In Short: What to Watch in the N.C. Legislature This Spring

The North Carolina state legislature comes back to Raleigh this week to make adjustments to the budget and tackle bills lawmakers didn’t finish last year. Here’s a look at what might come up in the so-called short session:

No Private School Left Behind: House Speaker Tim Moore has called for $300 million more for the private school voucher program after more than 72,000 people applied this year. The initial round of “Opportunity Scholarships” are set to mostly go to lower-income families. Some lawmakers want to expand the program, WUNC explains.

Proponents of the vouchers say they give families more choices, though critics argue the program pulls resources from public schools, as we reported last year.

Gimme a (Tax) Break: Moore has said the legislature could look for more tax breaks and raises for state employees, per WUNC. Individual income tax rates are set to drop to 4.25 percent next year, down from 4.5 percent.

Heads of four state agencies told The Assembly last year that companies doing business in the state were hurt by the state’s inability to retain and hire employees because of low wages.

ICE Cold: The state Senate is likely to pick up legislation that passed the House last year that would require sheriffs to tell Immigration and Customs Enforcement if they can’t determine the immigration status of people charged with certain crimes. They would also have to comply with ICE orders to temporarily hold people the federal government thinks are in the country illegally.

We’ve written about the relationship between local sheriffs and ICE previously. Polls show many voters are concerned about immigration in this election, according to The News & Observer.

Odds Are: GOP leaders have downplayed the likelihood of authorizing more casinos but have also said video lottery terminals might be on the agenda. General Assembly staff said a proposal last year to sanction and regulate terminals could bring in more than $400 million a year by mid-2028, according to the Associated Press.

The State Faces a Looming Budget Shortfall. Is Gambling the Answer?

Following years of tax cuts and increased state spending, analysts project major budget deficits. Casinos and other proposed solutions have been divisive.