT CHANGES
  • SB 902 (Woodard) DURHAM COUNTY OCCUPANCY TAX MODIFICATIONS
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Pres. To Gov. 6/27/2024
  • HB 556 (Wheatley) TENANCY IN COM./E-NOTARY/SMALLCLAIMS CHANGES
  • HB 690 (Warren) NO CENTRL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY PMTS TO STATE
  • HB 900 (Paré) CERTAIN CIHS PARTNERS/REGULATE TOBACCO PROD
  • HB 942 (Moore) SHALOM ACT
  • HB 971 (Crutchfield) HUMAN TRAFFICKING CHANGES
• Ratified
  • HB 556 (Wheatley) TENANCY IN COM./E-NOTARY/SMALLCLAIMS CHANGES
  • HB 690 (Warren) NO CENTRL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY PMTS TO STATE
  • HB 900 (Paré) CERTAIN CIHS PARTNERS/REGULATE TOBACCO PROD
  • HB 942 (Moore) SHALOM ACT
  • HB 971 (Crutchfield) HUMAN TRAFFICKING CHANGES
  • HB 1064 (Miller) VARIOUS LOCAL PROVISIONS III
• Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
  • HB 74 (Hall, K.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/COS VACANCIES
  • SB 356 (Jackson, B.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/PHOTO ID
• Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
  • SB 630 (Newton, E.) VARIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
• Reptd Fav
  • HB 1071 (Cleveland) USE METHODS OF CERTAIN GROUPS/VOTER ROLLS
  • HB 1072 (Cleveland) REQUIRE DISCLAIMER/USE OF AI IN POLITICAL ADS
• Reptd Fav Com Substitute
  • SB 743 (Hise) BROADBAND/GRANT CHANGES
• Rules Suspended
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Special Message Received For Concurrence in S Com Sub
  • HB 98 (Biggs) RIGHT TO TRY INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENTS
• Special Message Received From Senate
  • SB 630 (Newton, E.) VARIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Special Message Sent To Senate
  • HB 44 (Alexander, K.) CONST. AMENDMENT/REPEAL LITERACY TEST
  • HB 1071 (Cleveland) USE METHODS OF CERTAIN GROUPS/VOTER ROLLS
  • HB 1072 (Cleveland) REQUIRE DISCLAIMER/USE OF AI IN POLITICAL ADS
  • HB 1074 (Hall, D.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/CITIZENS-ONLY VOTING
  • SB 607 (Alexander, W.) REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 743 (Hise) BROADBAND/GRANT CHANGES
• Withdrawn From Cal
  • HB 74 (Hall, K.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/COS VACANCIES
  • SB 356 (Jackson, B.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/PHOTO ID
• Withdrawn From Com
  • HB 44 (Alexander, K.) CONST. AMENDMENT/REPEAL LITERACY TEST
  • HB 426 (Gillespie) VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL AMENDMENTS
  • HB 591 (Davis, T.) MODERNIZE SEX CRIMES
  • SB 902 (Woodard) DURHAM COUNTY OCCUPANCY TAX MODIFICATIONS

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SENATE

Thursday, June 27, 2024

• Adopted
  • SB 914 (Rabon) BOG VACANCY
• Amend Adopted A1
  • SB 630 (Newton, E.) VARIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Ch. SL 2024-13
  • SB 912 (Hise) ELECTIONS CHANGES FOR WATAUGA ED & COUNTY BDS
• Ch. SL 2024-12
  • SB 915 (Rabon) GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPOINTMENTS
• Concurred In H Amend S802v3
  • SB 802 (Johnson, T.) C-PACE PROGRAM
• Concurred In H Com Sub
  • SB 332 (Johnson, T.) 2023 APPROPRIATIONS ACT CHANGES
  • SB 357 (Jackson, B.) ADJUSTMENTS TO THE 2023 APPROPRIATIONS ACT
  • SB 445 (Daniel) RECORDING OF COURT-FILED DOCUMENTS
  • SB 527 (Moffit) ABC OMNIBUS 2023-24
  • SB 607 (Alexander, W.) REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2024
• Conf Com Appointed
  • HB 250 (Arp) ME/IDS/DRIVING PRIVILEGES/XYLAZINE CHANGES
• Conf Com Reported
  • HB 250 (Arp) ME/IDS/DRIVING PRIVILEGES/XYLAZINE CHANGES
  • SB 166 (Krawiec) 2024 BLDG. CODE REGULATORY REFORM
  • SB 355 (Jackson, B.) NORTH CAROLINA FARM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 425 (Krawiec) HHS OMNIBUS
  • SB 559 (Krawiec) ENABLE CERTAIN CHARTER SCHOOLS TO ELECT SHP
• Conf Report Adopted
  • HB 250 (Arp) ME/IDS/DRIVING PRIVILEGES/XYLAZINE CHANGES
  • SB 166 (Krawiec) 2024 BLDG. CODE REGULATORY REFORM
  • SB 355 (Jackson, B.) NORTH CAROLINA FARM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 425 (Krawiec) HHS OMNIBUS
  • SB 559 (Krawiec) ENABLE CERTAIN CHARTER SCHOOLS TO ELECT SHP
• Engrossed
  • SB 630 (Newton, E.) VARIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Ordered Enrolled
  • HB 910 (None) CONFIRM TODD BROWN/SPECIAL SUPERIOR CT. JUDGE
  • HB 1074 (Hall, D.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/CITIZENS-ONLY VOTING
  • SB 166 (Krawiec) 2024 BLDG. CODE REGULATORY REFORM
  • SB 332 (Johnson, T.) 2023 APPROPRIATIONS ACT CHANGES
  • SB 355 (Jackson, B.) NORTH CAROLINA FARM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 357 (Jackson, B.) ADJUSTMENTS TO THE 2023 APPROPRIATIONS ACT
  • SB 425 (Krawiec) HHS OMNIBUS
  • SB 445 (Daniel) RECORDING OF COURT-FILED DOCUMENTS
  • SB 527 (Moffit) ABC OMNIBUS 2023-24
  • SB 559 (Krawiec) ENABLE CERTAIN CHARTER SCHOOLS TO ELECT SHP
  • SB 607 (Alexander, W.) REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 802 (Johnson, T.) C-PACE PROGRAM
• Passed 1st Reading
  • HB 44 (Alexander, K.) CONST. AMENDMENT/REPEAL LITERACY TEST
  • HB 984 (Bradford) REMOVAL OF SQUATTERS FROM PRIVATE PROPERTY
  • HB 1071 (Cleveland) USE METHODS OF CERTAIN GROUPS/VOTER ROLLS
  • HB 1072 (Cleveland) REQUIRE DISCLAIMER/USE OF AI IN POLITICAL ADS
  • HB 1074 (Hall, D.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/CITIZENS-ONLY VOTING
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Passed 2nd Reading
  • HB 98 (Biggs) RIGHT TO TRY INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENTS
  • HB 910 (None) CONFIRM TODD BROWN/SPECIAL SUPERIOR CT. JUDGE
  • HB 1074 (Hall, D.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/CITIZENS-ONLY VOTING
  • SB 630 (Newton, E.) VARIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Passed 3rd Reading
  • HB 98 (Biggs) RIGHT TO TRY INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENTS
  • HB 910 (None) CONFIRM TODD BROWN/SPECIAL SUPERIOR CT. JUDGE
  • HB 1074 (Hall, D.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/CITIZENS-ONLY VOTING
  • SB 630 (Newton, E.) VARIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Placed on Today’s Calendar
  • HB 250 (Arp) ME/IDS/DRIVING PRIVILEGES/XYLAZINE CHANGES
  • HB 1074 (Hall, D.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/CITIZENS-ONLY VOTING
  • SB 166 (Krawiec) 2024 BLDG. CODE REGULATORY REFORM
  • SB 355 (Jackson, B.) NORTH CAROLINA FARM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 425 (Krawiec) HHS OMNIBUS
  • SB 559 (Krawiec) ENABLE CERTAIN CHARTER SCHOOLS TO ELECT SHP
  • SB 607 (Alexander, W.) REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Ratified
  • SB 303 (Britt) VARIOUS COURT CHANGES
  • SB 565 (Britt) REVISE AUTOMATIC EXPUNCTION
  • SB 912 (Hise) ELECTIONS CHANGES FOR WATAUGA ED & COUNTY BDS
  • SB 915 (Rabon) GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPOINTMENTS
• Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate
  • HB 44 (Alexander, K.) CONST. AMENDMENT/REPEAL LITERACY TEST
  • HB 984 (Bradford) REMOVAL OF SQUATTERS FROM PRIVATE PROPERTY
  • HB 1071 (Cleveland) USE METHODS OF CERTAIN GROUPS/VOTER ROLLS
  • HB 1072 (Cleveland) REQUIRE DISCLAIMER/USE OF AI IN POLITICAL ADS
  • HB 1074 (Hall, D.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/CITIZENS-ONLY VOTING
  • SB 607 (Alexander, W.) REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 640 (Britt) AMEND OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING BOARD STATUTES
  • SB 743 (Hise) BROADBAND/GRANT CHANGES
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Special Message Received For Concurrence in H Com Sub
  • SB 607 (Alexander, W.) REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 640 (Britt) AMEND OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING BOARD STATUTES
  • SB 743 (Hise) BROADBAND/GRANT CHANGES
• Special Message Received From House
  • HB 44 (Alexander, K.) CONST. AMENDMENT/REPEAL LITERACY TEST
  • HB 984 (Bradford) REMOVAL OF SQUATTERS FROM PRIVATE PROPERTY
  • HB 1071 (Cleveland) USE METHODS OF CERTAIN GROUPS/VOTER ROLLS
  • HB 1072 (Cleveland) REQUIRE DISCLAIMER/USE OF AI IN POLITICAL ADS
  • HB 1074 (Hall, D.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/CITIZENS-ONLY VOTING
• Special Message Sent To House
  • HB 98 (Biggs) RIGHT TO TRY INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENTS
  • SB 630 (Newton, E.) VARIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION
• Veto Overridden
  • HB 198 (Jones, B.) DOT LEGISLATIVE CHANGES.-AB
  • HB 237 (Torbett) VARIOUS CRIMINAL AND ELECTION LAW CHANGES
  • HB 834 (Davis, T.) JUVENILE JUSTICE MODIFICATIONS
• Withdrawn From Com
  • HB 1074 (Hall, D.) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT/CITIZENS-ONLY VOTING
  • SB 607 (Alexander, W.) REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2024
  • SB 916 (Rabon) ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION

WHAT HAPPENED IN HOUSE COMMITTEES

Thursday, June 27, 2024

• All House Committees
  • Reptd Fav
    • HB 1071 (Cleveland) USE METHODS OF CERTAIN GROUPS/VOTER ROLLS
    • HB 1072 (Cleveland) REQUIRE DISCLAIMER/USE OF AI IN POLITICAL ADS
  • Reptd Fav Com Substitute
    • SB 743 (Hise) BROADBAND/GRANT CHANGES

WHAT HAPPENED IN SENATE COMMITTEES

Thursday, June 27, 2024

• All Senate Committees

HOUSE CALENDAR

Friday, June 28, 2024

House Convenes at 9:00 A.M.

• Introduced
  • HB 1076 (Reives) EXPRESSING GERMAN FRIENDSHIP

SENATE CALENDAR

Friday, June 28, 2024

Senate Convenes at 9:30 A.M.

Other Legislative Studies and Meetings

LB: LEGISLATIVE BUILDING. LOB: LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING

• None Scheduled.

N.C. Government Meetings and Hearings

BOLD ITEMS ARE NEW LISTINGS

Tuesday, July 9

• 11 a.m. | Economic Investment Committee  – Regular Meeting, 301 N. Wilmington St. Raleigh.
• 1:20 p.m. | The North Carolina Local Government Commission  -July Meeting, 3200 Atlantic Ave. Raleigh.

Wednesday, July 10

• 9 a.m. | North Carolina Board of Transportation Meeting, 1 S Wilmington St. Raleigh.
• 9 a.m. | The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission Committee Meetings, 512 N. Salisbury St. Raleigh. Meeting link: https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=mdc902ed9963ce35e5de9e85e27277716 
• 1:30 p.m. | Public Hearing for the Proposed 2025 North Carolina State Medical Facilities Plan, Event website: https://info.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/mfp/meetings.html

Thursday, July 11

• 9 a.m. | NC State Board of Education Meeting (Virtual Meeting) Event website: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/about-dpi/state-board-education/meeting-information
• 9 a.m. | The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission Meeting, 512 N. Salisbury St. Raleigh. Meeting link: https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=m32a66bf7f3f1a86a8618d061a6831212 
• 11 a.m. | Governor’s Crime Commission  – Criminal Justice Improvement Committee Meeting, 1201 Front St. Raleigh.

Monday, July 15

• 1:30 p.m. | NC Dept. of Agriculture  – 3RD QUARTER BOARD OF AGRICULTURE MEETING, 4400 Reedy Creek Road, Raleigh.

Tuesday, July 16

• 10:30 a.m. | North Carolina Spiritous Liquor Advisory Council  – 3rd Quarter Meeting, 2 West Edenton St, Raleigh.

Wednesday, July 17

• 9 a.m. | The North Carolina Real Estate Commission Meeting, 1313 Navaho Drive, Raleigh.

Thursday, July 18

• 8 a.m. | North Carolina Medical Board Meeting – July 2024 Meeting, 3127 Smoketree Court, Raleigh.
• 9:30 a.m. | North Carolina Turnpike Authority meets, 1 S. Wilmington St, Raleigh.

Thursday, Aug. 1

• 6 p.m. | The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality Public Hearing on Moriah Energy Center Draft Air Quality Permit, Vance-Granville Community College, 200 Community College Road, Henderson.

UNC Board of Governors

23 S. WEST STREET, SUITE 1800, RALEIGH

Wednesday, July 24

• T.B.A. | The UNC Board of Governors, UNC System Office.

Thursday, July 25

• T.B.A. | The UNC Board of Governors, UNC System Office.

N.C. Utilities Commission Hearing Schedule

DOBBS BUILDING, 430 NORTH SALISBURY STREET, RALEIGH

Monday, July 8

• 7 p.m. | Public Witness Hearing – Joint Application of Public Service Company of North Carolina, Inc. and Enbridge Parrot Holdings, LLC to Engage in a Business Combination Transaction | G-5 Sub 667

Wednesday, July 10

• 6:30 p.m. | Remote Public Witness Hearing – Dominion Energy North Carolina 2023 IRP | E-100 Sub 192

Thursday, July 11

• 10 a.m. | Expert Witness Hearing – Application for General Rate Increase for HH Water, LLC | W-1318 Sub 1

Monday, July 22

• 2 p.m. | Expert Witness Hearing – Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC and Duke Energy Progress, LLC 2023 Biennial CPIRP | E-100 Sub 190
• 2 p.m. | Expert Public Witness Hearing – Joint Application of DEP and NCEMC for CPCN to Construct a 1360MW Electric Generating Facility in Person County, NC | E-2 Sub 1318, EC-67 Sub 55
• 2 p.m. | Expert Witness Hearing – Application for CPCN for 850 MW Natural Gas-Fired Combustion Turbine Electric Generating Facility Located at 8320 NC Highway 150 E, Terrell, NC 28682 in Catawba County | E-7 Sub 1297

Other Meetings and Events of Interest

BOLD ITEMS ARE NEW LISTINGS

Friday, June 28

• T.B.A. | Gov. Roy Cooper to join President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at an event in Raleigh.

Thursday, July 4

• 11:30 a.m. | Fourth of July celebration at the North Carolina State Capitol, East grounds of the State Capitol, Raleigh.