A variety of Medicaid “swap” plans have become major sticking points in this year’s budget negotiations between the North Carolina House and Senate. These plans ... Keep Reading
Articles
Do We Really Need Another School Bond? Rethinking the Conventional Wisdom
One of the most important − and most expensive − responsibilities of state government is to plan and maintain the capital needs of state agencies. Although specific ... Keep Reading
The Senate Budget Plan, COPs and UNC: A Failing Grade
As Senate and House lawmakers meet to negotiate and pass a new state budget, one area likely to receive additional scrutiny is the Senate budget plan to fund $1.1 billion in new ... Keep Reading
“Voter-Owned” Elections: Cleaning up Campaign Financing or Limiting Free Speech?
Supporters of HB 1517 gathered in Raleigh yesterday to lobby for the “Voter-Owned Elections Act,” which would appropriate $4.58 million over the next two years to ... Keep Reading
County Medicaid Swap Or Comprehensive Reform?
Senator Dan Clodfelter (D-Mecklenburg) has recently developed a proposal to shift all nonfederal Medicaid costs in North Carolina to the state government. Unfortunately, this plan ... Keep Reading
HB 91: One-Stop Voting
Earlier this afternoon, the Senate passed an amended version of HB 91, the One-Stop Voting Act, which passed the House in March 2007. Offered by Senator Phil Berger (R-Rockingham), ... Keep Reading
Charter Schools: Why More Study Is Needed
The debate over raising the cap on charter schools has prompted legislation (HB 30) for a study of charter schools. A recent report by the North Carolina Center for Public Policy ... Keep Reading
Mixed Messages: Spending Priorities Don’t Reflect State’s True Needs
As legislators prepare to go into conference to finalize the FY2007-09 budget, the public is getting mixed messages about what programs are really essential to the good of the ... Keep Reading
Too Much of a Bad Thing? Questions About $1.22 Billion in New Debt
As the Senate and the House begin the process of reconciling what are two vastly different approaches to spending and taxation, it is a good time to review what is, perhaps, the ... Keep Reading
FY2007-2009 Budget Roundup: A Comparison of the House, Senate and Governor’s Budgets
With the House’s refusal to concur with the Senate budget last night, now is a good time to summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the three different spending plans. The ... Keep Reading
