NC Senate lawmakers are moving forward with a constitutional amendment to cap the state income tax rate at 3.5%, starting next year. 

Republican are reviving a proposal to elect most members of North Carolina’s State Board of Education, shifting power away from the governor.

In recent weeks, the Supreme Court has effectively allowed last-minute election changes in Southern states that hold major consequences for what districts voters are assigned to and the future of Black political representation across the region.

State lawmakers across the country also are grappling with the question of who should be required to report suspected child abuse or neglect, known as “mandated reporters.” Some legislators are weighing whether clergy should be included — and whether they should be forced to reveal information from confessions. Other lawmakers are wrestling with whether sports coaches, talent agents, camp leaders and other professions with access to children should be mandated reporters.

Shortly after Trump’s filing hit the court docket, the DOJ announced the creation of a $1.776 billion settlement, not to be paid to Trump or his family, but to be divvied up among “others who suffered weaponization and lawfare,” according to a department press release.

NextEra Energy is seeking to acquire Dominion Energy, which could bring SC customers under one of the world’s largest electric companies.

As Rep. Phil Rubin explained to NC Newsline, not only does the budget plan continue to favor unaccountable private voucher schools at the expense of public schools, new plans to impose a one-size-fits-all scheme on county property taxes could make funding problems even worse.

https://media.blubrry.com/ncpolicywatch/ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/News-and-Views-for-5-17-2026-SegmentTwo_NewDEAL_Pt1andPt2.mp3 When it comes to politics and policymaking, the present era is among the most divided and rancorous in modern American history. Especially at the national level, the U.S. seems as if it’s more divided than ever on a host of basic issues. Read more Doctors voice ‘temporary relief’ as SCOTUS allows mifepristone via mail…

Many OB-GYNs breathed a sigh of relief Thursday after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that telehealth access to the abortion drug mifepristone can continue until after the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a ruling in the federal lawsuit Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration.

The State Employees Association of North Carolina has a simple explanation for the raft of vacant positions in state government: poor pay.