Weekly Recap: Catch up on the news you missed from 3/26-4/1
North Carolina became the 40th state to pass Medicaid expansion, Gov. Roy Cooper faced his first override test and House lawmakers approved a measure to legalize mobile sports betting.
What an incredibly active week it was in North Carolina politics. Let’s begin with the most consequential item: Medicaid expansion.
🏥Cooper signs Medicaid expansion
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday signed a bill to expand access to health care to an estimated 600,000 North Carolinians.
Medicaid expansion has long been Cooper’s top policy objective, but the idea Republicans would support the effort seemed highly unlikely just years ago. In 2019, Cooper vetoed a budget from the Republican-controlled legislature in large part because of its failure to expand Medicaid.
But a turning point in the longstanding Medicaid debate emerged last year as Republicans gained heightened awareness that refusal to expand Medicaid would result in billions of dollars of available federal funds not coming into the state.
GOP Senate leader Phil Berger reversed his position on the issue, creating an opening for movement on the legislative front. He and Republican House Speaker Tim Moore passed separate expansion bills last year, but neither chamber took up the other chamber’s bill. The House worried the Senate’s plan was too sweeping, while the Senate viewed the House’s proposal as a study bill that wouldn’t expand health care access.
In early March, Moore and Berger announced they struck a deal. Moore was able to ensure Medicaid expansion was tied to the budget. Berger was able to get some changes to certificate of need laws — rules that prohibit health care providers in most cases from acquiring, replacing or adding to their facilities and equipment without prior approval from the Department of Health and Human Services.
This year’s Medicaid expansion plan won’t be fully implemented unless the state enacts a new budget and the federal government maintains at least 90% of the cost of Medicaid recipients.
⚾️Mobile sports betting bill clears House🏈
North Carolina House lawmakers sent a bill to the Senate on Wednesday that would legalize online sports betting.
Residents must currently travel out of state to Virginia and Tennessee to place sports bets or go to three tribal casinos in the western part of the state. House Bill 347 would allow for mobile and online wagers to to be placed through an approved list of 10-12 operators. If signed into law, bets could be placed on professional sports, college sports, electronic sports and Olympic events as early as Jan. 8, 2024.
The state’s Lottery Commission would be tasked with issuing 10-12 interactive sports wagering licenses valid for five years. Prospective operators would need to pay a $1 million application fee and a $1 million renewal fee. Once an application is approved, licensees could accept online sports bets from registered account holders who are at least 21 years of age.
Operators would need to pay a 14% tax on gross wagering revenue, with the funds raised would being split along 10 colleges and universities, the North Carolina Department of Parks and Recreation, the North Carolina Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Proponents see the measure as a responsible way to bring an industry out of the shadows and allow the state to profit from activities already taking place. Critics, including those offered 17 unsuccessful amendments to the bill, worry legalized sports betting would prompt aggressive marketing campaigns from corporations, increase gambling addiction and harm families.
🔫With 3 Democratic no-shows, Republicans override Cooper’s gun bill veto
North Carolina House members on Wednesday overrode a veto that Cooper had issued for a bill easing gun restrictions.
With Senate Bill 41’s enactment, pistols sold, given away, transferred, purchased, or received in North Carolina no longer need a sheriff’s approval.
The vote marked the first time Cooper had been vetoed since Democrats broke GOP supermajorities in 2019. It also ended a streak of 47 consecutive vetoes being sustained. The override was made possible by three House Democrats not showing up: Reps. Cecil Brockman, Tricia Cotham and Michael Wray. Wray hasn’t provided a public explanation for his absence, Cotham said she had a medical appointment since she suffers from long COVID and Brockman said he had to go to urgent care.
In the aftermath of the vote, some suggested there should be primary challenges to the three absent Democrats.
“Elections have consequences,” House Democratic Leader Robert Reives said in a statement. “If voters want a different direction on gun safety, the 2024 primary and general elections are their only avenue for change.”
Carolina Forward, a vocal liberal advocacy group, said Cotham should resign if her health prevents her from participating in key votes.
Brockman pushed back on suggestions he should face a primary challenger.
“One of the reasons Democrats are in this position is because they spend their time fighting other Democrats,” Brockman said. “Their time and resources would be best served fighting Republicans to give us a majority.”
The bill includes a number of other items beyond the pistol permit repeal.
Starting July 1, certain law enforcement facility employees can carry a concealed handgun at their workplace.
Starting Dec. 1, residents with concealed handgun permits may carry their firearms at places of worship located on school property so long as their religious service doesn’t occur during school operating hours or in places owned by local school boards, county commissions or higher education institutions.
On July 1, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Department of Health and Human Services and Wildlife Resources Commission will be able to collaborate on and launch a two-year statewide effort to educate residents about safe gun storage and distribute gun locks. The three agencies would have until Sept. 1, 2024, to provide a report to the state’s Joint Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services outlining the progress of the initiative.
House unveils budget proposal
North Carolina House Republicans released a budget plan on Wednesday with a number of major policy proposals included. I read the entire 415-page proposal and provided an overview of the major highlights in an alert on Thursday.
Here are a few takeaways:
Abortion: No state funds may be used to perform abortions, except in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother. Women can be provided medical care if they experience a spontaneous miscarriage.
Posting lesson plans: K-12 public school units must publicly share on its website teacher lesson plans, course materials and school-wide or grade-wide assemblies or lectures. Local school boards must also establish community media advisory committees to assess parent requests for course materials to be removed due to their perceived lack of fitness.
Elections changes: Prohibits state from becoming a member of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which works to clean voter rolls. Budget further requires more comprehensive reports from State Board of Elections on post-election audits. Private monetary donations in elections is also prohibited under budget proposal. During the 2020 election and increased demand for mail-in voting supplies, North Carolina elections officials received private funds for pens and other materials to administer the election. Republicans sought to disallow such contributions going forward, but Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed such a bill in 2021.
Pay Raises: Teachers get an average 10.2% salary increase over the next two years. State government workers get an across-the-board 7.5% raise over the biennium. State highway patrolmen receive an 11% pay raise over the next two years. Cooper called for 18% average pay increases over the biennium for teachers and more than 8% raises for state employees. The House budget would also give signing bonuses of up to $2,000 to educators in small and low-wealth counties, with the state providing a dollar-for-dollar match with local school units of up to $1,000.
Tax Cuts: In the taxable year beginning 2024, personal income tax rates would drop from the scheduled 4.6% rate to 4.5%. This year’s tax rate is 4.75% and had been set to drop to 4.6% next year and 4.5% in Tax Year 2025. The budget calls for lowering the tax rate to 4.5% a year ahead of schedule.
Cap and trade: Prohibits state from requiring that public utilities participate in carbon offset initiatives.
House again seeks to require sheriffs to work with ICE
North Carolina’s Republican-controlled House on Tuesday passed a bill to compel local sheriffs to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It passed with support from the same three Democrats who missed Wednesday’s gun override vote: Brockman, Cotham and Wray. Assuming House Bill 10 clears the Senate as expected and is vetoed by Cooper, one of the three Democrats would need to override the governor in order for the bill to become law.
Cooper vetoed similar measures in 2019 and 2022, arguing such proposals were unconstitutional and would weaken sheriffs. Some immigration groups have also said the bill could discourage people in immigrant communities from contacting law enforcement agencies.
The bill would require jail administrators to find out the immigration status of some inmates and assist ICE in keeping those who are charged with certain crimes detained for 48 hours or until ICE can pick them up before possible deportation. Jail officials are currently expected to send a query to ICE when possible if a person’s legal status is unknown upon their arrest.
HB10 seeks to establish a reporting requirement and a holding period when individuals whose immigration status is unknown are charged with serious crimes, including those charged with serious crimes, such as homicide, rape, kidnapping, human trafficking, gang violence, felony assault, and violation of a domestic violence protective order.
🗳️Surry County elections officials removed from office after refusing to certify election results
The North Carolina State Board of Elections on Tuesday unanimously voted to remove two Surry County elections officials over their objections to the 2022 election and refusal to certify the results of a local special election in March 2023.
Shortly after the November 2022 election, Board Members Jerry Forestieri and Tim DeHaan signed a letter objecting to the results being certified, despite no evidence of voting irregularities. DeHaan eventually agreed to certify the results, while Forestieri refused.
Forestieri and DeHaan refused to certify results of the Dobson town commissioners special election this month.
The NCSBE, which includes three Democrats and two Republicans, determined that the two Surry County officials had violated their responsibilities and ordered them to be removed from office.
📺PBS “State Lines” appearance
On Friday, I went on PBS NC’s “State Lines” program to recap the chaotic week in North Carolina politics. Donna King of the Carolina Journal hosted the conversation with former Democratic NC Attorney General Rufus Edmisten, Republican state Rep. Jason Saine, conservative talk show host Nick Craig and myself.
If you have 27 minutes to spare and want to watch the show, I highly recommend it!
🐦2 Tweets of the Week
In honor of April Fools’ Day, Walter Magazine offered a touching (and fake) tribute to Cooper’s alleged newfound adoration of Duke University.
But that wasn’t the only tweet that caught my eye. Spring youth sports teams have begun practicing and competing. WUNC Reporter Colin Campbell pointed out a timely bill lawmakers have unveiled:
What to watch this week
SUNDAY/MONDAY: House Bill 11, which would change how three deaf and blind schools are overseen, could become law without Cooper’s signature. As of early Sunday morning, Cooper had not yet taken action on the legislation, which is similar to a measure he previously vetoed.
TUESDAY: A bill limiting the time in which mail-in votes can be accepted has been put back on the calendar for its first committee vote. At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform Committee is scheduled to debate House Bill 304, or the “Election Day Integrity Act.”
WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY: Potentially important bill votes, including an anticipated floor vote on the House’s budget proposal.
FRIDAY: North Carolina General Assembly will at long last begin a week-long break for spring recess.
📖7 essential reads
It’s been quite the active week, so we’re going beyond the usual five-story recommended reading list:
Top Republicans remove special retirement benefit from NC budget after N&O story (Dawn Vaughan // Raleigh News & Observer)
Former congressman, Senate candidate Galifianakis dies at 94 (Associated Press)
Biden wants companies like NC-based Wolfspeed to be a new wave of American manufacturing (Will Michaels // North Carolina Public Radio)
SBI director testifies on intimidation tactics from governor’s senior staff (Donna King // Carolina Journal)
A $100 Million Mess: The rollout of North Carolina’s long-delayed attempt to digitize court records has been a catastrophe. Can it be salvaged? (Michael Hewlett and Jeffrey Billman // The Assembly)
*GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING* The Blast Effect: This is how bullets from an AR-15 blow the body apart (The Washington Post)
The gun that divides a nation (The Washington Post)
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