RALEIGH Most legislative sessions start out with a congenial break-in period that lets lawmakers learn one another’s names, ease into committee assignments and find out how to turn ideas into drafts of new laws.
This year, everything is different. Committees were named fast, drafts of major legislation were ready to go to committees, and legislative leaders […]
N.C. court officials are seeking a voluntary reduction in their workforce as a result of a $3.7 billion-dollar deficit confronting the General Assembly.
John Smith, director of the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts in Raleigh, notified court officials about the plan in a Jan. 31 letter. He said employees who agree to the voluntary separation […]
HONOLULU (AP) – Hawaii drivers would be charged higher annual fees on their vehicles to help repair the state’s well-worn roads, according to legislation that passed the House Transportation Committee on Wednesday.
Vehicle registration fees would increase from $25 to $45 a year, and weight fees would approximately double, with the heaviest vehicles paying the highest […]
A plan moving its way through the N.C. General Assembly could mean significant cuts to several economic development funding sources that primarily target rural counties.
Senate Bill 13, which the Senate approves Thursday afternoon by a 30-18 margin, would divert $142 million from various funds. That includes $67.6 million from the Golden Leaf Foundation, which was […]
It’s budget season again and the new Republican majority in Raleigh is scrambling to come up with almost $4 billion to fill in the state budget hole. Budget items that are paid for by the General Fund, such as education, Medicaid and public safety are going to get the lion’s share of attention.
But legislators […]
A Senate judiciary committee voted Thursday to ban synthetic drugs that mimic the effects of marijuana. “With synthetic cannabis, the physiological and psychological effects can be much more severe,” Greensboro police Capt. Richard Whisenant told the committee shortly before the vote. Possession of the drugs would become a misdemeanor under the bill, which is backed by commanders […]
If Gov. Beverly Perdue does propose regulating and taxing video gambling in her proposed budget, it appears she’ll have some work to do in convincing the state’s sheriffs and police chiefs that it is a good idea. The governor this week said legalizing the games is on the table as a way to generate more revenue […]
Update from National League of Cities:
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has formally announced a series of field hearings on transportation authorization that will begin February 14 in West Virginia. The purpose of the hearings is to gather input for the next effort to reauthorize federal transportation programs, which expired on September 2009. The current […]
It is only the second week of session but major bills were moving including action on balancing the State budget, allowing North Carolina to opt out of the federal health care law and eliminating the charter school cap. I cannot stress enough […]
Bills filed in the N.C. House and Senate would place a moratorium on involuntary annexations in North Carolina until July 1, 2012.
If passed, a ban might further delay the city of Wilmington’s annexation of 950 acres, more than 3,300 residents and numerous businesses in the Monkey Junction area.But it could mean more than a delay […]
