Legislature

  • Cooper Lays Out Spending Plan; GOP Pans It

    Gov. Roy Cooper announced this week a state spending proposal, including plans for the state’s unspent coronavirus relief, which Senate budget writers were quick to dismiss.

  • Lean Times Ahead for Parks, Conservation

    The pandemic has increased funding pressures on the state’s already strained Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and trust funds for clean water projects and parks.

  • Analysis: DEQ Braces for Budget Cuts

    With staggering revenue shortfalls from the pandemic and the yearslong budget stalemate, slashed funding for state environmental programs and project delays are inevitable.

  • Bills Offer Options for PFAS Regulation

    Democrats in the N.C. House have introduced a trio of bills they say are intended to demonstrate the range of steps the state could take in regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

  • Plenty Of Obstacles On Path to State Budget

    Uncertainty over federal coronavirus relief and the state’s financial challenges loom large as the legislature resumes its 2020 short session next week with plans to take up another round of pandemic response measures.

  • New Bills Address Reforms, Virus Response

    Recently filed bills in the North Carolina General Assembly include measures to carry out planned changes at state ports and the Department of Environmental Quality, along with COVID-19 relief.

  • COVID-19, Economy Top Legislators’ Agenda

    State lawmakers return Tuesday for what is expected to be a brief session to focus on response to the coronavirus and its ongoing damage to the state’s economy, including in tourism-dependent communities.

  • Legislative Error Wipes Out Bond Program

    An apparent error in a bill that became law in 2019 revoked local government authority for a special type of bond financing that’s been used for beach renourishment projects and other types of municipal projects.

  • U.S. Senate OKs Aid, Legislature Opens Talks

    As a federal COVID-19 aid package gained Senate approval in Washington, N.C. legislators began discussions Wednesday on bills needed to address economic effects of the coronavirus, including impacts on coastal businesses.

  • Coastal Incumbents Survive Challenges

    According to the unofficial results from the N.C. Board of Elections for Super Tuesday, state House incumbents representing coastal districts have withstood challenges from within their respective parties.