Becki Gray

A bill moving through the North Carolina General Assembly that aggressively addresses the long standing and now critical problem of failing public schools. House Bill 1080, sponsored by Rep. Rob Bryan, Rep. Cecil Brockman and Rep. John Bradford offers three ways to address the very serious problem and to…

The N.C. House finalized its changes to the 2016-17 budget this morning with a strong bipartisan vote, 103-12, on both second reading and third. Members of both parties cited teacher and state employee raises, as well as plans to increase the zero tax bracket. They  agreed “overall…

There are several tax reforms being considered during the short session.  Whether it’s increasing the standard deduction (aka zero tax bracket), capping the personal income tax rate, moving towards a consumption tax, repealing the capital gains, changing the way expenses are deducted, there are lots…

The question of how to pay for ferries and who pays is a recurring one for the General Assembly, going back at least to 2003.  The ferry toll question has been a hot topic in elections, a dilemma for traffic planners, and a bargaining chip in…

I’ve heard that HB2 is complicated.  That it’s confusing, that no one knows what to do. Did Charlotte have the authority to enact the ordinance that started all this?  Can the General Assembly undo what Charlotte did?  Where does one turn for answers?  At JLF, we think the Constitution is…

With the General Assembly set to begin the short session on Monday, discussion will focus on the 2016-17 state budget. We’ve heard the Governor’s priorities and have a good idea of where legislative leaders are headed. Think in excess of $22 billion in state funding, but (sit down,…

You’ve heard about the Obama mandates for raising the minimum wage and the consequences that work against sound economics. Regular readers of JLF know the facts, reports, studies, scholarly opinion, arguments and pleas for good economics.  But yet the federal government continues this nonsense. Now…

Some interesting thoughts on commuting in this report, A Commentary on the Notion of Extreme Commutes.  With more and more folks traveling across county lines every day, what impact will these patterns have on NC’s transportation funding?  Will providing safe and viable roadways for commuters be a way to…