All in Politics
Gov. Roy Cooper signed two relief bills into law on Monday, May 4, that will provide assistance to the state as it deals with COVID-19. The two bills, House Bill 1043 and Senate Bill 704, include almost $1.6 billion in relief measures related to public health and safety, education, small business assistance and state government operations.
Today, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors took action in response to House Bill 1043. The bill includes $125 million to provide grants to entities for the purpose of making loans to assist small businesses affected by the economic impact of COVID-19. Effective today, loans made from the program to small businesses will include a limit on the number of employees per business, a minimum interest rate for the first six months of the loan term, and an increased time for repayment.
Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed May 3-9 Hurricane Preparedness Week in North Carolina and reminded residents that now is the time to prepare for the 2020 hurricane season. Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30.
On Friday, May 1 Governor Roy Cooper appointed three judges to serve Brunswick, Cumberland and Duplin, Jones, Onslow and Sampson counties. Mario White will serve as a District Court Judge in Judicial District 4, which serves Duplin, Jones, Onslow and Sampson counties.
Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) released the following statement after Governor Roy Cooper announced elective surgeries may resume effective immediately in the state of North Carolina.
“Last week we shared details on key indicators we’re watching to ensure data and facts guide our decisions. Those graphs are updated daily on the Case Count Dashboard at http://nc.gov/covid19. We remain optimistic the trends will be stable enough to move us into Phase 1 next week.”
State Auditor Beth Wood released a Greene County investigative report with three findings:
The County Manager failed to demonstrate a commitment to integrity and ethical values by requesting that a vendor alter an invoice date.
The County failed to properly maintain its financial records and prepare its financial statements timely.
County employees spent more than $95,000 on credit card purchases without adequate documentation
With the election in November on the horizon, whether Lenoir County residents will use the ExpressVote machines will be up for the courts to decide as the NC NAACP has filed suit against many counties, including Lenoir County. The current Chair of the Lenoir County Board of Elections, Courtney Patterson, is also an Executive Committee member of the NC NAACP, the organization bringing forth the lawsuit.
Today, Governor Roy Cooper held a press conference where he discussed the phases he rolled out recently, the National Guard deployment in our state, NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 500 race possibility on Memorial Day Weekend and his response to a question regarding Reopen NC.
Governor Cooper released a recommended budget plan to invest $1.4 billion in emergency funds to help North Carolina respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding for this proposal would come predominantly from the state’s share of the federal CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) and would be appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly in its upcoming session.
Local representatives expressed concern over economic impacts of continued economic shutdown.
REOPEN NC Founder Ashley Smith chats with Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy on yesterday's Coronavirus Chat. We discussed her qualifications to lead the group, their communication with Governor Cooper's office this week, what their group's goals are and more.
On Thursday afternoon, Governor Cooper announced that he is extending the Stay at Home order until May 8th. Gov. Cooper also unveiled a three-phased plan to get to a new normal. A decision on schools will be announced on Friday.
Gov. Cooper and members of the Coronavirus Task Force will hold a briefing on COVID-19 updates at 3:00 pm today. Cooper is expected to unveil his plans to phase in reopening NC. Earlier this week he said that he would also discuss schools later in the week. At 4:00 pm today, Neuse News will interview Ashley Smith, founder of the Reopen NC Facebook Group, which held a large protest in Raleigh on Tuesday.
Today we welcomed Lt. Governor Dan Forest on Coronavirus Chat with Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy. We discussed our healthcare system, the status of PPE's and testing, how to Reopen NC, what about going back to school, and more.
Today, Governor Cooper issued an Executive Order allowing furloughed employees who received compensation to also be eligible for unemployment compensation. He also addressed the need to make more funding available for small business owners through the Golden LEAF Foundation’s Rapid Recovery Program.
Governor Roy Cooper announced today that North Carolina has been approved for the new Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program, to help families purchase food for children impacted by school closings due to COVID-19. NCDHHS is working to operationalize the program and families will begin to receive this benefit in coming weeks.
The Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) authorized up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees during the COVID-19 crisis. The SBA is currently unable to accept new applications for the Paycheck Protection Program based on available appropriations funding. NC House Representative Chris Humphrey and colleagues issued a letter to the NC Congressional Delegation requesting more appropriations for the PPP.
In the last month, more than 630,000 people have filed for unemployment insurance benefits in North Carolina, mostly due to the impacts of COVID-19. By the end of the next week, the Division of Employment Security plans to have more than three times its original staffing in place to respond to the surge in claims and ensure payments go out as quickly as possible.
North Carolina lawmakers today blasted government restrictions that allow retail stores to operate at limited capacity while prohibiting churches from operating under those same rules. Senator Jim Perry in a letter to Governor Cooper wrote, “Why can’t houses of worship be subject to the same 20% occupancy restrictions that you’ve allowed businesses to operate under?”
