Economic Development

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: NCInnovation won't get $1.4 billion, but new nonprofit still sees plenty in budget plan
NCInnovation, a new nonprofit that seeks to boost North Carolina’s economic competitiveness, is poised to receive $500 million in public funds over the next two years according to a draft of the state budget obtained by The News & Observer. The 3-year-old nonprofit aims to bridge what it perceives as a financial gap preventing UNC System research projects from growing into revenue-generating businesses.

Education

WUNC: NC budget to expand private school vouchers and strip power from State Board of Education
Republican legislative leaders have released the final 2023 state budget. It includes wide-ranging provisions that will directly affect North Carolina schools, including teacher pay, private school voucher expansion, and curtailing the powers of the State Board of Education.

WCNC: North Carolina budget includes pathways to increase teacher recruitment and retention
The North Carolina General Assembly has passed a budget that includes billions of dollars for education. The new budget includes more than just money. It also includes legislation, without dollars attached to it, that will increase the number of teachers in the classroom. The General Assembly has made it easier for out-of-state teachers to gain their North Carolina teaching licenses.

Elections

WRAL: 'Problems in our elections'? NC Republicans say bill will fix them. Democrats aren't convinced
The North Carolina House passed major changes Tuesday to the rules for elections — and how election results could be audited. Both could go into effect for the 2024 elections if they become law. One bill was celebrated for earning bipartisan support. The other was decidedly partisan and could strengthen Republican control over election rules for years to come.

Environment

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Late-night bill may bar NC DEQ from considering civil rights laws in hog farm permits
An updated regulatory reform bill that legislators made public just hours before voting on it this week is raising a number of environmental concerns, ranging from the permitting process for a new natural gas pipeline to civil rights issues around the state’s hog farms.

Government

WRAL: Taxes, guns, schools, birth and death: State budget touches on all aspects of North Carolina life
North Carolina lawmakers gave final approval to the state's $30-billion budget Friday morning. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said Friday that he would allow the budget to become law without his signature. The 625-page budget bill and its 786-page companion money report were released to the public Wednesday afternoon. The lengthy documents touch on nearly every aspect of life in North Carolina from birth (money for the digitization of birth records) to death (increased fees for autopsies) and everything in between.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: NC agency disputes Berger's reason for exempting legislators from public records laws
State lawmakers began passing a state budget Thursday that would also free them from a public records law that has exposed all manner of corruption over years, including within the General Assembly. Senate leader Phil Berger said they need the budget provision to settle a dispute between the legislative services office and the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which archives public records.

Healthcare

WFDD: Medicaid expansion to begin soon in North Carolina as governor decides to let budget bill become law
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Friday he would let the state budget bill coming to his desk become law without his signature, opening the way for Medicaid coverage for 600,000 low-income adults, with some receiving the government health insurance soon. The Democratic governor unveiled his decision on the two-year spending plan minutes after the Republican-controlled General Assembly gave final legislative approval to the 625-page measure.

NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH NEWS: State budget heavy on health care spending
It almost seemed anti-climatic Thursday afternoon and early Friday morning when lawmakers voted on the nearly $30 billion state budget. The spending plan — flush with hundreds of millions of dollars for mental and behavioral health care, a new children’s hospital “somewhere in the Triangle,” crisis pregnancy centers, a new rural health program, enhancements to the medical examiner and autopsy system, health care workforce incentives, Medicaid expansion and more — was approved along party lines with little fanfare.

Politics

SPECTRUM NEWS: Governor decides to let N.C. budget bill become law
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Friday he would let the state budget bill coming to his desk become law without his signature, opening the way for Medicaid coverage for 600,000 low-income adults, with some receiving the government health insurance within weeks.

Transportation

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: NC budget would let driver licenses expire in 16 years, not 8. DMV says that's a problem
Tucked into the 625-page state budget bill is a provision designed to reduce the number of visits people must make to a Division of Motor Vehicles office. The problem, according to the DMV, is that the measure contradicts federal law and wouldn’t work.