The North Carolina General Assembly continued their long session on Wednesday – their first legislative session after new members were sworn in on Jan. 11. A total of 26 bills were filed in the N.C. House of Representatives on Wednesday and Thursday. Between Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 34 bills were filed in the Senate.
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Orange County Schools received $32,265 for modernization in career and technical (CTE) education programs in its middle schools.
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Rob Schofield, director of NC Policy Watch, said there will be big debates about whether N.C. will join other states around the country in expanding Medicaid. This would be a large step as more than half a million North Carolinians could gain health insurance if legislators take that path, according to Schofield.
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The North Carolina General Assembly has nearly completed its 2021-2022 session, during which 267 bills became law. Focal points of the recent session include the 2022 Appropriations Act, which provided increased funding for broadband expansion and education; bipartisan criminal justice reform; and new electoral maps, which state courts later struck down.
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This November, after decades of debate over the adequacy and funding of North Carolina’s public school system, the N.C. Supreme Court ruled that hundreds of millions of dollars will be allocated for public schools. The decision in Hoke County Board of Education v. State of North Carolina is the latest development to an adjacent case from 1997, Leandro v. State of North Carolina — also known as "Leandro I."
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The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Dec. 7 regarding Moore v. Harper, a case resulting from what lower courts saw as unconstitutional gerrymandering by the state General Assembly. The decision could impact how redistricting processes are handled throughout the country.
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Gov. Roy Cooper announced the appointment of several members to the Andrea Harris Equity Task Force. The mission of the task force is to advise state government offices on ways to promote economic development, equitable practices, health and wellness in disadvantaged communities impacted by COVID-19.
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"Regardless of how the midterms go on Tuesday, Democrats in state legislatures across the country can still put down the white flag and pick up a map. You know, for democracy."
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"Some people can walk into a dimly-lit, high-end lounge and buy their weed from someone wearing gloves to open a glass case, and some people have to sit in prison. Cannabis reform and decriminalization are imperative, but prioritizing gentrified, high-end dispensaries is a step in the wrong direction."
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According to unofficial results, Republicans flipped two seats in the N.C. House and two in the N.C. Senate, meaning they would fall one seat short of a supermajority in the state House. This means that Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly will not be able to override a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Republicans needed 72 to gain this veto-proof power but only appeared to win 71 out of 120, falling short of the three-fifths margin for a supermajority. In the state senate, Republicans appeared to win 30 seats out of 50.
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Over 75 of North Carolina’s counties are rural, with 2.2 million rural voters making up the second-highest segment of the state’s electorate after suburban voters as of 2020.
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N.C. Rep. Graig Meyer (D-Caswell, Orange) and Republican Landon Woods are running for the North Carolina Senate District 23 seat, which includes Person, Caswell and Orange counties. The seat is being vacated by N.C. Sen. Valerie Foushee (D-Chatham, Orange), who is running for U.S. Congress. Meyer said he avidly supports helping people deal with student debt, as well as reducing carbon emissions, reproductive freedom and expanding voting access. Woods said individuals should take steps forward in the climate fight, rather than large companies. His platform also mentions prison reform.
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"This is the problem. Democrats' don't do. They’ve taken up this somewhat “preventative” rhetoric. They emphasize all of the things they will prevent Republicans from doing (further restricting abortion access is an especially prominent example in this current election cycle). Telling voters all of the things you won’t let happen isn’t good campaigning. It's impassive and a scare tactic."
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"The Editorial Board, composed of eighteen graduate and undergraduate students, has made its endorsements for the upcoming midterm elections."
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"Clarence Thomas went rogue in his concurrence and called for a rollback of several fundamental rights, despite the majority’s claim that no other precedents were at risk because of the Dobbs decision. His concurrence has a lot to do with substantive due process as it relates to the due process clause of the 14th Amendment."
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North Carolinians' access to abortion could be further restricted if anti-abortion legislators are elected to the state's General Assembly in the upcoming midterm elections. Republican legislators need three seats in the state House of Representatives and two seats in the state Senate to gain a supermajority in each chamber.
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Although the North Carolina U.S. Senate race may be drawing the most attention, the 2022 midterm elections will also determine control of the North Carolina General Assembly and, potentially, the future of abortion access in North Carolina.
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Crisis Pregnancy Centers provide emotional support programs to individuals struggling with the decision to either continue or terminate a pregnancy. They also provide free distribution of supplies like diapers, baby formula, strollers, clothes and breast pumps. They do not, however, provide abortions.
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The number of out-of-state patients seeking abortion care in North Carolina has more than tripled after southern states continue to restrict abortion access. N.C. organizations are making an effort to educate and open abortion access to all despite location or cost.
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This month, the Anti-Defamation League issued a report analyzing membership data on the Oath Keepers, a far-right group that was involved with the United States Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The report found that 1,180 North Carolinians have been members — three of them being elected officials. The Oath Keepers are one of the largest far-right anti-government groups in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
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