May
4, 2001
Issue
Number 15
The
Legislative Bulletin is published every Friday when the
General Assembly is in session. Readership is restricted to employees of NCCBI
member
companies. The Bulletin is an online news service distributed
by e-mail to roughly 2,500 recipients.
Printout
Get a text-only printout of this issue of the Bulletin
Names in the news
Gov. Easley appoints
three new members of the State Board of Education
E-mail your legislator:
Get updated lists of the address, phone number and e-mail
address for every House and
Senate member. Or
send an e-mail to all 170 legislators.
Useful Web sites:
 Legislature
Governor's
page
Supreme
Court
Court
of Appeals
Trial
Courts
Institute
of Govt.
NCCBI
NAM
U.S.
Chamber
NC
Magazine
NCCBI members have visited this
page since noon on May 4, 2001.
|
|
Top
Stories
Weak
April tax revenue widens
state budget deficit by $61 million
 Instead
of an “April surprise” of unexpected revenues that would
have gone a long way toward solving the state’s budget
deficit, a fresh appraisal of tax revenues for April and the
rest of the fourth quarter shows the deficit worsening by
$61.7 million. Those numbers from the Fiscal Research Division
indicate that the budget deficit, which had been put at $635.3
million, will more likely be $698 million by the end of the
fiscal year. Read that story.
New
poll finds 60% of voters favor a lottery
 Debate
over a state lottery heated up in the General Assembly this
week when a pro-lottery group released a poll showing that 60
percent of voters favor a lottery and 33 percent oppose it. Of
those in favor of a lottery, 43 percent said their support was
strong. The poll also found that 66 percent of respondents
said they had played the lottery in other states. Meanwhile, an anti-lottery
group began calling voters in 17 legislative districts to play
recorded messages by former governor Jim Martin and former UNC
System president Bill Friday opposing a lottery. Read
that story.
General
Assembly could pass 500 new laws
Although
roughly 2,500 pieces of legislation have been introduced so
far this session of the General Assembly, only about 500 has
been passed by either the House or Senate by the April 26
crossover deadline. These bills will remain eligible for
consideration during the rest of the session and all could
become new laws. Each one is important to some group, so we
present them all. See the list of House
bills and the list of Senate
bills that beat the crossover deadline.
State
Government News
Ashe
County educator named Teacher of the Year
Carmen
Wilson, a math teacher at Ashe County High School, was named
the 2001-02 North Carolina Teacher of the Year at a banquet in
Cary Tuesday night. Ms. Wilson will represent North Carolina
in the national teacher of the year competition. Plus, she
will receive a new car, thanks to the N.C. Automobile Dealers
Association. Read that story.
Meanwhile
. . .
Unemployment rates
decline in 10 of 11 metro areas
Funeral
home director guilty of state tax evasion
State
issues year's first ozone alert
DOT
plans hearing on new I-40 rest area in Haywood County
NCCBI
spotlights state's Northeast region
Federal
Government News
Americans
worked 123 days this year to pay taxes
Americans
celebrated Tax Freedom Day on Thursday, according to the Tax
Foundation's annual calculation. That means the nation’s
taxpayers had to work from Jan. 1 to the 123rd day of the year
before earning enough money to pay for federal, state and
local government taxes. Read
that story.
Meanwhile
. . .
Raleigh,
Fayetteville awarded EPA brownfield grants
Length
of hospitalizations declines markedly
Cost
of employee benefits rises to 36.8% of payroll
NCCBI Membership News
Check the NCCBI calendar of
events to see which ones you should attend.
NCCBI offers a seminar to train business people how
to improve your media relations skills, including how to
conduct yourself during a TV interview.
Download your free copy of NCCBI's Guide to the 2001
Legislature.
|
|
|
