www.thecentersquare.com – By David Beasley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-15 15:45:00
(The Center Square) – The North Carolina Senate’s version of a state budget for the next two years breezed through three committees Tuesday with few changes or opposition.
The proposed budget, Senate Bill 257, includes income tax cuts, and a doubling of taxes for sports betting companies who operate in North Carolina from 18% to 36%.
The Senate spending proposal, unlike Gov. Josh Stein’s proposed budget, fully funds the state’s retirement plan. It also increases funding for the state health care plan by $318 million over the next two years.
It would raise teacher pay and funding for colleges and universities.
“This budget continues the success North Carolina has seen over the last decade and half,” Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, one of the bill’s sponsors, told members of the Appropriations/Base Budget Committee.
The first year of the two-year proposed budget is $32.6 billion, the second year $33.3 billion, Hise said. It’s an increase of $1.3 billion, or 4% in the first year, and $733 million in the second year.
He described it as “modest growth” that still allows the state to replenish its “rainy day” reserve fund, which at the end of two years will be back at $4.75 billion. It will bring state funding for a new children’s hospital in Charlotte to $855 million.
It adds another $700 million for Hurricane Helene recovery, adding to the $1.4 billion already appropriated.
“It is also our understanding that Gov. Stein is working on another request for recovery needs,” Hise said. “But as yet, we are not at that place.”
Some of the state funds spent on hurricane relief will likely be reimbursed by the federal government, Hise added.
“We are hopeful the federal government will provide increased and expedited reimbursements,” Hise said. “But we must prepare to fend for ourselves.”
Under the proposed budget, most state employees would receive 1.25% raise the first year and a $3,000 bonus over the entire two-year period covered by the budget, said Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover.
Correctional officers would receive a 5.25% raise with other state law enforcement officers also getting extra pay raises. Local law enforcement officers would receive $3,000 bonuses over the two-year period. Nurses employed by the state would also received higher 3.25% raises over the two years.
Teachers would receive a 3.3% raise over the two years plus a $3,000 bonus. With those raises, the average teacher pay in North Carolina will be $62,407, Lee said.
The proposed budget passed the Appropriations/Base Budget Committee, Finance Committee and Pensions, Finance and Aging Committee with only minor changes on Tuesday.
by Sarah Michels, Carolina Public Press April 30, 2025
RALEIGH — There’s never an off year for elections. At least not in the state legislature. This session, dozens of election-related bills have been filed, but a few have sped to the front of the pack: local measures making school board races partisan and those shifting municipal contests from odd to even years, when state and presidential elections take place.
Meanwhile, other legislation — including bills making Election Day a state holiday and changing the way voter registration drives work — has stalled.
In order for these bills to make it across the finish line, they’ll need a boost to meet the May 8 crossover deadline — the day legislation has to be approved by at least one chamber to move forward.
Making election boards partisan
When the Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on a resolution asking the General Assembly to make school board elections partisan, there was no warning. The proposed change wasn’t even on the agenda.
Rather, during its February meeting, Commissioner John Smith moved to amend another resolution, which was on the agenda, with the proposal to add party affiliations next to the names of school board candidates.
Without discussion or public input, Smith and his fellow commissioners voted to approve the amended resolution.
A week later, the Jackson County Board of Education voted unanimously to approve an opposing resolution declaring its intent to keep school board elections nonpartisan.
Board of Education Chairwoman Gayle Woody felt blindsided.
“It was obvious that they had had discussions behind closed doors because there was unanimous agreement with no comment, reason given or discussion,” she said.
Although Woody shared her concerns with the county’s Republican state House Rep. Mike Clampitt, he prioritized the commissioners’ wishes. In early March, Clampitt filed a bill to make Jackson County’s school board elections partisan. Since then, that bill has passed the House along party lines and is awaiting a second round of review in the state Senate.
Woody hopes that never happens. She sees a potential ally in Jackson County state Sen. Kevin Corbin, whose opposition could kill the bill. Thus far, Corbin has been “very responsive” to the education board’s concerns, she said, but votes are never certain until they’re tallied in the state legislature.
Woody doesn’t want the school board to become another “political football” in her community.
“I’m obviously aware that political things come up in every aspect of community life, but that should not be the driving force behind decisions made by school boards,” she said. “It should be what’s best for our students.”
A partisan pattern
Jackson County is not the only battleground where the fight over elections is being waged. According to an EdNC analysis, the number of partisan school districts in North Carolina has quintupled since 2013 when only 10 districts held such elections.
In 2024, 52 of the state’s 115 school districts held partisan elections. Before those elections, 31 of those boards had Republican majorities. Afterward, it was 38.
“In a state like North Carolina, where we have roughly the same number of Democrats and Republicans, but we have more Republican counties than Democratic counties, moving to partisan ballots is likely to help the Republican Party,” said Chris Cooper, a Western Carolina University political science professor.
He added that it also helps build Republican talent which can be used to fill out candidate slates for higher levels of political office later.
Bills to make school board elections partisan in Gaston, Columbus and Pitt counties, as well as the city of Asheboro, are also on the table this legislative session. Each have made it past the House and await Senate action.
During a committee meeting discussing one of these bills, state Sen. Brad Overcash, R-Gaston, explained that voters want more information on the ballot. Right now, they just have a list of names, he said.
Even when parties aren’t listed on the ballot, partisanship comes into play because local Democratic and Republican parties tend to make endorsements in nonpartisan races, Overcash added.
“This is a much more fair way to conduct elections because if you have multiple people from the same party running, you have an open public election process rather than an internal party process where they’re identifying who should go on what slate card,” he said.
While the Jackson County Board of Commissioners has five Republicans, the current school board has three Democratic members and two unaffiliated members. To Woody, it’s proof that voters chose individuals, not a party, in a county that went for President Donald Trump by nine percentagepoints the past two election cycles.
Odd or even?
During China Grove’s last mayoral election, 377 people voted out of a population of about 4,500 in the Rowan County town.
In the Pitt County village of Simpson, just shy of 100 voted.
And in Vance County’s Kittrell, a measly 26 showed up at the polls for the mayor’s race.
What do these races across North Carolina have in common? They all took place in 2023, an off year for state and federal elections when voter turnout is typically much lower.
That’s why these small burgs, as well as Madison, Faith and all of Pamlico County’s townships, want to change that. Each asked their state representative to file a bill changing their elections from odd to even years.
For China Grove Mayor Rodney Phillips, there was an additional motivation: to save money.
The same holds true in Kittrell, where the town clerk said the 2023 election cost $2,500 even though only a few dozen showed.
Also, when fewer people vote, it’s easier for special interest groups to sway a result, Cooper said. But off-year elections have different patterns than on-year elections in that the issues may be more nationalized when the mayor’s race is on the same ticket as the presidential and congressional contests.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The content reports on several legislative proposals in North Carolina concerning election-related changes, such as making school board races partisan and shifting municipal elections to even years. The article presents facts about the various proposed bills and their progress through the state legislature, without endorsing a specific position. It includes perspectives from both supporters and opponents of the bills, such as Republican officials advocating for more transparent elections and Democratic officials concerned about the political implications for school boards. The tone remains neutral, presenting both sides of the debate in a straightforward manner.
SUMMARY: North Carolina’s House Bill 462 aims to protect consumers’ privacy by allowing them to limit online tracking and prevent the sale of their personal data. The bill would require companies to disclose and allow access to personal data, enable consumers to opt out of targeted ads, and ensure data deletion or correction. It also mandates that social media companies get parental consent for users under 18, with some exceptions. The bill has gained bipartisan support and passed a committee vote. It addresses growing concerns about pervasive targeted ads and the availability of consumer data.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-29 13:52:00
(The Center Square) – An estimated three-quarters of a million people in North Carolina are included as beneficiaries within the boast of Veterans Affairs pluses in the first 100 days of the presidential administration.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides benefits, health care and support services to veterans, their families, and their survivors. The Tarheel State is home to an estimated 615,000 vets, roughly 90,000 active-duty military, and about 43,000 National Guard and reservists.
Doug Collins, secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Department.VA.gov
Texas, Florida, California and Pennsylvania rank with North Carolina in the top five of states home to veterans. California, Texas and Virginia are the only states with more active-duty military.
“One hundred days into the second Trump administration, and VA is no longer content with poor results,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we have already stripped away many of the costly distractions that were coming between VA beneficiaries and the benefits they have earned. And we’re looking to make even more historic reforms to better serve our veterans.”
Not all are pleased with the changes to the VA, specifically with how the Department of Government Efficiency has impacted operations. Many workers lost their jobs.
At a March town hall event in Asheville where many topics rather than just the VA were discussed, host Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., took heat from many including a man identifying himself as a veteran whose persistence eventually led to removal from the room.
U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., said earlier this year, “Nearly 6,000 veterans, including some who work for VA, have been fired by President Trump and Elon Musk. The men and women who served our country and serve our veterans deserve better.”
The VA says the promises of the 2018 MISSION Act – to allow health care at community providers and not just through the VA facilities – are being provided. It touts the camaraderie of teamwork by bringing employees back into offices.
Other items on a bullet-point list include directing savings from gender dysphoria treatments to paralyzed veterans and amputees; record numbers of disability claims processed; deployment of the VA’s electronic health record system after being “nearly dormant almost two years under the Biden administration”; and eclipsing $14 million in savings through the end of programs tied to diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
The VA also says it has sent hundreds of millions of dollars to health care, benefits and services directly supporting VA beneficiaries. Those funds were in “non-mission-critical efforts,” it says.
North Carolina’s six major military bases include the U.S. Army’s Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, both in the southeastern part of the state; Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in eastern North Carolina; and U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River along the coast, not more than an hour’s drive from the more inland MCAS Cherry Point. There are also two U.S. Coast Guard bases along the northern coast at Elizabeth City; and the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point on the southern coast in Brunswick County.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The content presents a generally supportive view of the Trump administration’s actions regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs, highlighting reforms and cost-saving measures attributed to the administration. It also includes criticism from Democratic figures and mentions some controversy, but the overall framing leans toward valuing efficiency, reform, and fiscal responsibility themes often associated with center-right perspectives. The article balances some viewpoints but ultimately has a moderate right-leaning tone focused on praising the current administration’s efforts.
