After a December break N C legislators return to Raleigh this month They could vote to override Gov Roy Cooper's veto of the state budget bill They also could try to hash out final deals on the farm bill and other legislation left unresolved in Becki Gray John Locke Foundation senior vice president analyzes the upcoming legislative session The pursuit of diversity on college campuses is hurting American higher education Heather Mac Donald fellow at the Manhattan Institute explains how in her recent book The Diversity Delusion Mac Donald shared her concerns during a recent visit to Raleigh for a [... more]

State Treasurer Dale Folwell has made headlines in recent weeks He's proposed that any new statewide bond package should face a voter referendum He's working to help reduce State Health Plan costs He's advocating pension reforms related to spiking and government workers convicted of crimes Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief analyzes Folwell's high-profile activity No one knows all of the crimes created in North Carolina Not even the woman who literally wrote the state's book on criminal law Jessica Smith professor of public law and government at the UNC School of Government says hundreds of crimes are scattered across more [... more]

Pro-growth policies have helped boost North Carolina's economy in recent years From tax reform to regulatory reform to government spending restraint policymakers have taken steps to help boost North Carolina's competitiveness Becki Gray John Locke Foundation senior vice president highlights evidence of the state's recent economic successes A process called civil asset forfeiture allows law enforcement agencies to seize private property from people who have been convicted of no crimes It's the type of property-rights abuse the Washington D C -based Institute for Justice fights across the country During a recent visit to North Carolina IJ President and General Counsel [... more]

Gov Roy Cooper has generated controversy by announcing a special million fund connected with the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project The fund is slated to pay for mitigation work connected with the pipeline along with other economic development and renewable energy projects Cooper considers the fund a voluntary contribution to the state Critics say Cooper is trying to get around constitutional requirements that would give the General Assembly control over the money Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief discusses the latest developments in the case The N C Department of Health and Human Services is drawing fire from state lawmakers Legislators say [... more]

North Carolina lawmakers could take a step toward protecting private property rights by banning state and local law enforcement agencies from participating in so-called equitable sharing programs with the federal government Jon Guze John Locke Foundation director of legal studies explains how these programs work Guze also discusses the misuse of the programs and the negative impact on the relationship between law officers and the people they are hired to protect October marked the th anniversary of actions from German monk Martin Luther that led to the Protestant Reformation The world still feels the effect of Luther's decision to question [... more]

North Carolina lawmakers approved a billion General Fund budget plan overriding Gov Roy Cooper's veto with more than two days to spare before the start of the new budget year Becki Gray John Locke Foundation senior vice president shares highlights from the spending plan Gray also explains how the latest budget fits with Republican legislative leaders' long-term strategy of limiting government spending growth and lowering tax burdens Civil asset forfeiture allows law enforcement agencies to take property from people suspected of illegal activity even if they never face criminal charges The process is open to abuse Darpana Sheth senior attorney [... more]