North State Journal Vol. 4, Issue 22

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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 22

WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2019

Inside Charlotte hosts ACC Football Media Days, page B1

FRANK MICHAUX | NASA VIA AP

Trump, Pence make stops in NC Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., right, walks with President Donald Trump as they arrive on Air Force One at Pitt Greenville Airport, in Greenville, on Wednesday, July 17. Trump spoke to a packed crowd at ECU’s Minges Coliseum. Vice President Mike Pence joined Trump in Greenville after a stop at Fort Bragg earlier in the day.

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

Settlement expands transgender restroom rights in North Carolina Raleigh A federal judge approved a legal settlement Tuesday affirming transgender people’s right to use restrooms matching their gender identity in many North Carolina public buildings. The consent decree is expected to end a protracted lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s so-called bathroom bill and the law that replaced it. The agreement between the plaintiffs and North Carolina’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper says that nothing in the current state law can be interpreted to “prevent transgender people from lawfully using public facilities in accordance with their gender identity” in buildings controlled by the state’s executive branch. In return, plaintiffs have agreed to drop pending legal action against the governor and other defendants. AP

Trump expands fasttrack deportation authority across US San Diego The Trump administration announced Monday that it will vastly extend the authority of immigration officers to deport migrants without allowing them to appear before judges, its second major policy shift on immigration in eight days. Starting Tuesday, fast-track deportations can apply to anyone in the country illegally for less than two years. Kevin McAleenan, the acting Homeland Security secretary, portrayed the nationwide extension of “expedited removal” authority as another Trump administration effort to address an “ongoing crisis on the southern border” by freeing up beds in detention facilities and reducing a backlog of more than 900,000 cases in immigration courts. AP

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JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

Alcohol bills help define legislative session Latest proposed legislation could dramatically change liquor regulations

By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — Senate Bill 290, ABC Regulatory Reform Bill, was sent to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk July 19 after bipartisan support in the General Assembly. With a vote of 86-28 in the House and 31-10 in the Senate, supporters easily ushered the bill through. The bill’s most notable change to existing law allows distilleries in the state to sell beer, wine and liquor for consumption on-site. Distilleries were tightly regulated before in a way that breweries and wineries, who often have bars attached, were not. “The keyword in all this is parity,” Sen. Rick Gunn (R-Alamance), S.B. 290’s primary sponsor, told North State Journal. “We have done a fabulous job with legislation allowing our wine industry and our craft brewing industry to grow and prosper. Unfortunately, we had not done as good a job with our craft distillers, partly because they’re newer, but now we’ve got our hands around the idea that we need to give them some parity to compete in the market.” In addition to allowing distilleries to serve alcohol for on-premise consumption, limits on sales for off-premises consumption were also lifted. There had been a cap of five bottles per year per customer, which S.B. 290 eliminated. The bill also allows ABC stores to have tasting events of liquor inside its stores and allows farmers markets to host tastings of malt beverages. The original bill would have allowed bars and other on-premise alcohol vendors to sell two alcoholic drinks at a time to single patrons, but Minority Leader Darren Jackson (D-Wake) proposed a floor amendment removing the two-drink provision for drinks containing liquor. Jackson’s amendment passed See ALCOHOL, page A2

“The keyword in all this is parity.” Sen. Rick Gunn (R-Alamance)

Judges rule voter ID law can be implemented NSJ staff RALEIGH — A three-judge panel ruled Friday that voter ID implementation can move forward in North Carolina, dismissing all but one of the six claims in a lawsuit challenging legislation implementing a constitutional amendment approved by voters last fall. While the judges did not completely dismiss the case, the court won’t stop IDs from being required in upcoming elections as the case continues forward. The case, Holmes v. Moore, was a state

court challenge brought by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice in Wake County. Voters last November passed a constitutional amendment requiring voter ID. The court ruled Friday that the six voters challenging the resulting law presented enough evidence on one claim to keep going but denied their request for a preliminary injunction, which would have blocked implementation of the law. The plaintiffs allege the law See VOTER ID, page A2

NC State Health Plan network reopens sign-up period By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The State Treasurer’s Office and State Health Plan have reopened enrollment for hospitals to sign up for the State Health Plan Network and the Clear Pricing Project (CPP) rates are being adjusted upward. In addition, the State Health Plan’s payments to some rural and urban hospitals on average will be increased to almost double the amount paid by Medicare. “We heard from some that missed the deadline and we have an obligation to our members to do everything possible to fill out this network,” said North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell. “We’ve had hundreds of conversations with hospitals and other medical providers,” said Dee Jones, executive administrator of the State Health Plan. “We listened, and we heard you. We are absolutely committed to looking at all options that will maintain price transparency, reduce costs and improve outcomes for our members.” The new sign-up period, which began Monday, will last for 10 days and end at midnight on Aug. 5. Only a handful of the hospitals in the state signed on before the July 1 negotiating deadline. Folwell said this new proposal was a “final offer” and would give hospitals $116 million more than previously offered. Folwell also said he hopes the offer will urge hospitals to respond and “stop the unreasonable attacks.” On average, the new increases for medical providers will be from 182 to 196 percent of Medicare, while combined inpatient/ outpatient ratios for urban hospitals will go from 178 to 200 percent of Medicare on avSee HEALTH, page A2


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