state spending

Other states have begun to worry about the coronavirus shutdown’s impact on their economies and state government finances. Energy producing states like Colorado and Texas must deal with plummeting…

Our budget stalemate may have an unexpected and unintended benefit. Because the General Assembly and Gov. Roy Cooper could not agree on a new budget, state government has been operating…

North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has a history of breaking budgets with lax controls over Medicaid spending. It took nearly three years under Gov. Pat McCrory…

Policymakers around the country look to North Carolina’s fiscal example to guide their quests for lower taxes. Restrained spending has made it possible for state government to tax less and…

On most days and most roads, most drivers treat posted speed limits as the recommended speed. A person driving at the speed limit can be the slowest vehicle moving on…

The creation of a Department of Information Technology would likely lead to increased government efficiency and cost savings. However, there is no compelling reason to create a new Department of Veterans Affairs.

Every two years since 1996, coinciding with North Carolina's races for the General Assembly, the John Locke Foundation has published a revised edition of Agenda, our public policy guide for candidates and voters. Typically as we enter the campaign season, candidates for public office in North Carolina are faced with a daunting task: to develop informed positions on dozens of public policy issues. In the pages of Agenda 2014 we provide a concise and easily digestible guide covering a wide range of specific issues, from taxes and spending to energy policy and education.

Regardless of how it is measured, state spending is increasing. North Carolina’s total state budget peaked in 2012, reaching more than $51 billion or $5,348 per capita, with federal spending totaling 45 percent of total expenditures.

Co-authors John Hood and Don Carrington follow up their much-celebrated 1995 report on North Carolina state spending, proposing 179 recommendations for budget savings and tax cuts totalling $725 million. (28 pages-not available online.)

This comprehensive briefing on 21 issues facing the state, as well as statistics on government expenditures and outcomes, provides ideas and recommendations on taxes, state spending, education, health care, welfare, and more. Please consult Agenda 2002 for the latest information.