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| A summary of news from Raleigh that affects Duke University, Duke Health, and Duke LifePoint Healthcare. November 5, 2021
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In This Issue...
- N.C. Legislature Adopts New State and Congressional District Maps
- Budget Negotiations Continue
- Joint Legislative Commission Reviews Pandemic Response
- Sports Wagering Bill Advances in N.C. House
- Governor Vetoes Emergency Powers Bill
- Municipal Election Results
- Session Resources
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N.C. Legislature Adopts New State and Congressional District Maps
The North Carolina House and Senate gave final approval to new state and congressional district maps this week. The state legislature is statutorily required to redraw legislative district maps every ten years as part of the decennial redistricting process in order to account for population changes and maintain equal representation in districts. Republican leaders described this year's redistricting process as being unprecedentedly fair, transparent and open for members of the public to provide input. The N.C. House and Senate Redistricting Committees agreed upon criteria to draw legislative districts with compactness, equal population and contiguous boundaries, and without consideration of data related to race, partisanship or election results. Despite guardrails in place, the approved maps give Republicans a significant advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives, the N.C. House of Representatives, and the N.C. Senate.
Democrats and other critics have heavily criticized the maps for having a predetermined and unfair political outcome given that North Carolina is considered a purple state. North Carolina has been at the epicenter of gerrymandering legal battles for decades, and the new maps appear poised for future court proceedings. Last Friday, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice filed the first lawsuit over the proposed congressional map and it's likely that others will follow. For a full breakdown of the new state and congressional districts, visit our State Relations Blog.
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Budget Negotiations Continue
House and Senate Republican leaders continued budget negotiations this week with Governor Roy Cooper. Senate Leader Phil Berger said that the state leaders were far apart on a final budget agreement, meaning that the General Assembly could move forward with its own budget proposal soon. Speaker of the House Tim Moore announced this week that the House will likely vote on a budget the week of November 15. Legislative leaders and Governor Cooper have stated that about 90% of the budget is agreed upon, but the differences that remain are significant. Medicaid expansion continues to be a point of contention. In light of the recent federal incentives in the American Rescue Plan Act for non-expansion states, Senator Berger told reporters this week that he agrees with including Medicaid expansion in the budget to compromise on other issues with Governor Cooper. However, the House Republican Caucus continues to express opposition to expansion has not included it in any budget proposals.
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Joint Legislative Commission Reviews Pandemic Response
The Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on Governmental Operations Subcommittee on Use and Distribution of Federal COVID-19 Funding convened this week to discuss the state's overall response to the pandemic and how federal relief funding is being utilized. The subcommittee received a presentation from John Connaughton at UNC-Charlotte on North Carolina's economic forecast. Connaughton described the state's predicted economic growth, job gains and losses, unemployment rates and industry recovery. Justin Lessler, an epidemiologist at UNC Gillings School of Public Health, gave the subcommittee an update on North Carolina's COVID-19 trends, the success of prevention measures, and what the state can expect moving forward. The committee also received a presentation from Anita Brown-Graham, a lawyer and professor of public law and government at UNC-Chapel Hill, about pandemic-related economic stresses for local government and keys to economic recovery. The joint commission will convene again in the coming weeks to continue its review of the state's actions and spending in response to the pandemic.
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Sports Wagering Bill Advances in N.C. House
A bill advanced in the House Committee on Commerce this week that would legalize and tax sports betting in North Carolina. The legislation sets up the regulatory framework for licensed sports wagering businesses in the state to offer on-site betting at or near sporting facilities, as well as online gambling for college, professional and some amateur sports. The North Carolina Education Lottery Commission could issue up to 12 interactive sports wagering operator licenses, along with supplier licenses for these operators. The state would collect money from license fees and an 8% tax on the operators' gross revenues that would be divided equally between a special fund to attract sporting events and attractions to the state and the state's General Fund. Bill sponsors argued that sports wagering is already taking place illegally in North Carolina, and that the state should put guardrails in place as well as profit from the tax revenue. The bill passed the Senate earlier this session but has received pushback from legislators on both sides of the aisle. The bill must pass through several other committees before receiving a final vote on the House floor.
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Governor Vetoes Emergency Powers Bill
As anticipated, Governor Cooper vetoed a bill this week that would limit the governor's emergency powers. The legislation would have permitted Governor Cooper, or any future governor in the state, to issue executive orders during an emergency for only seven days. After that, the governor would have to get concurrence from a majority of the Council of State to extend executive orders up to 45 days. Any executive order lasting longer than 45 days would require legislative approval. Republican leaders have criticized Governor Cooper's executive orders throughout the pandemic and have filed multiple bills to curb his emergency powers and override various statewide mandates. In his veto message, the governor said that "critical decisions about stopping deadly diseases, or responding to any other emergency, should stay with experts in public health and safety, not a committee of partisan politicians."
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Municipal Election Results
Elections took place in many municipalities across the state on Tuesday, November 2nd. Elaine O’Neal made history in Durham, winning election to become the city's first Black woman mayor. In the races for Durham City Council, incumbent DeDreana Freeman won in Ward 1 and incumbent Mark-Anthony Middleton won in Ward 2. In Ward 3, Leonardo Williams narrowly defeated AJ Williams. Wake County municipal elections occurred in Angier, Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Morrisville, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Wendell and Zebulon. Election results for these counties can be found here. Raleigh's municipal election was postponed until 2022 for the city to revise their electoral districts based on new population numbers from the 2020 Census. Municipal elections in the city of Raleigh will now be held in even-numbered years going forward.
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Session Resources
The North Carolina General Assembly is in full swing with its legislative session this year. Duke State Relations provides many resources on our website for you to stay up-to-date about legislative activity, including our blog, a list of bills we monitor, and general information about the North Carolina General Assembly and the legislative process. Please contact us if you are interested in becoming involved with advocacy efforts, or if there is a particular legislative issue that you'd like to learn more about.
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