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Wed: Catching Up
posted at 2009-04-22 09:45 | Last modified 2009-04-22 09:45
It’s that time again – Fund Drive time! I’ll be spending a lot of time on the air this week from our Chapel Hill studios, which means a lot less time at the legislature. Necessary, sure, but unfortunate – it’s a busy, busy week.
Senate Finance is poised to roll out a tax reform package today that lowers income and sales tax rates overall, but applies taxes to a long list of services that are currently exempt. It also includes a franchise tax on LLCs, a 15 cent per pack tobacco tax hike, and an additional excise tax on alcohol. The AP has more early details. Listen for the formal introduction in Senate Finance committee at 1pm this afternoon. You can catch the 544 audio stream here.
State Health Plan head Jack Walker announced yesterday the plan will slow down its payments to providers next week to conserve cash. Meantime, Governor Bev Perdue urged lawmakers to settle on a compromise reform bill and send the money some bailout money by Friday. She also said some encouraging things about tax revenues, and called for more aid for small businesses. Greensboro’s Mark Binker has all the goods plus audio.
The House also gave preliminary approval to H148, the urban transit tax option. It would allow cities to impose an additional local sales tax of up to a half cent for transit programs. The N&O’s Bruce Siceloff has lots more here.
House Education okayed H593, allowing local school boards to opt out of the later start date mandated by the legislature in 2004. It's headed for House Commerce. The AP’s Gary Robertson covered that debate.
Also in the mix
- The municipal campaign public financing bill, H120, finally made it through the third reading in the House yesterday after being amended to limit the pilot program to cities larger than 50,000. It was still a pretty tight vote – 60 to 56. That’s headed for the Senate.
- The spanking opt-out bill, H442, made it through House J1 intact and is headed for the House floor.
- The mountaintop coal ban, H340, didn’t fare so well. Sponsor Pricey Harrison pulled it after an hour of debate in House Environment. There was a lot of sympathy and support for the concept, but one lawmaker after another said it was a federal issue that ought to be addressed by Congress, not Jones St.
More later. Meantime, if you haven't made a pledge, please do -- it's public support that keeps the lights on around here. You can contribute online or the old-fashioned way, 1-800-962-9862.
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