A bill that would permit charter schools to discriminate against students based on sexual orientation caused an uproar in the General Assembly last week. Among several provisions, Senate Bill 793 proposes a ban on charters that discriminate in their admissions. However, sexual orientation and gender identity were conspicuously absent. When Democrats attempted to add sexual […]
Michael Papich
Posted inNews
Supreme Court: for-profit corporations can have religions
Birth control coverage in insurance is optional for more than 90 percent of businesses in the country according to the Supreme Court’s latest decision. In the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., the crafts retailer Hobby Lobby argued that it shouldn’t have to provide birth control in its insurance plan for employees, which […]
Posted inNews
Coal ash hearing brings out praise and inquiry
It’s unfortunate that it took 35,000 tons of coal ash being leaked into the Dan River to make environmental clean up a priority this session. But Senate Bill 279—“the Coal Ash Management Act of 2014”—makes a decent dent in the issue. Senators at a June 16th meeting of the Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee […]
Posted inNews
General Assembly pushes to move State Bureau of Investigation
The House and Senate budgets differ on how much to cut from education and Medicaid. But both chambers stand together about moving the State Bureau of Investigation to the Department of Public Safety. The move would be controversial. Under the Department of Justice, the SBI reports to the attorney general, but the proposed move would […]
Posted inNews
State lawmakers seek to eliminate statute that shields groundwater polluters
A recent Supreme Court ruling keeps North Carolina’s “statute of repose” in place to shield long-term polluters from prosecution, but never fear, legislation is making its way through the General Assembly. Earlier this week, INDY reported on CTS Corp. v. Waldburger, which upheld a North Carolina law that says lawsuits against a polluter must be […]
Posted inNews
Senate and House budgets slash legal aid for poorest citizens
The state Senate budget proposes to cut more than $2 million in legal aid funding, which could make it more difficult for North Carolina’s poorest residents to defend their rights. Under the Access to Civil Justice Act, a portion of court filing fees are given to legal aid groups in North Carolina—$1.8 million per year. […]
Posted inNews
N.C.’s ‘statute of repose’ provides an out for long-term polluters
The Supreme Court has made it more difficult for plaintiffs in North Carolina to sue companies that pollute communities, including the community in Camp Lejeune. North Carolina has what is known as a “statute of repose” on polluters, meaning that a lawsuit against a company or government body must be brought within 10 years of […]
Posted inNews
Fracking central to North Carolina’s energy future
New plans from the EPA call on states to find ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, in North Carolina, it seems that natural gas production will be the tool to do that. On June 2, the EPA announced plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent by 2030, both through regulations and […]
Posted inNews
General Assembly opts out of Common Core, against Gov. McCrory’s wishes
North Carolina moved this week to exclude itself from national Common Core standards in place of its own. HB1061 passed the State House on June 4, replacing the Common Core standards with other educational standards deemed “robust and appropriate for North Carolina public education.” On June 5, the State Senate also passed SB812 to continue […]