north carolina general assembly

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — One-third of the North Carolina House districts that state legislators redrew this month because of previous excessive bias favoring Republicans are still flawed by partisanship and secrecy, victors in a recent redistricting lawsuit warned on Friday.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Facing a deadline this week, the North Carolina legislature stayed on track to enact replacement districts for dozens of its seats on time, even as citizens critiqued the maps in a public meeting.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — New electoral boundaries for North Carolina General Assembly seats demanded by state judges are on track to be finalized by this week's court deadline.

The Senate scheduled floor debate on its proposed plan for Monday evening. The House passed its own map late last week, but it and the Senate are holding a public hearing earlier Monday to take citizen comment.

(UPDATE 3:30 p.m. Wednesday) North Carolina House Republican leaders say they never made any announcement or decision that would have prevented the chamber from voting to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper veto of the state budget bill.

Speaker Tim Moore and one of his top lieutenants held a news conference hours after their chamber held an unexpected and successful override vote Wednesday. Very few Democrats appeared when the morning floor session began. That's because they say they were told there would be no recorded votes during that session.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina judicial panel rejected state legislative district maps Tuesday, saying legislators took extreme advantage in drawing voting districts to help elect a maximum number of Republican lawmakers. The judges gave lawmakers two weeks to try again.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina has a new law focused on ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft that supporters contend will improve safety for both passengers and drivers.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper often got steamrolled by Republicans when they held comfortable legislative majorities during his first two years on the job. They could usually ignore his objections about their conservative agenda and override his vetoes.

That's changed since the 2018 elections, when enough Democrats got elected to end the GOP's veto-proof control. Cooper raised millions of dollars for Democratic legislative campaigns, and a court ordered districts to be redrawn in the closely-divided state, aiding Democrats.

UPDATE: (3:35 p.m. Wednesday) - Republican State representative Cody Henson announced on his Facebook page that he would resign his from his position in the General Assembly, just a day after he said he would not following a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of cyberstalking.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's only federally recognized American Indian tribe could soon offer sports and horse wagering to patrons at its two casinos.

The General Assembly on Monday gave final approval to a measure that would give the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians the authority to offer the additional types of betting. The House voted 90-27 for the measure that had already cleared the Senate three months ago.

North Carolina lawmakers could give the final okay to sports betting in the state as early as Monday.  A bill that would allow sports books and off-track horse betting at casinos on tribal lands cleared a key House committee Wednesday in Raleigh, and is on the agenda for a floor vote Monday evening.  The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians operate the only two casinos in North Carolina.  The casinos are located in Cherokee and Murphy on the Qualla Boundary.  

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has signed legislation that helps public schools rehire retired teachers in hard-to-fill classrooms and increases prison time for someone who uses a gun to assault a law enforcement officer.

Cooper has announced he's enacted another dozen bills with his signature.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The fight over the North Carolina state budget continues as Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper made a counteroffer to the two-year plan written by Republicans that he's already vetoed.

But GOP leaders remain unconvinced they'll fail to locate enough votes to override his veto. House Republicans still were trying on Tuesday to persuade enough Democratic colleagues to go against the governor.

Both the House and Senate would have to vote to override to implement the vetoed budget.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina sheriffs would be forced to honor federal requests to hold jail inmates who may be in the country unlawfully, under a bill that has advanced at the General Assembly.

Some recently elected black Democratic county sheriffs — most from metropolitan areas — have refused to comply with immigration detainers. They've accused Republicans of trying to erode their authority and using racially tinged "code words" to target them.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Attorneys for North Carolina Republican lawmakers pushed back hard in state court on Monday over accusations the legislators misled federal judges in an earlier redistricting lawsuit.

Republican legislative leaders filed a response to a motion from attorneys for Common Cause, the state Democratic Party and Democratic voters now suing GOP legislators in a separate partisan legislative redistricting case. The lawsuit trial is scheduled for next month.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Negotiations between Republican legislative budget-writers will now begin in earnest after the Senate completed voting Friday for its version of a two-year spending plan for North Carolina government.

The chamber voted 30-16 for the legislation, which would spend $23.9 billion in the next fiscal year starting July 1 — just like a version written by House Republicans and approved four weeks ago. But the two chambers must settle dozens of details on where to spend and how, such as teachers and state employee raises, construction projects and savings reserves.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina landfalls could accept computers and televisions again in legislation advancing at the General Assembly.

The ban's removal is contained in the annual "regulatory reform" bill run by Republicans and approved Thursday by a Senate committee.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Small breweries in North Carolina could soon be toasting a new law that would give growing beer-makers in the state more time to sell their products on their own without third-party distributors.

By a 38-3 vote, the Senate gave final legislative approval Monday night to a measure that represents a compromise between alcohol wholesalers and craft brewers hammered out over years of negotiation and litigation. The bill already cleared the House and now goes to Gov. Roy Cooper — a craft brewing booster — for his signature.

Henderson County state representative Chuck McGrady will not seek re-election to his seat next year in the North Carolina General Assembly.  The Republican lawmaker announced his decision Monday via email and social media, saying after five terms it's time for him to “turn my focus back home to my friends and family.”

Ahead of Thursday’s crossover day in the North Carolina General Assembly, the state house has approved a bill that bans hand-held use of cell phones by drivers.  The fine for the offense would be $100.  The final vote in House Tuesday morning was 92-23.  It now moves on to the Senate. 

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Duke Energy Corp. is pushing North Carolina legislators to allow the country's largest electric company to line up profitable infrastructure projects years into the future and bypass lengthy regulatory battles.

The state Senate could take up legislation later this week after it was cleared by a committee Tuesday.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on the North Carolina House unveiling its state government budget proposal (all times local):

4:45 p.m.

House Republicans say the teacher pay proposals in their state government budget plan focus on retaining veteran educators and recruiting newcomers to work in rural and low-wealth counties.

The chamber's budget-writers on Tuesday highlighted public education and other items in the two-year spending bill. Rep. Donny Lambeth of Winston-Salem says average teacher pay will rise 4.8 percent next year in the House plan

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a measure Thursday written by Republicans and backed by social conservatives that addresses a doctor's responsibilities if a later-term abortion results in an infant born alive.

Cooper announced his decision two days after the General Assembly sent him a measure telling health care practitioners to grant those newborns the same protections as other patients. Those who don't could face a felony and active prison time, along with fines and potential civil damages.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's legislature gave final passage Tuesday to a bill to require doctors and nurses to care for babies born alive during a failed late-term abortion or face big penalties, a measure opponents deemed legally unnecessary and a threat to abortion providers.

House lawmakers followed a day after Senate counterparts in approving the bill, which would mean prison time and big fines for medical practitioners who don't give children born despite a botched abortion the same protections as any other newborn.