BUDGET & TAXES
Secretary of State Marshall asks General Assembly for more staff
Marshall said that her office has 185 employees to handle filings for new companies and other documents. She noted that there has been a "double-digit increase" in filings without any increase in staffing.
Raises are coming for state employees and teachers
Lawmakers are getting closer to a state budget that would provide for undetermined raises for state employees and teachers.
Working group to discuss NCInnovation funding
House Speaker Tim Moore says he’s assigned a work group in his chamber to work through the issues associated with the proposal to use state funds to bolster NCInnovation Inc.
House bill targets international wire transfers
Republican legislators are usually fans of cutting taxes, and with legislative- and executive-branch economists agreeing the state's on track for about a $3.3 billion surplus in fiscal 2022-23, there are already rumblings that more cuts might be on the way.
Legislators hear cautionary note on revenues
Don't go counting your surpluses before they hatch. Fiscal Research Division economist Emma Turner didn't say that, exactly, to House and Senate appropriations committee members during a briefing Tuesday morning on the consensus revenue forecast from her office and the Office of State Budget and Management.
The long session's few new ideas
The first few weeks of the long session have been full of bills we’ve seen before – from legislation previously vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper to bills that just didn’t make it across the finish line last year.
Bill targets "housing market manipulation"
Housing markets in North Carolina's major cities, like their counterparts elsewhere in the U.S., seemingly suffer from the classic inflationary problem of too much money chasing too few goods.
More Labor Department inspectors?
Workplace safety advocates have long voiced doubts that the N.C. Department of Labor has a sufficient number of inspectors to monitor rules compliance at job sites, factories and other businesses.
House looks to recycle a recycling bill
Rep. Harry Warren, R-Rowan, hopes the third time will be the charm for his bill to add new incentives for plastic recycling programs and efforts to use environmentally friendly food containers.
Two appointments confirmed in Senate
The Senate unanimously confirmed two key appointments by Gov. Roy Cooper during its first voting session of the year Tuesday.
High staff vacancies dominate confirmation hearing for prisons' leader
The prison system’s 40% staff vacancy rate was a key focus Tuesday at a Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of Adult Corrections Todd Ishee.
Bill would ban 'cashless' businesses
Some businesses have recently started to require customers pay with credit or debit cards – no cash allowed. Rep. Brenden Jones, R-Columbus, and several other House Republicans aren’t fans of the trend.
Grants fund industrial cybersecurity, other courses
To meet employers’ needs in a modern job market, community colleges are trying to go well beyond traditional career readiness offerings like plumbing and welding. But high-tech programs aren’t cheap.
Sports betting fight brews
After a near miss last year, sports betting legislation could be among the first hot topics to come up as the long session cranks up.
