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Top Story Senate
Democrats criticize tax package
advanced by House leadership; GOP still
says major spending cuts alone will work The
early momentum for a $440.4 million tax package cobbled
together by House Democrats as the solution to the state’s
budget dilemma dissipated amid complaints from the Senate
leadership that the House plan will hurt the state in the long
run. As the Democrats squabbled over which taxes to raise,
Republicans in the legislature continued to assert that
spending cuts alone can pull back spending in line with
existing revenues. With the Democrats at odds and Republicans
throwing brickbats, it appears that the legislative session --
now a month into overtime -- won't end any time soon. Read
the complete story.
Students'
math scores
now best in the Southeast NCCBI
President Phil Kirk (far right), in his role as
chairman of the State Board of Education, confers with
Gov. Mike Easley as they and State Superintendent of
Public Instruction Mike Ward announce that math scores
of fourth- and eighth-graders in North Carolina are
now the highest in the Southeast and among the tops in
the nation. Read
that story.
Legislative News
House panel debates Patients Bill of Rights The
House Health Committee takes up its version of a Patients Bill
of Rights and NCCBI President Phil Kirk is the only lobbyist
willing to stand up for businesses by telling the lawmakers
that the legislation will cause health care costs to go up and
force some small businesses to drop employee health plans. Read
that story. Read
an op-ed column by Kirk on the issue.
Legislative News
EMC
forced to narrow scope of air quality rule Based
on input from North Carolina's business community, the state
Environmental Management Commission (EMC) significantly
narrowed the scope of an air quality rule by agreeing not to
impose the same strict new rules on small factories that only
emit small amounts of pollution as on major plants and other
large facilities that emit large volumes of emissions. Read
that story. Over
NCCBI's objections, state renews air quality pact with
Tennessee.
Check
the NCCBI master calendar
of meetings and events
for the schedule of Fall Area Meetings.
Visit us at 225
Hillsborough Street, Suite 460, Raleigh, N.C.
Write to us at P.O. Box 2508, Raleigh, N.C. 27602
Call us at 919.836.1400 or fax us at 919.836.1425
e-mail: info@nccbi.org
The
early momentum for a $440.4 million tax package cobbled
together by House Democrats as the solution to the state’s
budget dilemma dissipated amid complaints from the Senate
leadership that the House plan will hurt the state in the long
run. As the Democrats squabbled over which taxes to raise,
Republicans in the legislature continued to assert that
spending cuts alone can pull back spending in line with
existing revenues. With the Democrats at odds and Republicans
throwing brickbats, it appears that the legislative session --
now a month into overtime -- won't end any time soon. 
Based
on input from North Carolina's business community, the state
Environmental Management Commission (EMC) significantly
narrowed the scope of an air quality rule by agreeing not to
impose the same strict new rules on small factories that only
emit small amounts of pollution as on major plants and other
large facilities that emit large volumes of emissions. 
Check
the NCCBI 