3 JUDGE PANEL BLOCKS NC'S 20 WEEK ABORTION BAN: The law tightened the definition of a medical emergency and extended the waiting period before a woman could obtain an abortion, among other changes. The underlying law, both before and after the 2015 changes, allows abortion within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. “The amendments impose additional regulations on abortion providers by restricting who may perform abortions and what information providers must report to North Carolina; the amendments reduce the availability of abortion to women facing medical emergencies; and the amendments extend the mandated waiting period women must observe before obtaining an abortion,” a panel of three judges from the court wrote in a unanimous opinion.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article252154278.html

TILLIS PUSHES BILL TO DEFUND TEACHING THE 1619 PROJECT: “The 1619 Project is a racially divisive and revisionist account of history that threatens the integrity of the Union by denying the true principles on which it was founded,” the legislation says. The legislation would prohibit federal funds from being used by any elementary or secondary school to teach the project. It calls for reducing federal funds to schools that do teach it by the costs associated with teaching the 1619 Project, including planning time and teaching time. “Americans do not want their tax dollars going towards promoting radical ideologies meant to divide us instead of being used to promote the principles that unite our nation,” Tillis said in a statement. The 1619 Project has been lumped together with Critical Race Theory as Republican lawmakers object to new ways of teaching American history.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article252107873.html

DON'T TELL WOMEN WHAT THEY CAN DO WITH THEIR BODIES, FUND THE SERVICES THEY NEED: So when we talk about why, why a prenatal diagnosis of down syndrome can be so frightening for a family. I think it is important that we consider, maybe it’s because we have not provided adequate supports for these families and for their children. We must work towards reducing stigma and providing supports. We know how to do that. We know that early childhood intervention services can change the trajectory for a child with down syndrome. Yet these services are woefully underfunded. We know that as these children grow some will need community living supports, and yet, these services are not readily available to those who have the greatest need. Colleagues, if we want to get serious about walking with women through their journey of a prenatal diagnosis, the prescription is not to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body. The prescription is funding for services, information for families, and comfort for families in knowing that their child will have access to education, therapies and the medical supports that they need.
https://www.wral.com/sarah-crawford-don-t-tell-women-what-they-can-do-with-their-bodies-fund-service...

JUDGE WARNS LEGISLATURE TO PROPERLY FUND NC SCHOOLS: A state judge is warning that he may force lawmakers to act if they don’t begin funding a multi-billion dollar plan to provide every North Carolina student with a sound basic education. This week, state Superior Court Judge David Lee signed a court order approving a plan from the State Board of Education and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration that calls for at least $5.6 billion in new education funding through 2028. Lee said in the order that “time is of the essence” because so many children aren’t getting what they need educationally. “If the State fails to implement the actions described in the Comprehensive Remedial Plan … ’it will then be the duty of this Court to enter a judgment granting declaratory relief and such other relief as needed to correct the wrong,’” Lee wrote in the order. In a January 2020 court order, Lee said the state is further behind than it was in the 1990s in terms of providing students with a sound basic education.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article252022683.html

GOP BUDGET PACKAGE INCLUDES MASSIVE TAX CUTS FOR CORPORATIONS: North Carolina's top Republican lawmakers say they'll include tax cuts in a budget they plan to pass later this summer. Leaders in the House and the Senate released a statement Tuesday saying that, while they don't yet have a budget deal, they've agreed to include no more than $25.7 billion in the spending plan for the two-year period that starts in July. That would amount to a 3.45% increase in spending. It's significantly less than the $27.3 billion Gov. Roy Cooper proposed in his own budget plan. The legislative proposal also doesn't include Medicaid expansion, a top priority for the governor. Their announcement didn't provide details of the tax cuts, but Rep. Jason Saine, R-Lincoln, a House budget writer, said it will likely be similar to a package backed last month by the Senate that cuts both corporate and personal income tax rates.
https://www.wral.com/nc-budget-to-include-tax-cuts-infrastructure-spending-legislative-leaders-annou...