Under the Dome: Should North Carolina recognize a state cookie?
Good morning and welcome to the Under the Dome newsletter. I’m Caitlyn Yaede. First up, a dispatch from Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan.
State Rep. Donny Lambeth, a Winston-Salem Republican, is trying again to create two new state symbols, both of them Moravian. Being run as two separate bills this year, the legislation sailed through the House in 2023 as one bill that would make the new state star the Moravian star, and the new state cookie the Moravian cookie.
In a committee Tuesday, Lambeth acknowledged that the Senate stops bills like these because the other chamber thinks they are “too silly.” But not to Lambeth, and not to the third and fourth graders who proposed the ideas. North Carolina elementary school students learn about state symbols in fourth grade. There are quite a range of them already, but not a star nor a cookie.
You can read my 2023 coverage of the Moravian symbols, including the history, ties to Old Salem and an interview with the teacher whose class proposed the idea. Lambeth brought Moravian cookies to the House when they passed the bill in 2023, but said this time he’ll only bring them if the Senate is willing to take up the legislation, too. He also said that if the bill becomes law, Gov. Josh Stein could sign the bill at a school so the students could learn more about state government.
– Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan
REALITY CHECK: ARE THREE NC FEDERAL BUILDINGS UP FOR SALE?
Last week, the U.S. General Services Administration posted three North Carolina federal buildings for sale on its website before immediately removing the listings.
The fate of the facilities — located in Asheville, Greenville and Raleigh – remains unclear, as the GSA’s website now teases “Coming Soon” where the postings used to be.
The listed buildings:
The Veach-Baley Federal Complex in Asheville
The federal courthouse in Greenville, an annex of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of North Carolina.
A former vehicle maintenance building located behind the federal courthouse in Raleigh.
The GSA’s website says such sales are to ensure that taxpayer money is not wasted on vacant or unutilized spaces. But much of the space in these buildings is in use. Danielle Battaglia has more on these properties and the threats federal offices are facing statewide under the Trump administration.
SENATE COMMITTEES HEAR FROM STEIN APPOINTEES
Two Senate committees hosted confirmation hearings for Cabinet appointees of Gov. Josh Stein on Tuesday.
First, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard from Eddie Buffaloe, who has served as the secretary of the Department of Public Safety since being appointed by former Gov. Roy Cooper in November 2021. Prior to his service in Cooper’s cabinet, Buffaloe spent 11 years as a police chief across two municipalities, and served in Elizabeth City when a police officer fatally shot 42-year-old Andrew Brown Jr.
Born and raised in Eastern North Carolina, Buffaloe emphasized ongoing natural disaster relief efforts, saying it was “unacceptable” that some North Carolinians are still displaced from the damage caused by Helene.
As various immigration bills make their way through the General Assembly, the committee questioned whether the DPS under Buffaloe would cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He agreed to abide by the law in an “expedited manner.”
The Senate Committee on State and Local Government heard from Gabriel Esparza — Stein’s pick to lead the Department of Administration and the state’s first Latino Cabinet member. He testified about innovation in the department’s 12 divisions — something he says is aided by his 25 years of private-sector experience.
HOUSE DEMS FILE BILL TO RAISE MINIMUM WAGE
A bill filed by House Democrats on Monday would annually increase the state’s minimum wage.
House Bill 353 proposes a $2 increase in the minimum wage annually until it reaches $18 in 2030, with continued adjustments for inflation in the years to follow. The bill also includes a provision that would hold employers liable for attorney fees in the event of unpaid wages.
Rep. Marcia Morey of Durham, among other Democrats, sponsored the bill.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE WORKING ON
A global research nonprofit based in Durham announced more layoffs on Monday — the latest since funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development froze. Most of FHI 360’s revenue comes from USAID, which the Trump administration has targeted in its attempts to reduce the size of the federal workforce. More than 370 of the nonprofit’s employees in North Carolina are on leave. Brian Gordon has the details.
After Helene, North Carolina closed all 13 of its state parks west of Interstate 77. Now, after South Mountains State Park announced plans to reopen this spring, only two parks will remain closed, Richard Stradling reports. Damaged roadways and bridges have left both Chimney Rock and Mount Mitchell state parks still shuttered.
The latest bill filed by Senate leader Phil Berger, the Energy Security and Affordability Act, would get rid of a goal for power companies to reduce greenhouse emissions by 2030. Berger called targets for emissions reductions “arbitrary benchmarks,” Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi reports. The bill was already approved by the Agriculture, Energy and Environment Committee and will head to the Senate Rules Committee before it goes for a vote on the floor.
A bill filed in the House restricts what types of flags can be flown on government property, and critics argue it may open the doors to restricting the rights of people to fly LGBTQ+ flags and Ukrainian flags, among others. House Bill 244’s primary sponsor, Republican Rep. Brian Echevarria, says neutrality is the bill’s goal. Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi has the details.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE READING
Federal payments to farmers froze in January and, now, some in North Carolina say they are hit particularly hard by these delays. Funding to fight climate change, for farmers in disaster relief areas and for conservation programs are among those that have yet to be received. The Border Belt Independent’s Ben Rappaport has more.
WUNC’s Colin Campbell sat down with Sen. Benton Sawrey of Johnston County to learn more about the cost of health care for North Carolinians, as recently filed legislation seeks to tackle just that. Sawrey co-chairs the Senate’s committees on health care.
Today’s newsletter was by Caitlyn Yaede and Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol.
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