Category Archives: state budget issues

Maddox: State Budget Gifts CPCs and Starves Public Education

LTE on wrong NC state budget priorities – continuing to cheat teachers of decent pay while funneling millions to anti-abortion clinics.

North Carolina NOW Legislative Update – 30 August 2021

HB 608 has passed the Senate, this bill makes significant reforms in the treatment of women prisoners. We are expecting unconstitutional districts from the legislative majority again. Then more on the budget process and what happened two years ago.

North Carolina NOW Legislative Actions – 23 August 2021

Take actions on up to 4 issues. In fact, for each issue, you can write your representative, write a letter to the editor, or both!

Take action against outrageous CPC allocations in NC Budgets

So far there has been little to no media coverage of the millions of dollars of taxpayer money that both Senate and House budgets are allocating for crisis pregnancy centers, CPCs. The amount of money allocated for these fake clinics keeps going up. For the 2021/2022 budget, the Senate proposed $4 million to CPCs, andContinue reading “Take action against outrageous CPC allocations in NC Budgets”

North Carolina NOW Legislative Update – 16 August 2021

Senate Bill 35 has passed the House and has been placed on the Senate calendar for final approval on August 16. This bill raises the marriage age to 16 under all circum-stances, including pregnancy, requires parental consent for marriage at age 16 or 17, and further requires that there must be no more than a 4-year age difference between the parties to allow marriage under age 18.  The bill is expected to pass. Currently, children as young as 14 can marry in this state, a situation that has made North Carolina a go-to state for child marriages.  Last year, for example, two-thirds of marriage license applications in Buncombe County, a county that includes Asheville, were from out-of staters seeking to marry underage partners.  We are finally ready to close the book on that ugly chapter.  Also talking about state budget, Governor Cooper’s priorities, and how state budget defectors take leverage away from the governor.

Citizens Deserve Input on State Budget, 2021

Kathy Greggs, a US Army combat veteran from Fayetteville, went to the Legislature to speak to the state House Appropriations Committee for Health and Human Services to urge lawmakers to expand Medicaid, expand workers’ rights, and pass affordable housing protections. Although Greggs and others were able to sign up to speak, they were told they couldn’t speak. Greggs didn’t accept that. Here is what happened.

North Carolina NOW Legislative Update – 12 July 2021

The budget process is finally moving forward. The Senate has passed its budget and will send it to the House. The House will then pass its budget. Finally, a conference committee will be appointed that will iron out the differences and send the result to the governor, who will either sign it or veto it. Governor Cooper has already denounced the Senate budget in a great tweet. To add insult to injury, the Senate is all but inviting a veto by Governor Cooper by including non-budget-related provisions in their budget bill that limit the governor’s powers during a state of emergency.

North Carolina NOW Legislative Update #22 – 28 Jun 2021

The budget process is finally moving forward. The Senate has passed its budget and will send it to the House. The House will then pass its budget. Finally, a conference committee will be appointed that will iron out the differences and send the result to the governor, who will either sign it or veto it. Governor Cooper has already denounced the Senate budget in a great tweet. To add insult to injury, the Senate is all but inviting a veto by Governor Cooper by including non-budget-related provisions in their budget bill that limit the governor’s powers during a state of emergency.

North Carolina NOW Legislative Update #20 – 14 Jun 2021

First step of progress on the state budget – but very far to go. Some history on unapproved budgets in NC. Take action on anti-abortion bill HB 453 – call Governor Cooper! Update on SB 35, seeking to raise the marriage age FROM 14!!