General Assembly
Report shines the light on energy poverty in North Carolina
A new report ranks counties in North Carolina according to their energy poverty gaps The rankings are based on what impoverished households pay for electricity compared with what they can reasonably afford The report offers…
Report shines the light on energy poverty in North Carolina
A new report ranks counties in North Carolina according to their energy poverty gaps The rankings are based on what impoverished households pay for electricity compared with what they can reasonably afford The report offers…
The $3 billion in hidden spending in the budget proposal
The widely reported state budget spending total is not truly representative of the actual spending total Budget writers play a shell game that obscures the actual total: Set aside money into reserve funds, and then pay for…
Pay raises, tax cuts, earmarks, and much more in state budget proposal
Teachers would receive a pay raise of 8 percent on average, while most state employees would receive raises of 3 percent The Opportunity Scholarship program generates tens of millions in savings for public education The…
What kept North Carolina cool during a recent heat emergency
North Carolina faced an extreme heat event on June 11–12 Duke Energy obtained an emergency order from the U.S. Department of Energy waiving environmental emissions restrictions in order to secure the power grid Once again,…
The General Assembly should consider leadership term limits
Entrenched leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly creates a stranglehold on power and limits how well other legislators can serve their constituencies Other states have imposed leadership term limits through…
Law, not executive order, is the fix for housing shortage
Gov. Josh Stein’s housing executive order correctly identifies North Carolina’s housing shortage as a major driver of rising housing costs Although the order improves coordination and expands housing funding programs, it does…
Five priorities for this year’s budget plan
House and Senate leaders recently announced a “framework” for a budget deal There’s been no comprehensive budget bill passed since 2023 This brief includes five priorities budget writers should focus on Just over two weeks…
How obscuring solar power’s full cost subverts state law
Adding a solar project to the electrical grid cannot be done without also adding backup generation The North Carolina Utilities Commission excludes the costs of backup generation in evaluating solar projects’ costs, even…
Time for North Carolina finally to repeal the literacy test
The literacy test in the North Carolina State Constitution was a tool to disenfranchise black voters Despite that moral stain on the state constitution, previous attempts to remove it have failed The General Assembly should…
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