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Parents of children with disabilities want NC legislators to learn about their “hidden world”
Gwen Collman estimates that her 31-year-old son has had 150 paid caregivers since he was two years old, and that she has recruited about 100 of them. David, one in a set of triplets and one of Collman’s four children, is deaf, has cerebral palsy, and cognitive impairments. People who work with him are paid […]
Tens of thousands of NC residents have lost Medicaid coverage since June. Some will have a chance to get it back.
About 100,000 North Carolinians lost their government health insurance this summer, as those who were able to keep their Medicaid coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic have been removed because they may no longer qualify. Once Medicaid expansion kicks in on Dec. 1, however, some who lost insurance coverage will be able to get it back. […]
Overriding Gov. Cooper’s vetoes, the NC legislature makes it harder to vote, easier to pollute.
The state legislature voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes of bills on elections, political appointments, and environmental protections on Tuesday, enacting laws that tighten voting rules, change election administration, and loosen pollution regulations. Two of the new laws are already being challenged in court. The Democratic National Committee and the state Democratic Party are […]
US Rep. Don Davis says he’ll vote to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy
U.S. Rep. Don Davis, a North Carolina Democrat, announced that he will vote to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his job. Davis represents the 1st Congressional District and is serving his first term in Congress. He is a former state senator. U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and McCarthy nemesis, is trying to […]
NC Elections Board sued over 30-day residency requirement
The North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans filed a federal lawsuit Monday challenging the requirement that residents live in the state for at least 30 days before they are eligible to vote. The lawsuit claims that the 30-day residency requirement violates both the US Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act. The state Board of […]
Federal judge blocks two provisions in NC’s new abortion law
A federal judge blocked provisions of the state’s new abortion law dealing with abortion pills and procedures in clinics. US District Court Judge Catherine Eagles, in an order issued Saturday, said that provisions preventing doctors from prescribing abortion pills in the early weeks of pregnancy and requiring abortions after 12 weeks be performed in hospitals […]
NC Gov. Cooper vetoes bill giving legislators all appointments to state and local elections boards.
Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill that restructures state and local elections boards to give legislators more power. In a statement, Cooper said Senate Bill 479 could lead to gridlock and the risk that Republicans or courts could change election results they don’t like. The bill strips governors of all appointments to the state Board […]
NC voters demand an end to gerrymandering at hearing on new election districts
Voters told legislators Wednesday they are sick of gerrymandering because deeply partisan election districts erode democracy and make lawmakers unresponsive to residents’ needs and opinions. Legislators are preparing to approve new congressional, state House, and state Senate districts for the 2024 elections. District boundaries have a major influence in which party’s candidates win elections because […]
Out of legislators’ sight, North Carolinians watched and waited for Medicaid expansion
Evita Bass, director of a childcare center in Hillsborough, lives with constant pain from three wisdom teeth that need to be pulled and back pain from scoliosis. Bass, 31, has not had health insurance since she was 26 and on her mother’s insurance. She has always made too much to qualify for Medicaid and too […]
North Carolina’s new abortion law is back in federal court
Under the state’s new abortion law, doctors are not allowed to prescribe abortion pills before a patient’s embryo is visible on an ultrasound, which happens at about five or six weeks. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Dr. Beverly Gray, a Duke OB-GYN, are asking a federal court judge to put a freeze on that provision […]
Gov. Cooper will let state budget bill become law without his signature
Gov. Roy Cooper said he will allow the state’s new $30 billion budget to become law without his signature. He made the announcement Friday morning, shortly after the Senate gave the plan its final approval. Pursuant to the state constitution, the bill will become law if the governor chooses not to sign or veto it […]
$30 billion NC budget giving Republicans new powers nears final legislative approval
Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly used the state budget to give themselves more power while at the same time shielding legislators’ records from the public. Provisions in the budget exempt legislators from the state public records law, letting them withhold their documents from public view. Senate Republicans claimed that the budget codifies current practice. […]