There’s more common ground in NC than you might think

Our state is divided, right? There might be more common ground than you think.

The perception is that Republicans and Democrats bicker in the legislature and can’t agree on anything significant. And there is plenty of fighting.

The N.C. Influencers recently ranked “polarization in government and society” as their third-highest concern of 16 issues. The Influencers, a panel of 60 leaders named by The News & Observer, the Charlotte Observer and the Durham Herald-Sun, will answer survey questions and offer comments this year.

But even in this politically charged General Assembly, there was serious legislation with bipartisan support. Here are five bills from the recently concluded legislative session that had substantial support from Republicans and Democrats but were not passed:

▪ Expand high-speed broadband internet in rural areas. Under this bill approved by the House, local governments could have leased wired and wireless network infrastructure to private internet providers. The bill did not allow local governments to offer internet service directly to customers. Supporters say local governments could have used “dark fiber” – capacity in existing infrastructure that connects traffic lights, schools and public facilities. Instead, the legislature offered grants to internet providers and utility cooperatives to offer high-speed internet. But a grant program alone won’t solve problem.

▪ Upgrade K-12 school buildings across the state. Legislation calling for a November school bond referendum of $1.9 billion had both Republican and Democratic sponsors. The state Department of Public Instruction compiled a list of projects totaling $8.1 billion. Even with bipartisan support for the referendum, Republican leaders decided against it and instead included $241 million in this year’s budget for school facilities. Voters last approved statewide school bonds in 1996.

▪ Treat online political ads the same as older forms of political ads. This bill required the sponsors of social media and digital ads to list who paid for the ad. Campaigns and other political committees buying online ads would be subject to the state’s campaign finance filing and disclosure laws. The bill had a bipartisan group of sponsors, including one of its most liberal members (Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford) and one of its most powerful conservatives (Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett).

▪ Allow gun violence restraining orders. Republicans in other states have approved red flag laws, also known as gun violence restraining orders or risk warrants. These laws allow family members or police (or both) who know of someone behaving in a threatening manner with access to a firearm to petition a judge for a restraining order. The N.C. version would have allowed a judge to order police to remove any weapons, then schedule a hearing to determine whether to bar the person from having firearms for a year. The bill was sponsored by a Democrat. Republican House Speaker Tim Moore sent it to the Rules Committee to die.

▪ Extend Medicaid health-insurance coverage to more adults. A bill filed by Republicans proposed a program called Carolina Cares based on the Medicaid expansion then-Gov. Mike Pence endorsed in Indiana. It would have charged premiums to people enrolled in the program and would have had work requirements. Virginia recently became the 33rd state to expand Medicaid coverage but top N.C. legislative leaders remain unconvinced. A bipartisan coalition in the N.C. House voted for the state to study the costs and benefits of expanding Medicaid. But Republicans in the Senate wouldn’t allow the study.

With each of these five measures, the legislature could have addressed a problem and moved the state forward with a pragmatic solution. There are a variety of reasons why the bills didn’t pass, but it’s safe to say each would have passed with support from House Speaker Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger.

Our legislature has become excessively partisan. No one expects a consensus on every issue; there are honest and substantial philosophical disagreements.

But the five bills show that there also is substantial common ground. It’s time —past time — for legislative leaders to put more emphasis on getting things done for North Carolina and less emphasis on posturing for the next primary. We hope voters will send that message this November, and legislators will return in 2019 with a more solutions-oriented approach to governing.

This story was originally published July 20, 2018 at 5:04 PM.