legislature

RALEIGH — Lawmakers are reportedly planning to discuss an expensive state program next year to respond to state court decisions in the Leandro case, but many appear to be operating…

As the North Carolina Senate prepares to vote on its proposed 2004-05 budget plan, it is important to keep in mind that an accounting change included in the plan has the effect of masking the magnitude of the proposed increase.

RALEIGH — State lawmakers in Raleigh are currently debating bills that would authorize at least $760 million in new state debts — for land acquisition and for proposed University of…

RALEIGH — Local taxes and fees in Charlotte totaled more than $2,018 per resident in 2002, ranking North Carolina’s largest city No. 1 for local government costs among major cities…

The North Carolina General Assembly is returning to Raleigh for a special session on economic development. Rather than rush to push targeted tax credits and incentives for a few, lawmakers should pursue a broader examination of the factors under their control that really influence state economic growth. The wrong direction is to enact any set of policies that increase the state bureaucracy or the ranks of lobbyists seeking to arrange special “deals” for their industrial clients.

RALEIGH — The medical-malpractice legislation likely to emerge from the North Carolina Senate this week “is a mixed bag” from the standpoint of reformers, according to a preliminary analysis by…

A House-Senate compromise budget for the 2003-05 biennium will cost North Carolina taxpayers another half-billion dollars a year and do little to stem the government’s long-term growth. General Fund spending will actually rise 3 percent in FY 2003-04 and 5 percent in FY 2004-05, with most of the increase over the next two fiscal years concentrated in health and human services, debt service, the UNC system, and subsidies to nonprofits. North Carolina deserves better.

Political observers may welcome the North Carolina House’s uncharacteristic speed in devising its 2003-05 budget plan by its previously announced deadline of Easter weekend, but state taxpayers are unlikely to view its nearly $860 million in extra taxes over the next two fiscal years as timely given the weakness of the state’s economic recovery. By working harder to identify budget savings, lawmakers could have avoided the tax increase without adversely affecting teachers, prisons, or other core services of state government.

North Carolina has now joined many other states and the federal government in debating solutions to the problem of rising costs in medical malpractice insurance. Evidence suggests that flaws in our tort laws and procedures are a major part of the problem. Proposed state legislation to cap “pain and suffering” awards and implement other reforms represents a good starting point, but state lawmakers should also look at a “loser pays” rule and judicial oversight of expert testimony to reduce the impact of junk science and quack medicine on jury deliberations.

RALEIGH — Gov. Mike Easley’s just-announced state budget plan for the 2003-05 biennium includes an immediate $461 million tax increase and allows spending to grow by nearly 5 percent next…