RALEIGH, N.C. — Good morning and welcome to Today @NCCapitol for Tuesday, May 21. This is WRAL's roundup of what you need to know about North Carolina state government today.
VOUCHERS: The state House Education Committee is scheduled to hear the Opportunity Scholarship Act today at 11 a.m. The bill would give parents up to $4,200 in vouchers to send their children to private schools.
WRAL.com will carry the House Education Committee live at 11 a.m. Check the Video Central box on our home page.
SENATE BUDGET: The Senate will spend its day reviewing and amending the $20.6 billion budget it rolled out Sunday night.
The Appropriations Committee will meet beginning at 8:30 a.m. and is due to take amendments on spending items from members. The Finance Committee is scheduled to review the spending portion of the budget at 1 p.m. WRAL.com will carry the Finance Committee meeting live at 1 p.m. Check the video Central box on our home page.
"That’s the message coming out of this budget," Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, told the Senate Budget Health subcommittee at Monday's meeting on Senate Bill 402. “Medicaid is driving everything in this state budget. These funds coming out are controlling what we do in education, what we do in transportation and highways."
Click here for more highlights of the budget.
ARRESTS: The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP's fourth straight week of protests at the state legislature resulted in 57 arrests Monday evening. Arrests have grown every week of what the group calls "Moral Mondays," totaling 153. The NAACP and other activists have directed their anger at policies on social programs, voting rights, education and tax reform. They argue decisions to refuse Medicaid expansion, cut unemployment benefits, require photo identification at the polls, and other actions show a disregard for the state's most vulnerable residents.
LAROQUE: As a powerful member of the Republican leadership in the N.C. House, Rep. Stephen A. LaRoque railed for years against big government and those who take taxpayer handouts. The former Kinston lawmaker was set to go on trial Monday on a dozen felony charges stemming from a pair of government-funded non-profit corporations federal prosecutors allege he used as personal piggy banks. Twelve jurors and three alternates were seated shortly after noon.
HOUSE SESSION: The state House will convene at 2 p.m. Lawmakers are due to take up a bill that would allow transportation officials to add toll lanes to existing highways, but only if the state keeps the current number of lanes free to traffic. So section of I-95, for example, that is three lanes wide now would have to have at least three non-tolled lanes even if it is widened to become partly a toll road in the future. Toll lanes could be set aside for high occupancy vehicles or those who simply pay an extra fee and could offer amenities like a higher speed limit.
COMMITTEES: For a full list of committee hearings, please see the main @NCCapitol page. In addition to the Senate budget and finance committees, and the House Education committee, highlights on today's calendar include:
House Transportation (Noon | 643 LOB): Lawmakers will look at a bill that considers alternatives to charging tolls for ferries.
NOTED: Stories today from other outlets include:
North Carolina Health News: The budget rolled out by the state Senate has no long-term for for group homes, which could face closure after a series of short term fixes last year and earlier this year.
Charlotte Observer: The N.C. ABC Commission has decided that, although it couldn’t find any rules or regulations that expressly prohibit the use of the 321-degrees-below-zero substance in alcoholic beverages, it does have “broad powers to protect public health and safety,” said public affairs director Agnes Stevens.
News & Record: After two years away, one of the N.C. Zoo's two polar bears is back in his upgraded habitat.