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.
Courts and Justice
NEWS & OBSERVER:Supreme Court Ruling Brings Stability to NC Insurance Market
The U.S. Supreme Court declared Thursday that more than 6 million Americans, including almost 459,000 in North Carolina, can keep the federal subsidiesthat help them pay for health insurance.
GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD:Changes to NC Voter ID Law Rankle Some, but Could Preserve Law
Federal and state lawsuits filed nearly two years ago challenging what’s in North Carolina’s election overhaul law are finally heading to trial startingnext month.
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:Supreme Court Ruling Means Same Sex Marriages Can Continue
Champions of same-sex marriage were jubilant after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, adecision striking down bans in 14 states.
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:Governor vs. General Assembly: NC Supreme Court to Hear Landmark Case
The North Carolina Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a landmark case pitting the governor against leaders of the General Assembly.
Education
FAYETEVILLE OBSERVER:Governor Signs Bill to Help Veterans Get Education, Jobs
With an audience of veterans and a backdrop of uniformed military personnel at the Executive Mansion, Gov. Pat McCrory on Wednesday signed two bills intolaw to help veterans and their families.
Elections
ROLL CALL: Kay Hagan Won’t Challenge Richard Burr in 2016
Former North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan will not be mounting a challenge to her former GOP colleague, Sen. Richard M. Burr.
Healthcare
GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD:Medicaid Reform Bill Passes in House
The state House voted 105-6 Tuesday to pass Bill 372, which features a provider-led format for tackling the risk involved in the $14 billion state Medicaidprogram.
WNCN:Governor, Other NC Politicians React to Supreme Court Keeping Health Subsidies
The U.S. Supreme Court decided that those who are receiving federal subsidies can continue to do so regardless of their state’s plan. Reaction isunderstandably mixed.
WINSTON SALEM JOURNAL:McCrory: Medicaid Expansion ‘Very Complex’ Issue
Gov. Pat McCrory has said from the first day of his administration that the state’s Medicaid program is broken and must be reformed before expansion can bepursued.
NEWS & OBSERVER:Audit Finds NC Medicaid Billing Supervisor Wasted $1.6 Million
Auditors found the problems were much worse than they expected: at least $1.6 million wasted over three years.
Regulatory Reform
WRAL:Senate Ok’s Gun Hunting on Sunday
A proposal to allow hunting with guns for most of the day on Sundays is headed to Gov. Pat McCrory.
GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD:Bill Regulating Packaging of E-Cig Liquids Heads to McCrory’s Desk
A bill is headed to Gov. Pat McCrory that mandates child-resistant packaging and warning labels on liquids used with electronic cigarettes and vaporizers.
TWC NEWS:Bill Enforcing Uniform Building Requirements Advances
A bill aimed at enforcing uniform building codes in North Carolina is continuing to move forward.
State Budget
STATESVILLE RECORD & LANDMARK:NC Lawmakers Have Work to Do on Stop Gap Spending Plan
A temporary measure is needed because the two chambers passed competing budget plans that are far apart on Medicaid, taxes and incentives.
WRAL:House, Senate Negotiations Next Step to Passing NC Budget
The North Carolina House formally rejected Tuesday the budget proposal that senators wrote and approved last week, but not before top leaders criticizedsenators for the major policy changes they inserted that are likely to drag negotiations deep into the summer.
NEWS & OBSERVER: Hospitals, Colleges Lobby Against Senate Tax Proposals
Hospital and private university officials said Thursday that the Senate’s proposed tax changes could leave them with budget holes and reduced privatedonations.
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:Future NC Employees Would Not Receive Retirement Healthcare Under NC Senate Budget
The proposed change appears deep within the Senate’s 500-page budget bill and attracted little notice when the budget was debated last week.
NEWS & OBSERVER:NC Senate Provision Could Raise Bank Taxes
A little-noticed provision in North Carolina’s Senate budget could drive bank traders out of Charlotte – along with their multimillion-dollar payrolls – aMecklenburg County lawmaker warned Thursday.
State Government Reports
NEWS & OBSERVER: Report: State Could Save Money Selling Vacant Properties
The state owns and leases a number of properties that are underused – and some completely unoccupied – which legislative staff say could be sold formillions of dollars.
Taxes
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:Lawmakers Moving Towards Tax Break for Homebuilders
State lawmakers are moving to give North Carolina’s homebuilders a break on their property taxes by making it less expensive for builders to hold on tohouses that haven’t yet sold.
WRAL:AARP Seeks Medical Deduction Return
As the House voted Tuesday to formally reject the Senate’s budget proposal, advocates for senior citizens urged Senate leaders toward the House position onthe restoration of the state tax deduction for medical expenses.
Transportation
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: Cycling Advocates Unhappy with Proposed Bike Lane Limits
A bill in the N.C. legislature would restrict the state from eliminating a lane of traffic to add bike lanes, sparking criticism from cycling advocates.
WRAL: Lawmakers Approve Moped Insurance Requirement
After years of debate over the issue, the state Senate gave final approval Tuesday to requiring moped drivers to carry liability insurance.
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:McCrory Hits Trouble With Plans to Pay for Roads by Borrowing
Even as Gov. Pat McCrory touts growing public support for nearly $1.4 billion in highway bonds, his proposal has hit a roadblock in the N.C. 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