The North Carolina General Assembly begins its long session in earnest, as the first bills of the session are filed by lawmakers. During the session, the Republican-led General Assembly expects to face multiple conflicts with Democratic Governor Roy Cooper - and the reverse is true. Among the bills filed in the state House today (Wed), are two sponsored by Henderson County Republican Chuck McGrady. One seeks to increase class sizes in Kindergarten through 3rd grade, another calls for an amendment to the state constitution that would protect citizens in eminent domain cases. Committee discussions and floor votes are scheduled to start in Raleigh next week.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper says he will ask the state's business leaders to promote three things during the long session of the General Assembly: increases in education spending, a repeal of House Bill Two, and an expansion of Medicaid. Cooper spoke Wednesday morning at the Public School Forum of North Carolina's annual "Eggs and Issues" breakfast. According to the Charlotte Observer, Cooper told the crowd he wants business leaders to call for increases in teacher pay, not cuts in the state's corporate tax rate.