North State Journal Vol. 7, Issue 16

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VOLUME 7 ISSUE 16

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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2022

Cooper signs three bills into law Raleigh Gov. Roy Cooper’s office announced he signed three bills into law Tuesday. SB 347, Captive Insurance Amendments, makes technical and substantive changes to the laws governing captive insurance companies in the state, which are insurance companies established solely to insure the risks of a specific company or group. SB 448, Amendments to Schedule VI of the CSA, would make prescription drugs containing marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) lawful in North Carolina automatically if the following factors are met: The FDA approves the use of the prescription drug and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) makes the appropriate change to the federal controlled substance schedules. HB 315, Arson Law Revisions, increases the punishment for certain arson offenses, amends the offense of arson resulting in injury to a firefighter, law enforcement officer, fire investigator, or emergency medical technician, and requires additional criminal history and background checks of applicants to fire departments. Each bill passed with large bipartisan majorities in the General Assembly.

AP PHOTO

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., left, and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., leave the U.S. Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Burr, Tillis sign on to gun bill framework

NSJ STAFF

Budd uncovers 567,000 federal prisoners received stimulus payments Washington, D.C. Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Budd (NC-13) says the Biden administration sent more stimulus payments to federal prisoners than they originally disclosed in letter from the U.S. Treasury Department. “After the revelation that the convicted Boston Marathon bomber received a $1,400 stimulus check, I began to dig into how much taxpayer money did the Biden administration send out to criminals serving in federal prison. The answer I received is truly outrageous. Nearly 600,000 incarcerated individuals receiving upwards of $1 billion is a disgrace to hardworking taxpayers of North Carolina,” Budd said in a statement. The amount sent to incarcerated individuals was $80 million higher than the amount originally released nearly a year ago. The payments were sent to federal prisoners through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. NSJ STAFF

Musk to address Twitter employees for 1st time this week San Francisco Elon Musk will address Twitter employees Thursday for the first time since the billionaire and Tesla CEO offered $44 billion to buy the social media platform, the company said Tuesday. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal announced an allhands meeting to employees in an email on Monday, saying they’d be able to submit questions in advance, according to The Wall Street Journal. Musk reached a deal to acquire Twitter in April, but he has clashed with the company repeatedly since then over the number of bots, or fake accounts, that exist on the social media platform. Musk said he was putting the deal on hold on May 13, saying he needed more data from the company about those bot accounts.

By Matt Mercer North State Journal

Public comment period open following challenge to NCSBE absentee ballot memo By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The North Carolina State Board of Elections has announced the opening of a public comment period following a letter requesting a declaratory ruling related to a numbered memo issued by the head of the department. The request was filed on May 14 by the North Carolina Republican Party, Cumberland County Board of Elections member James H. Baker and Jerry Alan Branson, a candidate and voter from Guilford County. A press release from the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) states “North Carolina law currently requires an absentee voter to confirm their identity by having two witnesses or a notary attest that the voter completed their ballot.” The press release then claims that “This request seeks an additional layer of verification for absentee voters.” The “additional layer” sought by the request letter is the reversal of a numbered memo issued by NCSBE Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell regarding absentee ballots. While state law does not specifically state voter signatures on absentee ballots need to be

compared, the request filed by the NCGOP outlines Brinson Bell’s memo orders county boards of elections not to verify signatures on absentee returns. The NCGOP’s request states “NCSBE Numbered Memo (“N.M.”) 2020-15, issued by NCSBE Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell, provides that “County boards should accept the signature on the absentee request form if it appears to be made by the voter or their near relative or legal guardian. The voter’s signature should not be compared with the voter’s signature on file because this is not required by North Carolina law.” “It is incomprehensible that the NC Board of Elections would actively prohibit County Boards from using signatures that they already have on file to verify absentee ballots,” NCGOP Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement to North State Journal. “The commonsense measures that the NCGA has put in place to protect the ballot in North Carolina - such as signature verification requirements for absentee ballots - are critical election integrity safeguards,” Whatley said. “We encourage the Board of Elections to See BALLOT, page A3 In this Jan. 5, 2021, file photo, elections workers process absentee ballots.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP PHOTO

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s two U.S. Senators—Richard Burr and Thom Tillis—are two of the 10 Republicans who have agreed to a ‘framework’ with Senate Democrats that would enact changes to the nation’s gun laws. A joint statement from the senators, comprising of one-fifth of chamber, outlined some of its provisions. “Today, we are announcing a common-sense, bipartisan pro-

posal to protect America’s children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the threat of violence across our country. Families are scared, and it is our duty to come together and get something done that will help restore their sense of safety and security in their communities,” the statement begins. “Our plan increases needed mental health resources, improves school safety and support for students, and helps ensure dangerous criminals and those See GUNS, page A2

Biden admin rule could withhold federal education funding unless states adopt LGBT policies School meals and other funding could be targeted unless schools adopt Biden admin’s interpretation of Title IX By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service announced on May 5 that it will follow the interpretation of discrimination rules in Title IX previously laid out by the Biden administration. “USDA is committed to administering all its programs with equity and fairness, and serving those in need with the highest dignity,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “A key step in advancing these principles is rooting out discrimination in any form—including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” In June 2021, President Joe Biden’s Department of Education made good on his earlier executive order by reviving the Obama administration’s Title IX sexual and gender identity policies by issuing a Notice of Interpretation declaring their intention to enforce Title IX’s prohibition on sexbased discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity. The USDA statement also said that any entity receiving Food Nutrition Service (FNS) funds would “must investigate allegations of discrimination based on

gender identity or sexual orientation.” The statement went on to say, “Those organizations must also update their non-discrimination policies and signage to include See BIDEN, page A2

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