NC bills target data center boom, seeking tax changes, consumer protections
The North Carolina Department of Commerce estimates that data centers could soon cost the state $450 million a year under current tax exemptions.
Read More
Black advocates in NC warn Jim Crow era ‘never ended’ as voting maps shift across South
Black community leaders and lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly Tuesday said voting rights are under attack across the nation, including in North Carolina, after the U.S. Supreme Court significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act in an April ruling this year.
US Senate votes to advance resolution limiting Trump war in Iran as Cassidy flips
After voting no seven times, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., flipped and cast the deciding vote to advance a War Powers Resolution to rein in President Donald Trump’s war in Iran without authorization from Congress.
Constitutional property tax amendment passes key NC House panel despite concerns
A constitutional amendment to limit the amount by which local governments can increase property taxes passed the NC House Finance Committee Tuesday.
NC lawmakers push free college tuition to combat public safety worker shortage
A state House committee Wednesday approved a bill to provide free community college tuition to the children of North Carolina law enforcement officers, firefighters, and prison employees.
NC House advances bill to regulate data centers, require more nuclear power
Republicans pushed a modified version of Senate Bill 730, now titled the “Ratepayer Protection Act,” through the NC House this week, quickly sending it to their colleagues in the upper chamber.
As Trump looks to punish foes, Democratic states find ways to push back
The Trump administration has begun wielding federal resources as a weapon against states, using dollars to cajole and threaten them into complying with its political agenda. President Donald Trump is moving unilaterally, bypassing lawmakers and speaking plainly about punishing political rivals — defining an era in American history that scholars call “punitive federalism.”
After nursing home crises, states target private equity’s role
Private equity’s foray into healthcare over the past several years, particularly into hospital ownership, has drawn public outrage and legislative scrutiny. It’s all happening as states are staring down steep federal cuts to Medicaid.
Those potholes in your street reveal a money problem for cities and states
Across the country, potholes are more than a seasonal nuisance. They are a visible symptom of aging roads and bridges that many state and local governments say they cannot afford to fully maintain.
Trump ‘slush fund’ echoes scorned 19th-century spoils system, academics say
The comparison isn’t exact. The spoils system was associated with the distribution of government jobs to political allies, a practice called patronage. Trump’s new fund would instead deliver taxpayer dollars directly to favored individuals. Yet, academics who have studied the spoils system and the presidency see parallels between the past and present.