Democracy
Legislation that aims to undermine the right of North Carolinians to speak out and assemble is quickly moving to the state Senate this week. House Bill 805, is an anti-democratic bill that would stifle free speech and discourage North Carolinians from exercising their constitutional right to assemble by imposing extremely harsh criminal penalties. If enacted,…
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A new legislation passed on Monday will delay more than 30 municipal elections in North Carolina until 2022. Under the new legislation, municipalities across North Carolina, including Ahoskie, Edenton, and Raleigh among others, will delay elections which were originally scheduled for later in 2021. Due to delays in the census caused by the pandemic and…
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The budget proposal the Republican-led state Senate passed last week, and which House members started formally reviewing Tuesday, is chock-full of proposals that fail to meet the needs of North Carolinians. Amid an influx of federal funding and billions in unreserved state funds, Republicans chose to prioritize tax cuts for the wealthy few and corporations…
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Concerned North Carolinians and local organizations denounced on Monday a group of bills advancing through the state Senate that would make changes to absentee voting and limit sources of funding for election administration in North Carolina. Republican backed Senate bills 326, 724 and 725, which are expected on the Senate floor this week, mirror the…
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Last week, Republican House and Senate leaders in the NC General Assembly announced their proposed total spending figure for the state budget, which consists of spending $25.7 billion in 2021-2022 and $26.7 billion in 2022-2023. Details of the budget have not been finalized, yet the state legislature has already contemplated cutting taxes for corporations and…
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Across the country, passing restrictive election laws has been one of the top priorities for Republican state legislators this year. In a coordinated effort, Republicans, including legislators in North Carolina, are working from similar playbooks to restrict old policies, create voting barriers for Black and Brown communities — with some states pushing for measures that…
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Donald Trump returned to the stage on Saturday night, delivering a speech at the North Carolina Republican Party State Convention in Greenville, furthering his long exhausted list of false claims about the 2020 election and divisive rhetoric that was echoed by other NC Republicans. Trump, who was twice-impeached and incited a violent insurrection at the…
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Last week, Senate Republicans blocked the creation of a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate what happened leading up to and during the deadly Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol. The commission, which is modeled after the one that was formed to investigate the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, would have been evenly divided…
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On Wednesday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper unveiled a list of proposals for North Carolina’s $5.7 billion share from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed by federal lawmakers in March. Calling it a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to make transformational changes, Gov. Cooper proposed widespread investments to expand high-speed internet access across the state, give checks…
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Yesterday, the N.C. House of Representatives passed House Bill 805, a bill that would stifle free speech and discourage protests by imposing extremely harsh criminal penalties on people charged with “rioting”. If enacted, the bill would not only discourage North Carolinians from exercising their constitutional right to peaceably assemble, but would disproportionately impact Black and…
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