John Bradford
Crowd cheers Gov. Roy Cooper as he vetoes abortion ban
A crowd cheered Gov. Roy Cooper as he vetoed a Republican-authored abortion ban in an unusual rally that capped off a week of attempts to pressure a small group of GOP legislators into letting the veto stand. Some bills are signed in public ceremonies, but bill vetoes don’t usually draw enthusiastic audiences. For Senate Bill […]
Controversial measure deregulating Blue Cross NC advances in state House
The controversial bill allowing the state’s dominant nonprofit health insurer to act more like a for-profit company pushed through a House committee Tuesday after an abbreviated discussion and a divided vote. The bill would allow the nonprofit, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, to create a holding company that could use insurance company assets […]
NC Insurance Commissioner pans Blue Cross restructuring proposal. The main sponsor says he’s working on changes.
The lead House sponsor of a bill that would exempt Blue Cross Blue Shield NC from some insurance regulations told a House committee the company needed the changes to compete with for-profit companies, even as state Insurance Commissioner Michael Causey continued to denounce the proposal. Rep. John Bradford, a Mecklenburg County Republican, said he is […]
Report: Some charter school leaders slam “company” charter bill
Some North Carolina charter leaders are fired up over a legislative proposal to set aside half of a charter school’s enrollment as a corporate “perk,” a new report from the A.J. Fletcher Foundation’s Lindsay Wagner finds. The news comes with the state Senate expected to consider House Bill 800 in the coming weeks. House lawmakers […]
Despite criticism, House lawmakers approve corporate perks for charter enrollment
N.C. House lawmakers signed off Tuesday afternoon on a controversial Republican bill dishing out corporate perks to charter partners, setting aside half of any charter’s total enrollment for private businesses providing infrastructure, land or technology for the publicly-funded schools. Democrats complained this week that the proposal, House Bill 800, would create “de facto segregated private schools” […]
House panel OKs charter school growth bill, corporate “perks” for charter partners
A divided House Education Committee gave their approval Monday to a pair of controversial charter school bills, one of which will allow charters to expand student enrollment by up to 30 percent with no additional state review of their performance and finances. The second proposal, House Bill 800, led by Rep. John Bradford, R-Mecklenburg, would speed […]