Pardon Our Dust
We recently launched this new site and are still in the process of updating some of our archived content. Some details of this article may be incomplete, links may be broken, and other elements may not display properly yet. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Last week, the North Carolina General Assembly considered legislative measures on everything from eliminating the state gas tax to extending economicincentives to private companies. The House and Senate adjourned late Thursday afternoon and will return to session Monday evening.
Economy and Economic Development
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:Rep. Charles Jeter Would Replace NC Gas Tax with $201 Annual Fee
Tired of the gasoline tax? It would go away under a bill introduced this week by a Mecklenburg County lawmaker. But Rep. Charles Jeter, a HuntersvilleRepublican, would replace it with an annual fee of $201.
WRAL:Senior Medical Tax Deduction Could Return.
House lawmakers are debating whether to resurrect a state tax deduction for medical expenses for senior citizens after being deluged with calls andmessages from constituents reeling from sticker shock. House Bill 46, sponsored by Rep. Rick Catlin, (R-New Hanover), would reinstate the deductionbeginning with the 2015 tax year. It was discussed but not voted on at a meeting of the House Aging Committee on Wednesday afternoon.
NEWS & OBSERVER:NC Senate Plan Would Shift Sales Tax Money to Rural Areas
Leaders in the state Senate are crafting a plan that would shift millions in sales tax revenues from urban and coastal counties to more rural areas acrossNorth Carolina, according to interviews and documents. The full plan has not been disclosed publicly, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown(R-Jacksonville) is expected to file legislation soon.
Education
WRAL:Senate Proposal Would Eliminate Personal Education Plans
Senate Bill 272, filed by Sens. Jerry Tillman, R-Randolph, and Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, would still require teachers to identify students at risk ofacademic failure. But they would no longer be required to write a detailed report on the student’s needs and the teacher’s plans to meet them. The billwould not affect Individualized Education Plans, which are federally required for all special-needs students.
Energy
WINSTON SALEM JOURNAL:N.C. House Changes Air Pollution Rules on Fracking
Under the proposed change in House Bill 157, the N.C. Environmental Management Commission would establish air pollution rules only if it deemed inadequatethe current state and federal rules on air emissions that come from a shale-gas drilling method known as fracking. The fracking provision in the bill wouldchange an existing mandate established by the General Assembly in 2012.
Healthcare
GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD:Guilford Officials Confident County Will Clear Medicaid Backlog. The Guilford County Department of Social Services won’t meet an internal target of March 31 to clear a backlog of Medicaid cases created when the stateswitched to a new software processing system. The backlog — about 34,000 cases — is a side effect of the implementation of NC FAST, a software system thatprocesses food stamp and Medicaid applications.
In The Courts
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:Former NC Autopsy Aide Loses Whistleblower Suit
A former autopsy technician who said he was forced to resign because he told investigators that a state pathologist mishandled murder evidence has lost hiswhistleblower case. Administrative law judge Fred Morrison Jr. ruled Thursday that Kevin Gerity of Raleigh failed to prove that state officials targetedhim after Gerity complained that North Carolina’s deputy chief medical examiner never turned in a bullet froma 2011 autopsy.
Transportation
NEWS & OBSERVER:N.C. House Oks Tougher DWI Laws Thefirst measure, House Bill 32 would lower the threshold for a habitual drunken driving charge. The current law applies to drivers charged four or more timeswithin 10 years. The other proposal, House Bill 31, addresses restrictions on convicted drunken drivers with license restrictions–typically firstoffenders. The bill passed in a 110-4 vote and will go to the Senate.
CONTACT US
HarryKaplan
Senior Vice President
hkaplan@mwcllc.com
JeffBarnhart
Senior Vice President
jbarnhart@mwcllc.com
Franklin Freeman
Senior Vice President
ffreeman@mwcllc.com
Bo Heath
Senior Vice President
dbheath@mwcllc.com
John Merritt
Senior Vice President
jmerritt@mwcllc.com
JohnnyTillett
Senior Vice President
jtillett@mwcllc.com
Kerri Burke
Vice President
kburke@mwcllc.com
JillianTotman
Assistant Vice President
jtotman@mwcllc.com
Sarah Wolfe
Assistant Vice President
swolfe@mwcllc.com
Philip Barefoot
Research Assistant
pbarefoot@mwcllc.com