Today @NCCapitol (Jan. 31): Lawmakers not waiting on governor's Medicaid decision
Committee action is expected on three major bills today, including a remake of the state's unemployment insurance system and a bill that would decline to expand Medicaid as allowed under the federal Affordable Care Act.
Posted — Updated“The Governor is continuing to work with HHS Secretary Wos to analyze all options and long term implications to decide what's in the best interest of North Carolina," Press Secretary Crystal Feldman said Wednesday. She didn't have any reaction to legislature's bill filing.
Senators will begin on that decision making process today. The Senate Insurance Committee is scheduled to take up this bill at 10 a.m. today.
Lawmakers asked for an audit of the state's Medicaid program in last year's budget. Specifically, they asked the auditor to compare North Carolina's Medicaid program to other Medicaid programs in similarly situated states. That review is due back to the legislature Friday and we're reliably informed it will be the subject of today's presser.
Asked about a potential sweepstakes bill, House Majority Leader Edgar Starnes, R-Caldwell, said he didn't know of any pending legislation or how the House leadership might deal with it. In the Senate, Apodaca said there was "no appetite" among Republican members to deal with the sweepstakes issue.
Will Democrats who work with Republicans this year face similar blow-back, or will Democrats be more forgiving?
"Certainly we know there is a different makeup of the General Assembly this session than there was last session," Hall said. "We know there's no veto threat, there's no potential to negotiate and defeat bills and have them reconsidered to have more of what our caucus overall would want in them. So this is a different environment. But second of all, on issues – You're talking about differences on issues. Those weren't just differences on party, those were differences on issues." Hall went on to say that more than three quarters of the bills that pass the General Assembly do so unanimously or nearly so. "We do work together on a lot of issues," he said.
Constitutional amendments must pass the legislature with a super majority of both chambers and then go to a vote of the people.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A key House leader says a bill he's drawing up about the North Carolina state lottery won't include a provision prohibiting ticket sales to people receiving public assistance or who are in bankruptcy.
Speaker Pro Tempore Paul Stam of Apex said Wednesday the provision was the least important part of his proposal. He said got questions from all sides on the lottery issue about the provision. Some critics questioned singling out the poor or how retailers would enforce the law.
Stam said the bill will still seek to remove the word "education" from the North Carolina Education Lottery because proceeds account for a small percentage of state education funding. He also wants the lottery to reveal more fully the long odds of a winning a big prize.
- S 23: Tobacco Free Community Colleges. Sen. Stan Bingham's measure would require Community Colleges to adopt policies prohibiting smoking in campus buildings, grounds and vehicles by Aug. 1, 2014.
- S 14: Increase Access To Career/Technical Ed The bill, sponsored by several senior senators, would create new designations that would be added to High School diplomas. Students would be given "career," "college," or "career and college" ratings based on courses taken and grades achieved.
- S 16: Revoke License for Passing Stopped School Bus. This is the latest bill to ratchet up penalties for ignoring school bus stop arms.
- H 7: Eugenics Compensation Program. The bill would provide $50,000 to each verified victim of North Carolina's forced sterilization program.
- H 19: Respect Our Fallen Heroes The bill would increase penalties for disturbing a military funeral and increase the buffer zone around such a funeral.
Other bills filed Wednesday would increase the retirement ages for judges and head off the implementation of a program to collect property taxes at the same time vehicle owners register their private automobiles.
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