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Budget, Taxation & Economy
Senate and House unveil spending proposals during budget gridlock
With budget negotiations stalled over disagreements on personal income tax rate cuts and revenue triggers, both chambers unveiled two spending bills this week. On Monday, the Senate released a revamped…
Research Brief
Agriculture
How tariffs once again threaten North Carolina farmers
In 2018, American farmers were blindsided by a trade war they didn’t start that resulted in federal bailouts for farmers with a total price tag to taxpayers of $28 billion. That…
Elections & Public Integrity
North Carolina’s misconception of the State Board of Elections’ history
For nearly a decade now, the composition and ownership of the North Carolina Board of Elections (NCSBE) have been a contested battle between the General Assembly and the Governor. The…
Elections & Public Integrity
When should legislators recuse themselves?
The North Carolina General Assembly deals with a cornucopia of issues affecting people’s pocketbooks. Many of those issues affect the finances of legislators themselves. One case that has recently received…
Research Brief
Education
Making Opportunity Scholarships available to middle- and higher-income households doesn’t make it bad policy
The growth of OSP highlights the inequities and inefficiencies in how North Carolina funds public schools. Any real solution will have to remedy those problems. A new report from the State Board of…
Law & Public Safety
Today is the 20th anniversary of one of the Supreme Court’s worst decisions ever: Kelo v. City of New London
Eminent domain refers to the government’s power to take land from property owners without the owners’ consent. The Takings Clause, which appears in the Fifth Amendment to the United States…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
North Carolina Investment Authority: Governance reform amid rising unfunded liabilities
With more than $55 billion in unfunded retirement liabilities, the State Investment Modernization Act (House Bill 506) represents a significant reform of the state retirement system’s governance and financial management.
Research Brief
Liberty
Why cutting incentives for renewables would help consumers
The badly named Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) flooded the economy with virtually unlimited incentives for “clean energy” projects. Advocates for the bill touted a figure of $369 billion…
Research Brief
Elections & Public Integrity
The Sixteen Thirty Fund: a conduit of outside money into North Carolina politics
On May 5, the John Locke Foundation profiled Arabella Advisors, the “godfather of the left’s dark money.” One of the largest organizations in the Arabella network is the Sixteen Thirty…
Agriculture
When steel gets costly, so does dinner
President Donald Trump’s return to office has revived one of his most controversial economic weapons: tariffs. Framed as a patriotic strategy to protect American manufacturing, especially the steel industry, Trump’s…
Health Care
State budget discussions should include CON repeal
While the main budgetary sticking point between the House and Senate is their differences on tax reform, there’s an important issue that could go a long way toward making healthcare…
Law & Public Safety
Deja vu all over again?
I hope I’m wrong, but the anti-ICE riots in LA and other cities are distrubingly similar to the anti-police riots that did so much harm in 2020. With that in…