General Assembly
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…
Solar’s cost should reflect its need for backup generation
It is undisputed that backup generation is an integral, inseparable aspect of solar facilities The North Carolina Utilities Commission treats solar facilities as if they are low-cost sources by treating their necessary backup…
Legislative oversight protects liberties, saves taxpayer money, and maintains constitutional balance
A recent oversight hearing in the North Carolina House provided fireworks, but it also made an honest assessment of problems in Mecklenburg County and took steps towards addressing them Legislative oversight maintains the…
The lingering effects of bad policy choices
On Nov. 20, Duke Energy announced that it had requested rate increases from the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) of 15.0 percent for Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) customers and 15.1 percent for Duke Energy Progress…
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