This week on Family Policy Matters host Traci DeVette Griggs welcomes Michael Ramey President of the Parental Rights Foundation to discuss North Carolina's Parents' Bill of Rights and how it will benefit families in the public school system This episode is a part of a series highlighting the school choice movement across North Carolina Tune in each week to learn more [... more]

This week on Family Policy Matters host Traci DeVette Griggs welcomes Erica Steinmiller-Perdomo legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom to discuss the legal case where an abortion doctor in North Carolina is suing the state in order to increase her capacity to perform abortions [... more]

Abortion laws across America have changed a lot over the last year Ever since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v Wade many states have taken significant steps to restrict abortion and protect life This week on Family Policy Matters host Traci DeVette Griggs welcomes Dr Bill Pincus the president of the North Carolina Right to Life to discuss North Carolina's abortion laws and steps that we can take to continue to protect the lives of the unborn [... more]

This week on Family Policy Matters host Traci DeVette Griggs continues her discussion with Americans United for Life AUL president and CEO Catherine Glenn Foster for Part of a -part show Foster examines where North Carolina fell on AUL's Life List which ranks our nation's states from most to least pro-life [... more]

A -acre waterfront property in Southport set aside for a state-run megaport remains vacant and the N C State Ports Authority has no plans to develop or sell it The property's most recent tax appraisal also shows the land is worth half its original purchase price Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief details the latest news surrounding this government project that has gone nowhere since the Ports Authority purchase the property in News media outlets have enjoyed longstanding exemptions from federal and state campaign finance restrictions It makes sense to extend those exemptions to nonprofit social and civic groups that also [... 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]

The N C Department of Transportation believes enough people will want to pay apiece for pedestrian-only access to Ocracoke Island to justify a million passenger ferry program Carolina Journal's latest cover story examines the DOT Ferry Division's plan Editor-in-Chief Rick Henderson discusses the proposal and its potential impact Like it or not popularity plays a key role in our lives Mitch Prinstein professor of psychology at UNC-Chapel Hill explores that role in the book Popular The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World Prinstein distinguishes between two different types of popularity He explains why it's better for us to person [... more]

The daughter of North Carolina-based former Ambassador Jim Cain serves as lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against Twitter Cameron Cain and a co-plaintiff contend that the social media giant has not taken adequate stops to block ISIS from using Twitter to plan its terrorist attacks Jon Guze the John Locke Foundation's director of legal studies explores the legal implications of Cain v Twitter North Carolina lawmakers continue to debate whether and how to use targeted tax incentives to lure new jobs into the state A recent N C House committee meeting featured debate about proposals to tweak incentives rules in [... more]

North Carolina lawmakers and law enforcement agencies are focusing increased attention on the problem of human trafficking The latest Carolina Journal cover package details those efforts Editor-in-Chief Rick Henderson explains how state legislation approved this year targets trafficking in new ways Travis also shares personal stories from trafficking victims A controversial proposal from Washington D C could force North Carolina families to pay hundreds of dollars more each year in taxes on everyday household items It's called the border-adjustment tax Andy Ellen president and general counsel of the N C Retail Merchants Association explains why his group has been highlighting [... more]

North Carolina lawmakers have adjourned their regular long session but that doesn't mean they have finished work for the year They plan to return to Raleigh in early August and again in September Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief explains why lawmakers have planned to return to work at least a couple more times in He'll also preview their legislative agenda Members of the General Assembly tend to be older than the state's general population But a handful of lawmakers younger than have decided to form a new group It's called the North Carolina Future Caucus It will take a bipartisan [... 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]

As N C state government continues to consider policies that benefit the solar energy industry residents of one Beaufort County community are fighting a proposed -acre solar facility planned near a local school Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief explains why people in Terra Ceia are raising concerns about the project North Carolina lawmakers have been debating proposed changes in laws limiting the freedom of craft brewers to distribute their own products It's an issue that has attracted attention from Christopher Koopman senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University Koopman explains why state restrictions on craft breweries [... more]

After President Trump announced plans to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement N C Gov Roy Cooper joined more than public officials across the country in signing an open letter pledging continued support for the agreement Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief analyzes Cooper's action and the response from Republican legislative leaders Henderson also discusses North Carolina's ability to take any actions on its own that would affect global warming North Carolina lawmakers continue to wrestle with the best way to handle taxation of sales made over the internet One idea under discussion would force online vendors [... more]

North Carolina lawmakers approved a compromise measure that puts off for one year new class-size restrictions in the earliest grades of the state's public schools School districts had complained that the new requirements would have forced them to lay off specialty teachers or make other drastic budget changes Terry Stoops the John Locke Foundation's vice president for research analyzes the controversy Many of today's most heated political debates are tied to competing interpretations of the U S Constitution They date back to the earliest days of the American republic That's a key theme of Our Republican Constitution a book from [... more]

The income tax filing deadline is approaching and it's a good time to remind ourselves of major changes North Carolina has made in recent years to the state's personal income tax Becki Gray John Locke Foundation senior vice president recaps recent reforms and discusses additional changes that are under discussion now in the state Legislative Building Ask a dozen different pundits and you might get a dozen different answers about whether the American economy is heading toward prosperity or peril Robert Whaples professor of economics at Wake Forest University co-edited a recent book assessing the national economy's -year outlook Whaples [... more]

President Trump has nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch of the th U S Circuit Court of Appeals to succeed the late Antonin Scalia on the U S Supreme Court Conservatives have offered general praise for Trump's choice while some critics have geared up for a confirmation fight Jon Guze the John Locke Foundation's director of legal studies analyzes Gorsuch's record and assesses his likely impact on the state's highest court North Carolina lawmakers have devoted much of their time and taxpayer dollars in recent years to raising public school teacher pay Now some lawmakers want to focus attention on pay for [... more]

North Carolina lawmakers took steps in December to reorganize several large chunks of state government They cut back the number of political appointments incoming Gov Roy Cooper can make while removing his ability to appoint members to UNC campus boards of trustees and subjecting his Cabinet appointments to legislative review Lawmakers also consolidated state agencies that deal with elections ethics lobbying and campaign finance John Locke Foundation Senior Vice President Becki Gray analyzes key elements of the reorganization legislation A recent state review critiqued the North Carolina Medicaid program's efforts to detect waste fraud and abuse You'll hear highlights from [... more]

North Carolina lawmakers returned to Raleigh in December to address Gov Pat McCrory's million disaster relief plan linked to Hurricane Matthew and western N C wildfires The special session also generated concerns from left-of-center critics about other items the legislatures might address Becki Gray the John Locke Foundation's senior vice president analyzes the flurry of activity surrounding the state Legislative Building The elections are over but pundits and prognosticators are still sifting through the results They're trying to determine what the elections say about the state of politics and the future course of public policy in North Carolina John Locke [... more]

Nearly a month after Election Day Republican Gov Pat McCrory's concession confirmed that Democrat Roy Cooper would assume office as North Carolina's new governor in January Carolina Journal Editor-in-Chief Rick Henderson recounts some of the questions about the election process and looks ahead to Cooper's challenge of working with a General Assembly dominated by Republicans No one bats an eye when we trade money for food or clothing The situation changes if we talk about spending money to buy or sell a kidney Georgetown University professor Jason Brennan argues in the book Markets Without Limits that kidney sales should be [... more]