Courts and Justice
NEWS & OBSERVER: Veto Override on Marriage Bill Postponed
Again
The North Carolina House adjourned for the weekend
Thursday without formally deciding whether to cancel Gov. Pat
McCrory's veto of legislation allowing some government
officials to avoid performing gay marriages because of religious
beliefs.
NEWS & OBSERVER: Court: Attempt to End Teacher Tenure
Unconstitutional
A three-judge panel ruled that legislators' attempt in 2013 to
end teacher tenure was unconstitutional, echoing the findings last
year of a Superior Court judge.
NEWS & OBSERVER: Bill Requires Jury Excuses be Reported to NC
Elections Board
The reason potential jurors are excused from jury duty
would be reported to the State Board of Elections under a House
bill cleared by the Senate's Judiciary II Committee last week.
Many of the reasons that someone can't serve as a juror, such
as being a convicted felon, no longer living in the state or not
being a citizen, also would disqualify someone from voting.
Economy and Economic Development
WINSTON SALEM JOURNAL: McCrory Touts Return of Manufacturing
Jobs
Governor Pat McCrory traveled a familiar path to Davie
County last week, a trip he has made about five times over the last
1½ years in the name of economic development. He visited the
new Dex Heavy Duty Parts LLC facility in an old textile warehouse
on Cornatzer Road, touting the return of manufacturing jobs to a
state that was hit hard by unemployment during the recent economic
downturn.
Elections
WRAL: National Candidates, GOP Incumbents Gather for
State Republican Convention
North Carolina Republicans gathered in Raleigh over the weekend for
the 2015 NC GOP Convention, hearing from the likes of presidential
candidates Sen. Ted Cruz, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Dr. Ben
Carson. Gov. Pat McCrory and Sen. Richard Burr also had the
opportunity to address attendees.
NATIONAL JOURNAL:North Carolina Republicans Close to Agreement on
March Presidential Primary Date
Lawmakers in North Carolina are working to push the state's
2016 presidential primary election back to March instead of
February, meaning the state would avoid a stiff delegate penalty
from the Republican National Committee.
Healthcare
NEWS & OBSERVER: State Owes Medical Providers for Caring for Poor,
Elderly
The state Medicaid office owes medical providers nearly two years
worth of back payments for poor, elderly patients, an expense that
will increase past and future costs, according to the state budget
office. The state has not been properly paying providers for
patients who use both Medicare and Medicaid.
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: Local Governments Ending Health Coverage for
Spouses
To combat spiraling medical costs, some local governments
in the Charlotte area are joining a national trend of dropping
health-care coverage for employees' spouses. The latest action
came Thursday, when the Lincolnton City Council eliminated coverage
for all employee spouses.
NEWS & OBSERVER: A Medicaid Cloud Envelopes the
Legislature
Nearly a year has passed since the state House and Senate
sharply divided over money for the state's Medicaid program;
the legislature may be facing a repeat showdown this year with
bigger consequences.
Regulatory Reform
WRAL: Far-reaching Alcohol Bill Gets Tentative Nod from
State House
The General Assembly passed a bill last week that clears
the way for distilleries to sell bottles of their own products to
tourists, along with making dozens of other changes to state
alcohol laws.
WRAL: Committee Gives Nod to Bill Expanding Access to
Guns
A sweeping firearms bill that passed the House Rules
Committee on Wednesday morning would narrow the number of gun sales
for which a background check is conducted, but would allow the
state agriculture commissioner to ban firearms at the North
Carolina State Fair.
NEWS & OBSERVER: ' Biscuit Bill' Clears NC House
Committee
An NC House committee backed legislation Wednesday that
would allow convenience stores to set up tables and chairs for
customers eating inside.
WILMINGTON STAR NEWS:Legislation on Billboard Control Troubles City
Leaders
City officials are expressing concern about a bill
working its way through the General Assembly that would give more
freedom to billboard owners.
State Budget
NEWS AND OBSERVER:NC Senate Likely to Delay Budget
Release
The Senate will likely delay budget votes originally slated for
Wednesday and Thursday, according to Senate Majority Leader Harry
Brown. Brown, one of the chamber's top budget writers, said he
expects the schedule released late last month will change.
Transportation
NEWS & OBSERVER: Dredging at Morehead City Hasn't Brought Relief
Yet
The state ports' biggest shipping customer has been
losing two million dollars monthly since October because the
clogged navigation channel is still too shallow to handle fully
laden freighters. A dredging operation which started in May is
expected to bring some relief by August, helping the state's
second-busiest port get back to normal.
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: I-485 The end of the era of new free
lanes
The opening of the last segment of Interstate 485 last
week marked the end of a 27-year construction program to encircle
Charlotte with a highway. It also marked another milestone: It was
most likely the last large-scale highway program in Charlotte that
won't include toll lanes.
WRAL: Top Legislative Leaders Cast Doubt on
Transportation Bonds
Both Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and House
Speaker Tim Moore said Tuesday that any bond package that comes out
of the General Assembly this year will likely be smaller than the
$3 billion sought by Gov. Pat McCrory.
NEWS & OBSERVER: House Panel Rejects Driving Permits for
Undocumented Immigrants
A House panel rejected a push Tuesday to gut legislation
that would provide state-issued identification cards and driving
permits for many thousands of immigrants in the United States
illegally, while increasing penalties for selling or using phony
IDs.
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