.png)
Governance
Budget negotiations in the NCGA ran into challenges Wednesday as Republican leaders in the NC House and NC Senate disagreed over whether to spend the state’s $1 billion surplus. NC House Speaker Tim Moore would like to spend the surplus on an increase for private school tuition vouchers, raises or bonuses for state workers, and child care subsidies, but NC Senate leader Phil Berger is only interested in spending on the private school tuition vouchers and would rather save more of the surplus. The NC House plans to release its own budget proposal this week, but Berger indicated that such a proposal wouldn’t even be considered in the NC Senate.
Fair Representation
On Thursday a three-judge panel heard arguments about whether to throw out a suit challenging North Carolina’s gerrymandered districts. The lawsuit was brought by a group represented by former Republican Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr, who served as one of three special masters tasked with drawing fairer maps in 2022 by the NC Supreme Court. The plaintiffs argue that the right to fair elections is an “unenumerated constitutional right” and that partisan gerrymandering violates this right. Republican legislative leaders argue that no such right exists since “fair” is impossible to define and requested dismissal of the case. The court has not yet ruled on whether to let it go forward.
Education Policy
On Tuesday the NC House K-12 Education Committee amended a bill about governance for schools for deaf and blind children in NC to change the admissions appeals process. SB 90 would provide financial support to these schools as they transition from governance by the State Board of Education to governance by new boards of trustees. The amendment to the bill would also remove parents’ due process rights to appeal admissions decisions before a judge and instead allow parents to appeal to the boards of trustees.
Economic Policy
On Wednesday the NC House Judiciary 2 Committee approved a bill that would regulate the towing industry. HB 1024 would require tow truck drivers to apply for a permit beyond the currently required commercial driver’s license. The bill would also create a new towing commission that would set maximum rates and review complaints against tow truck drivers and a website where anyone whose car is towed can look up their information and find out what they will be charged.
On Tuesday the NC House Local Government Committee gave bipartisan approval to a bill that would change how counties’ economic health is rated. HB 1044 would launch a study that recommends new metrics for categorizing the economic well-being of each county, incorporating different and better sources of data to rate counties more accurately. Ratings often determine eligibility for government programs.
Environmental Policy
On Tuesday the NC House Environmental Committee approved a bipartisan bill that would require manufacturers of PFAS chemicals to pay for public water supply cleanup. HB 864 would force companies like Chemours that have dumped these “forever chemicals” into water supplies to shoulder the costs of filtration required by new federal standards.
Health Care Policy
On Tuesday the NC House Health Committee approved a bill that would require insurers who already provide coverage for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment to cover that treatment from any healthcare provider with proper licensing. Supporters of HB 939 say this will make TMS treatment for depression more widely available, since primary care physicians would now be able to directly order the treatment for patients.
On Wednesday the NC Senate Health Committee approved a bipartisan bill that would require doctors who prescribe opioids to inform their patients about the risks of opioids and the availability of overdose drugs like Narcan. HB 287 would make patients more aware of increased access to overdose drugs provided by recent changes to federal law.
Justice
On Friday Governor Cooper vetoed a bill that would have pushed some 16- and 17-year-old criminal defendants into the adult justice system. Cooper expressed concerns that HB 834 would roll back the bipartisan Raise the Age reforms the NCGA passed just 4 years ago. The bill now goes back to the legislature, which will likely vote to override the governor’s veto, especially given that several Democrats in both chambers voted for the bill.
On Tuesday the NCGA passed a bill that would change public masking regulations and create a loophole for “dark money” political spending. HB 237, which would allow donors to funnel unlimited and anonymized campaign spending through state political parties, narrow the allowed reasons for wearing a mask in public to “preventing the spread of contagious disease,” and legally require people to remove their mask when requested to do so by law enforcement or property owners, faced strong opposition by Democrats. The bill now goes to Governor Cooper.
On Wednesday the NC House voted unanimously to criminalize tianeptine, known informally as “gas station heroin.” HB 903 would make tianeptine a Schedule II drug, removing it from shelves and making its sale and possession illegal. The NC Senate also amended a separate bill regulating CBD to include criminalization of tianeptine, so either bill could lead to its reclassification as a Schedule II drug.
Comments