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Bad Bill of the Year Tournament
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HB 1015: A Flood of Tax Code in a Sinking Economy
The federal and state tax codes in this country are confusing at best and unintelligible at worst. In fact, there is a whole group of people who dedicate their entire adult lives to breaking these codes and using their knowledge to help others. We call these enlightened beings “accountants”, and without them, many of us [...]
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SB 447: Making it Harder to Start Your Own Landscaping Business
The specter of occupational licensing is once again growing in North Carolina, threatening to make it harder for people to find work. In this case the culprit is SB 447, a bill that would dramatically increase the licensing and regulation of landscape contractors in North Carolina. The bill was passed by the House Commerce Committee [...]
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HB 1136: Pro-Choicers Want Uninformed Choice
Once again, pro-choice advocates are making themselves look pro-abortion. And they are using HB 1136, The Woman’s Right to Choose Act, to do so. Sponsored by Reps. Alma Adams (D-Guilford), Verla Insko (D-Orange), Beverly M. Earle (D-Mecklenburg), and Deborah K. Ross (D-Wake), this legislation would repeal the Woman’s Right to Know Act (S.L. 2011-405). Under [...]
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HB 1166: A Tune The Taxpayer Will Not Sing
Raising taxes on wage earners and small businesses seems to be the tune most opponents of a free market system like to sing as of late. A tune that the typical taxpayer doesn’t care to hear. Members of the General Assembly have recently proposed a tax hike that would affect many people and businesses. And [...]
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HB 1149: Do the Central Planners Ever Learn?
“Government should encourage mortgage lenders to make risky loans to an ‘underserved’ population; loans that wouldn’t otherwise be made without political pressure or incentives.” Does that sound like federal policies of the last decade that in large part gave rise to the housing bubble, the bursting of which prompted our economy to spiral into the [...]
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HB 1139: Greenbacks for Green Business
Remember the embarrassing Solyndra debacle perpetrated by the federal government? You would think that North Carolina lawmakers would have learned a lesson about the futility of granting government privileges to inefficient “green” energy schemes. Think again. HB 1139, “Promote Renewable Jobs,” sponsored by Reps. Jennifer Weiss (D-Wake), Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), Paul Luebke (D-Durham), and Chuck [...]
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SB 861: Furniture Subsidy Has No Leg to Stand On
North Carolina is a fantastic state in which to live. It has oceans, mountains, and lovely locations in between. For instance, in the middle of the state we find the city of High Point. Ask anyone about High Point and their response is sure to include the topic of furniture. Every year, the High Point [...]
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HB 1010: Spending Money Like it’s Free
As North Carolina continues to struggle with one of the worst unemployment rates in the country, many families are finding ways to trim their household budget. But how many of you would think that adding an expensive cable channel that nobody watches would count as tightening your budget? Representative Ray Rapp does. Rapp (D-Haywood), along [...]
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Bad Bill of the Week: SB 691 – Raising Rates on Driving
Nobody likes going to the DMV. The lines are long, the wait is longer, and the service is generally subpar most times. It’s hard to imagine how people can tolerate waiting at the DMV without going mad. While the DMV experience is already dreadful, Senate Bill 691 seeks to also make it more expensive. SB [...]
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Bad Bill of the Week: SB 527: Taxpayer Bailout of Risky Investments
SB 527, “Life Science Development Act”, has once again resurfaced from the depths of buried legislation. Similar legislation was proposed in the 2009-2010 and the 2010-2011 sessions, failing to go anywhere each time. Indeed, the 2009 version was also the recipient of a Bad Bill of the Week award. Yet here it is again. It [...]
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Bad Bill of the Week: HB135 – “Eccentric Energy Efficiency Enforcement”
Energy efficiency is all the rage these days. “Green” products are hip, and saving the environment is supposedly as easy as turning your lights off at night. There is nothing wrong with individuals engaging in voluntary actions they perceive will help reduce our ecological footprint. Moreover, such actions can also lower utility bills, helping us [...]
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Bad Bill of the Week: HB 879: People are not ATM Machines
The ATM is a wonderful device. It allows someone short on cash to quickly and efficiently replenish their wallet, allowing them to spend more money as they see fit. Yet it is not magic; what you spend is your own, and it will come to an end sooner or later. Yet some House members seem [...]
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Bad Bill of the Week: SB 558 – Unhealthy Government Intrusion
Senate Bill 558 Healthy Families & Workplaces/Paid Sick Days (McKissick D-Durham) offers up an unhealthy dose of government intrusion into voluntary labor agreements. (There is an equivalent House Bill, HB 223 sponsored by Alma Adams, D-Guilford). The bill would mandate a certain threshold of paid sick days, and also detail what qualifies as a paid [...]
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Bad Bill of the Week: Senate Bill 471 – The Nanny State Reaches Farther
Those who thought last November’s election meant there would be less intrusion into families and raising children are going to get a reality check with Senate Bill 471. It carries the mom and apple pie title of Youth Skin Cancer Prevention Act and is sponsored by Sen. William R. Purcell (D-Scotland) ; Sen. Eric Mansfield [...]
Weekly Newsletter
@NCCivitas
- SB 306 “Capital Punishments/Amendments” – You Will Never Live Long Enough to See Justice Done http://t.co/jxGeLAgmXs #ncpol
- Rapidly Growing Burden of State Retiree Benefits http://t.co/PzpZV9OqdI #ncpol
- Medicaid Blues http://t.co/iX6ffoOOT8 #ncpol #ncgop
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