US/NC/gov/2013

In 2013, the newly-elected Republican majority took power, and promptly began packing the state into a handbasket for its planned shipment to hell.

Following up on their earlier attempts to legislate certain effects of global warming out of existence (or at least out of public awareness), Republican Governor Pat McCrory immediately started exploring ways to sell the idea of further environmental pollution as an economic benefit, especially for coastal communities.

In April, Republicans submitted bills:

• to allow NC state courts to override federal law in matters of prayer, once again violating the US constitution. (NC is already in violation by virtue of its religious requirement for political office.)
• to reduce voting by college students

The Senate also voted to block Medicaid expansion (which would have brought in additional federal funds for healthcare) and repealed the Racial Justice Act, and Governor McCrory proposed a plan to privatize Medicaid.

the basket

• 2013-01-05 McCrory has promises to keep

• Appointments:
  • Cabinet:
    • Art Pope is now in charge of the state budget
    • Kieran Shanahan, found guilty of assaulting a neighbor's children, now leads the Department of Public Safety.
    • John Skvarla, a science skeptic and former employer of Art Pope, takes over the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
    • Tony Tata, fired as superintendent of the state's largest public school system (Wake County) following a transportation fiasco, is now in charge of the Department of Transportation.
  • other:
    • Buddy Collins, who doesn't believe anyone needs protection from bullying, is now on the state Board of Education

actions

key: =negative | =positive

• 2013-03-03 H247 bill to level the healthcare playing field and remove special treatment from Blue Cross Blue Shield
• 2013-03-13 H298/S365 bill repealing the state's requirement that power companies use subsidized renewable energy
  • 2013-04-03 House bill that would repeal renewable energy requirement passes committee
  • 2013-04-04 ALEC-Sponsored Bill To Repeal North Carolina's Renewable Energy Standard Narrowly Passes Out Of Committee
• 2013-03-14 S337 bill to eliminate education & criminal requirements for charter school teachers
• 2013-03-21 S394 bill which would repeal a renewable energy tax credit that has been in place for 30 years
  • 2013-04-03 Renewable energy standards and tax credits could be repealed
• 2013-03-27
  • S473 bill to simplify hospital billing practices
  • S516 bill to eliminate caps on classroom size in K-4th
  • H451 bill to reduce early voting - part of the GOP war on voting
    • according to Bob Geary (IndyWeek), this would:
      • cut early voting from two weeks to one
      • eliminate same-day registration
      • abolish straight-ticket voting
      • ban voting on Sunday, a move meant to quash the "Souls to the Polls" drives in African-American churches
      • makes absentee ballots so absurdly easy that it invites distribution of ballots with choices already filled in
  • H452 bill to allocate $34m for school safety, including 10m for counselors (and none for weaponry)
  • H465 bill to prevent undocumented immigrants from carrying firearms
    • Apparently Republicans do think it's okay to restrict firearms -- if your papers aren't in order.
• 2013-03-28
  • S518 bill to extend the separation period for a divorce from one year to two years, and require counseling for each person
    • 2013-04-09 More Of That "Small Government" in North Carolina "Because nothing says "small government" like demanding to know whether you've had sex with your spouse in order to determine when you can get a divorce."
  • H480 bill to "fast-track" environmental projects
  • H484 bill to make sustainable energy permitting rules more vague
• 2013-04-01 H494 House joint resolution to allow state to override US on matters of prayer:
  • 2013-04-02 N.C. Republicans seek exemption from U.S. Constitution (reality to follow) (Indy)
  • 2013-04-03
    • Proposal would allow state religion in North Carolina "A bill filed by Republican lawmakers would allow North Carolina to declare an official religion, in violation of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Bill of Rights, and seeks to nullify any federal ruling against Christian prayer by public bodies statewide."
    • First Amendment doesn't apply here: N.C. lawmakers push bill for state religion
  • 2013-04-04 Sponsor of NC religion resolution apologizes: it won't be voted on; dead issue.
  • 2013-04-05 NC Bill Could Establish State Religion
• 2013-04-02 S648 "Ag Gag" bill to prevent whistleblowing against cruelty to animals by any business [1]
• proposal to privatize state Medicaid:
  • 2013-04-03:
    • McCrory offers plan to privatize NC Medicaid risk (WBTV)
    • McCrory offers plan to privatize NC Medicaid risk (N&O)
    • McCrory offers plan to privatize state Medicaid risk (FayObs)
• 2013-04-02 S666/S667 bill to reduce college student voting:
  • 2013-04-03
    • North Carolina Republicans seek to suppress the college vote - part of the GOP war on voting [2]
    • Senate bill seeks to curb college vote
      • discussion
      • 2013-04-08 NC Tries to Suppress the Student Vote
  • 2013-04-30 photo: "student activists Bryan Perlmutter and Molly McDonough got arrested in solidarity with the NAACP at the NC statehouse in protest of North Carolina's SB 667"
• 2013-04-22 North Carolina Lawmaker Forces Radio Show Off The Air After Hosts Criticized His Policies: "The Central Carolina Community College has stopped airing "The Rant," a weekly radio political program, after North Carolina State Rep. Mike C. Stone (R) objected to its commentary."
• vote to block Medicaid expansion:
  • 2013-04-04 NC Senate Republicans vote to block Medicaid expansion, exchanges (N&O)
• vote to repeal Racial Justice Act:
  • 2013-04-03:
    • NC Senate OKs repeal of Racial Justice Act (N&O)
    • NC Racial Justice Act repeal approved by Senate (SFgate)
  • 2013-04-04:
    • N.C. Senate moves to resume executions, repeal Racial Justice Act (FayObs)
    • N.C. Senate repeals Racial Justice Act

Links

• 2013-04-24 Clean and green North Carolina H298
• 2013-05-07 Progressives promising Monday protests while the General Assembly's in session
• 2013-05-08 The ripple effect: NAACP's Barber and civil disobedience in Raleigh by Bob Geary
• 2013-05-13 83 Year Old Spectator Vernon Tyson Arrested at NC General Assembly (video): he calls on church leaders to join the ongoing protest
• 2013-05-15 This week in disappointment: rolling back the environment, reproductive rights and more
• 2013-05-19 (Sun) NC General Assembly police defend arrests of demonstrators
• 2013-05-20 (Mon)
  • N.C. Moral Monday #4: Est. 60 arrests at N.C. General Assembly today; nearly 160 so far
  • NC demonstration against GOP lawmakers grows
• 2013-05-22 (Wed)
  • Crowd size and arrest totals increase at latest Moral Monday protest
  • This week in disappointment: the budget, fracking again
• 2013-06-27 Tesla wins in North Carolina, paves the way for direct-to-consumer sales: Tesla apparently convinced the legislature to override the North Carolina Automobile Dealers
• 2013-06-28 North Carolina Just Became The First State To Eliminate Unemployment Benefits
• 2013-07-10 North Carolina Republicans Quietly Attach Abortion Restrictions To Motorcycle Safety Bill
• 2013-07-19 Students' voting rights targeted in North Carolina by Steve Benen
• 2013-07-23 North Carolina On Cusp Of Passing Worst Voter Suppression Bill In The Nation
• 2013-07-26 Lawmakers give leaders legal standing "In the last hours of session Friday morning, state lawmakers voted to give legislative leaders equal standing with the Attorney General to intervene in constitutional challenges to state laws."
• 2013-07-28 Educators to march on Capitol in 13th 'Moral Monday' protest "The North Carolina Association of Educators said public education will be front and center at the 13th and final wave of the so-called "Moral Monday" protests, which for the first time will include a march to the State Capitol. "
• 2013-07-29 Six families challenge NC gay marriage ban
• 2013-07-30 Power struggle develops over defending NC laws
• 2013-08-13 92-Year-Old Who Once Faced Literacy Tests Sues North Carolina Over New Wave Of Voter Suppression
• 2013-08-22 With GOP Gov. McCrory Present, Colin Powell Slams North Carolina Voting Law
• 2013-08-23 Rachel Maddow Tackles Voter Suppression In Boone, North Carolina
• 2013-08-28 Jobs for highly-paid McCrory staffers never posted