Latest news with #NorthCarolinaSenate
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
UNC Charlotte administrator out after undercover DEI video goes viral
A UNC Charlotte administrator is no longer employed after a viral video on DEI-related policies. According to the university, the video was taken undercover by a non-profit aimed at exposing corruption, law-breaking, and public policy failures. ALSO READ: North Carolina Senate votes to eliminate DEI initiatives in public schools In it, the employee is heard implying that work related to diversity, equity, and inclusion was still happening on the campus. In February, the Department of Education gave universities an ultimatum to eliminate diversity initiatives or risk losing federal funding. VIDEO: NC House passes bill banning DEI in state agencies
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State Auditor Dave Boliek visits Greenville
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek visited eastern North Carolina on Tuesday. His goal for his visit was to learn more about Greenville and the east. 'Where roadblocks exist on economic development and prosperity in eastern North Carolina, so that we can put into context how we audit things and how we look at the use of taxpayer money when we're determining what the best return on investment is. And second is to get that perspective from people that live in Greenville as to what needs—what—where does tax dollars—where do tax dollars need to be spent here to get the greatest return on investment,' said Dave Boliek, North Carolina State Auditor. He tells WNCT that since being elected, he's been working on redefining the State Auditor's Office. 'The Dave Act passed the North Carolina Senate. We're working with the North Carolina House on their budget funding. And we've talked to House leaders, in fact, on the way up here, about what we've asked for in terms of expanding the capabilities of the State Auditor's Office,' Boliek said. The State Auditor is now able to appoint new members to the State Board of Elections, a duty that used to be held by the sitting governor. 'We've already accomplished the first round of that, which is to appoint the board. The second part of our role is to appoint county board chairs, which we will handle over the next 30 to 45 days,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plan of charging tolls for all North Carolina ferry services meets Outer Banks opposition
Eight coastal North Carolina governments are pushing back against a state Senate proposal to charge tolls on all ferry routes — including the Currituck-Knotts Island ferry — and increase existing toll rates. Included in the North Carolina Senate's budget bill is a proposal to add or increase ferry tolls as a way to generate money for the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the state's Ferry Division. Service is free on several of North Carolina's seven ferry routes, with fares charged on the Cedar Island-Ocracoke, Swan Quarter-Ocracoke, Southport-Fort Fisher routes and the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry route. If the budget proposal is adopted, toll rates for the Knotts Island ferry would be $3 for vehicles under 20 feet, $6 for vehicles over 20 feet and $1 for passengers. The proposal is part of the state's budget bill, which passed the North Carolina Senate in a 30-15 vote. House lawmakers will now have their say on a spending plan. The Knotts Island ferry serves a peninsula area in northeastern North Carolina near Virginia's state line, connecting Knotts Island to mainland Currituck County. County leaders say the ferry has been free for nearly 50 years, and that it originally was established to provide children on Knotts Island access to schools in the county. The only alternative at this time between Knotts Island and the mainland of Currituck County is a longer drive through Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. The budget bill would raise toll rates on other routes, such as the Swan Quarter and Cedar Island routes, which could see fees doubled. Tolls also would be charged for the first time on the Bayview-Aurora, Cherry Branch-Minnesott and Hatteras-Ocracoke routes at $1 for passengers. Rates for Bayview-Aurora and Cherry Branch-Minnesott would be $3 and $5, respectively, for vehicles under 20 feet, and $6 and $10, respectively, for vehicles over 20 feet. Meanwhile, rates for vehicles would be $20 and $60 for the Hatteras-Ocracoke route. The collective toll fees are estimated to generate $6.4 million in revenue for fiscal 2026 and fiscal '27, according to a fiscal impact document attached to the budget plan. The toll revenue would be allocated to the state's Ferry Capital Fund for marine vessel replacement. Local governments in North Carolina are pushing back, including the Currituck County Board of Commissioners, which adopted resolutions decrying the tolls during its regular meeting this week. One was a joint resolution that includes Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Jones, and Pamlico counties. The resolution states the addition of tolls is an unfair tax burden on Knotts Island residents, who commissioners say are also being penalized due to geographic location and lack of alternative routes. Commissioners also said the addition of tolls will 'greatly strain' Currituck County government and schools' budgets. 'The Knotts Island-Currituck Ferry Route is relied upon daily by children, young adults, families, and senior citizens for educational, social, and extracurricular activities, including access to healthcare and county services,' the resolution states. '(The) Knotts Island-Currituck Ferry supports a small, year-round, close-knit community that relies on the ferry as an essential lifeline for daily transportation and connectivity.' Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133,
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC Senate approves 20 bills in final votes before crossover deadline
North Carolina Legislative Building (Photo: Clayton Henkel) The North Carolina Senate passed 20 bills Wednesday afternoon in its final series of votes prior to the General Assembly's Thursday crossover deadline, after which only bills that have passed at least one chamber can be considered. Among the higher profile measures approved were bills that would allow carrying concealed firearms in private schools, protect parents who do not affirm their child's trans identity, and provide financial support to farmers. The Senate also passed a pair of measures responding to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene, targeting the theft of mobile homes during states of emergency and relaxing requirements for flood repairs. And it approved a bill granting the Catawba Nation many of the same state-level rights afforded to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. These measures head to the House for further consideration. The Senate will return Thursday for a non-voting session as the House finishes its crossover business. Note: NC Newsline will publish a comprehensive rundown of House and Senate crossover week action on Friday. Lawmakers passed a proposal to authorize employees and volunteers at nonpublic K-12 schools to carry concealed firearms on educational property. Senate Bill 280, titled the 'Private School Security Act,' would allow school administrators to give consent to employees and volunteers to possess handguns and stun guns on school grounds, with written notice to parents. The individuals would need to acquire a concealed carry permit and complete additional training. The bill would also allow anyone with a permit to concealed carry firearms at religious ceremonies held on the grounds of private schools, including weddings, funerals, and worship services. It's one of many measures related to gun safety this session, a number of which seek to okay the possession of weapons and other self-defense implements in schools. 'The Private School Security Act is a voluntary solution to protect North Carolina's private school students in a world where threats demand actions,' said sponsor Sen. Steve Jarvis (R-Davidson). The chamber voted to pass a technical amendment to the bill and blocked four amendments proposed by Democratic senators, among them proposals to restrict the bill to veterans and current and former law enforcement officers and a provision that would prevent schools from making concealed carry permits mandatory for employment. Senators also rejected an amendment offered by Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch (D-Wake) that would have screened employees against a state 'Responsible Individuals List' that tracks adults found responsible for abuse and severe neglect, a proposal that had received a positive reception from the bill sponsors in committee. 'There are individuals who, if given the ability to have a gun, would then use that in very inappropriate ways,' said Batch, a child welfare attorney. She cited the case of a girl in middle school who she represented in court who was sexually abused by her teacher. 'If he had a gun, how much more dangerous would that have been?' Sen. Buck Newton (R-Greene, Wayne, Wilson), a lead sponsor of the bill, said the proposal was 'just not workable' because schools do not currently have access to the list. Batch responded that her proposed amendment would have granted schools access to the list. 'I think a number of the colleagues at least in my caucus would have supported passing this bill, because we care about the children that are in all of our schools, private or public,' she said. The Senate enacted a bill preventing parents and guardians who deny their trans child's gender identity from facing abuse or neglect designations. Senate Bill 442, dubbed the 'Parents Protection Act,' alters statutes concerning child abuse and neglect to specifically exclude conduct described as raising a child 'consistent with the juvenile's biological sex' and prevents adoptive parents from being screened based on whether they would deny their child gender-affirming care. 'It protects parents who care for their children without the threat of losing supervision over that child because the parent refuses to affirm the gender identity of a child who is experiencing gender dysphoria,' said Sen. Amy Galey (R-Alamance), the bill's lead sponsor. 'Second, the bill shields parents who refuse to affirm gender transitioning from prosecution.' Senators deleted a section of the bill that would have barred state agencies from considering whether prospective foster parents would affirm a trans child's identity, however, after the proposal proved controversial in committee. 'There were concerns raised about including children in the foster care situation in this bill. We acknowledge that the foster children are some of the most vulnerable people in the state, and we do not want to do anything that might make it difficult to place them,' Galey said. 'We may revisit this provision in the future.' The chamber rejected a pair of proposals by Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) that would have extended the same protections to parents who validate their trans child's identity and banned gender conversion therapy, respectively. She cited Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's call for abuse investigations into parents who provide their children gender-affirming care as cause grounds for safeguarding their rights in North Carolina. 'The fact of being LGBTQ is just merely a fact, and it's inherently part of the human experience,' Grafstein said. 'Things that become abuse or neglect of their LGBTQ children or foster children, that must not be tolerated.' The chamber voted to approve a bill aiming to prevent what its sponsors characterize as discrimination in lending to farmers. Senate Bill 554 or the 'Farmers Protection Act' would bar banks and credit unions from denying loans to agriculture producers based on their lack of a commitment to ESG — environmental, social, and governance factors. Though sponsors provided no examples of North Carolina farmers who have been impacted by such practices, they argued that some lenders might condition loans based on whether a recipient is taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fertilizer or fossil fuel powered machinery. The bill faced significant vetting in the Senate Judiciary and Agriculture Committees, according to primary sponsor Sen. Buck Newton. 'The bankers are neutral, so I know of no outright opposition to the bill,' Newton said. During a committee hearing for the House version of the bill, Mark Swallow from Democracy Out Loud testified that climate change would harm farmers more than financial discrimination, but lawmakers were not swayed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Group looks to reform state budget process, encourages public input
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The North Carolina Senate budget is making its way through the General Assembly, and quickly. 'I feel better now. We had a target of getting our budget out before Easter, and we've met that target,' Senator Phil Berger said of the budget. But Common Cause North Carolina, a democracy-focused group, says it's a bit too fast. 'It should have a fulsome, robust, transparent process, which unfortunately, this last budget that we've seen passed by the State Senate did not have that,' Bob Phillips, Executive Director of the group, said. Phillips says North Carolinians should have a major say in where their tax dollars go. 'These are big decisions made behind closed doors by a very select few, the majority party, and that's the outcome of this, that people are sort of left on the sidelines just watching and wondering about what is going on,' he said. And he wants to see the entire budget process changed, with added time for taxpayers to speak up. 'It should be a thoughtful process where there are committee meetings, or maybe even town halls or hearings to certainly solicit the public's input,' Phillips said. He says without that, the budget doesn't truly represent North Carolinians. 'It shuts the public input, the people's voice, out of the process, and the minority party, too, as they represent tens and thousands, millions of North Carolinians,' Phillips said. Lawmakers want to have the budget finalized before July but that's dependent on how quickly the House can get through it. 'We'll see how quickly the House can move, but if they can get finished with their version of the budget by the end of May, first week in June, I feel pretty good about our ability to get things worked out before the end of June,' Senator Berger said. Right now, there are no opportunities for public input. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
