NC Policy Watch's the Progessive Pulse

A bill filed yesterday at the state legislature to make the prices hospitals charge for procedures more easily accessible to patients demands significant change to the leadership of Community Care of North Carolina, a health care management system run … Read More...

North Carolina’s embarrassing head-in-the-(underwater)-sand approach to sea level rise received renewed attention this morning in the national media. New York Times columnist Gail Collins included the following passage in her story about the conservative movment’s aggressive abandonment of climate science:

“But

For those out there who don’t follow the excellent Glenn Greenwald, be sure to check out his column from earlier this week on the nation’s rapid progress on marriage equality. As Greenwald writes, it’s clearly grounds for a more general optimism … Read More...

From crack child advocate Rob Thompson at the Covenant with North Carolina’s Children:

House members introduce bipartisan school safety bill
Bill includes needed funding for mental health support staff

RALEIGH – Representatives Glazier (D), Faircloth (R), Holloway (R) and

Today, the Senate Education Committee took up SB 337, “NC Public Charter School Board,” a bill filed by Senators Jerry Tillman and Dan Soucek that is intended to remove oversight of public charter schools from the State Board of Education … Read More...

Just in from the Budget and Tax Center Center…

RALEIGH (March 27, 2013) — Critical federal funding for North Carolina’s schools, health care, clean water, law enforcement, and other key services would be slashed under the federal budget proposed by House … Read More...

The U.S. Supreme Court heard argument this morning in the case involving the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, U.S. v. Windsor, and the consensus from inside the courtroom is that at least five of the … Read More...

Raleigh’s News & Observer reports that she has endorsed masrriage equality.

The article quotes Hagan as saying:

“I know there are strong feelings on both sides, and I have a great deal of respect for their opinions. But after … Read More...

Members of the Senate Education/Higher Education committee are meeting today to discuss Senate Bill 337 – legislation sponsored by Senators Jerry Tillman and Dan Soucek that would create a new board, independent of the State Board of Education to oversee … Read More...

It will now be up to the NC House to decide whether to preserve the original contract between then-Governor Bev Perdue and the City of Raleigh to lease the Dorothea Dix campus for a “destination park.”

The NC Senate voted … Read More...

There were many compelling arguments voiced this afternoon by opponents of the Senate bill to renege on the Dix Park contract. One expecially powerful moment, however, occurred at around the 40 minute mark of this video (you can fast-forward to it) in … Read More...

Just in from the good folks at the North Carolina chapter of the Sierra Club:

For Immediate Release

March 26, 2013

NC Sierra Club Statement on the NC Senate Passage of Senate Bill 334

RALEIGH – Earlier today the NC … Read More...

President Obama’s focus on the minimum wage as a key strategy for spurring economic growth by putting money back in the pockets of working people has sparked a long-overdue national conversation about raising the minimum wage. The Justice Center’s Workers’ … Read More...

Reports from inside the U.S. Supreme Court on today’s argument concerning California’s ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage — Proposition 8 — reveal that the justices may be ambivalent toward ruling on the merits.

Tom Goldstein of Scotusblog.com came away from … Read More...

This morning, the House Education Committee considered HB 146, Back to Basics, which would mandate mastery of cursive by fifth grade and memorization of multiplication tables. House members supported the bill, introduced by Reps. Hurley, Warren and Shepherd, with … Read More...

In keeping with its practice of reversing progress and bucking national trends toward saner and more progressive public policies, the state Senate will take up a bill this morning to repeal the Racial Justice Act and jump-start executions. If the … Read More...

After delaying a vote on Monday, the NC Senate could decide later today whether to approve a bill that would  effectively tear up a lease to turn the Dorothea Dix campus into a destination park.

Republicans have voiced opposition to … Read More...

Concerned parents and citizens packed a Monday evening meeting of Wake County lawmakers to unanimously express their opposition for two bills that would effectively weaken the power of the Wake County school board. More than 100 people signed up to … Read More...

Dianna Lightfoot, who resigned before taking a job as the head of the state’s early education and child development division, saw media interest in her online commentary as attacks, according to emails released as part of a public records request.… Read More...

If you have ever struggled to understand how unbalanced tax policies and cuts to critical federal programs affect your community – perhaps you just needed to hear from the Luchadoras.

The masked female wrestlers – one representing the People’s … Read More...