The WLOS Election Questionnaire

Posted on September 14, 2018 by admin in Appropriations, Beer, Brunch, Budget, Business, Children, Courts, Crime, Economy, Education, Elections, Environment, Ethics, Healthcare, Insurance, Jobs, McGrady, Medicaid, Obamacare, Politics, Poverty, Public Corruption, Public Safety, Recreation, Redistricting, Spirituous Liquor, Sports, Taxes, Unemployment

During election season, candidates are called upon to answer issue-oriented questionnaires from various groups and news organizations, sometimes more than a dozen over the course of just a few weeks. Recently, Representative McGrady and other candidates were given the opportunity to provide detailed answers to a series of thoughtful questions from local ABC affiliate WLOS […]

Nothing Succeeds Like Success

Posted on July 14, 2017 by admin in Budget, Business, Economy

North Carolina has received four national economic distinctions so far this month, including being hailed as the #1 state for starting a business, the #5 best state for business, the #5 best state for budget solvency, and one of only 12 states in the country with a unanimous ‘AAA’ bond rating. Fit Small Business, a Madison Avenue research and […]

Freeing the Mimosa

Posted on July 10, 2017 by admin in Beer, Brunch, Business, Celebration, Economic Development, Food, Hard Cider, Jobs, Local Government, Municipal Government, Recreation, Spirituous Liquor, Taxes, Wine

Lawmakers in Raleigh passed bipartisan legislation at the end of June giving more authority to cities and counties to relax certain prohibitions on the sale of alcohol. Representative McGrady was a chief architect and leading advocate of the legislation in the General Assembly. Senate Bill 155, the culmination of months of work, is catch-all legislation reforming more than a dozen alcoholic beverage control (ABC) laws. […]

Good Week, Bad Week…Last Week!

Posted on July 6, 2017 by admin in Annexation, Appropriations, Beer, Budget, Business, Cooper, Economic Development, Education, Emergency Management, Energy, Environment, Ethics, Hard Cider, Local Government, McGrady, Municipal Government, Newsletters, Older People, Politics, Wine

Having overridden Governor Cooper’s veto of the budget, the General Assembly concluded its work just past 2:00 am on June 30, and headed home. The legislature had rocked along at a fairly slow pace until the last few weeks, but then completed its work in a series of long days and nights. More legislation was […]

NC is Best State for Starting a Business

Posted on July 6, 2017 by admin in Business, Economy, Regulatory Reform, Tax Reform, Unemployment Reform

Study: North Carolina is best state for starting a business by Danielle Chemtob, TBJ News Intern, Triangle Business Journal Entrepreneurs and business owners need look no further than the Tar Heel state to set up shop — North Carolina came out on top in a new study of the best states to start a business. […]

The Home Stretch

Posted on June 26, 2017 by admin in Beer, Brunch, Business, Cooper, Courts, Elections, Emergency Management, Energy, Environment, Hard Cider, Justice, McGrady, Newsletters, Regulatory Reform, Wine

With both the House and Senate passing the budget with bipartisan and veto-proof majorities, they are each moving quickly to finish their work. Numerous bills are being taken up by both bodies, and the usually light Monday night calendar has been replaced by earlier sessions on Monday with lots of bills in the queue for […]

Exempting Money from State Sales Tax

Posted on June 21, 2017 by admin in Business, Economy, Tax Reform, Taxes

Legislation passed the House overwhelmingly last month that will help stimulate commerce and job creation for coin dealers and those in the Precious Metals trade. House Bill 434 updates current sales tax laws to allow for the exemption from sales taxes for the commercial sales of gold and silver bullion and coins. Included in the exemption is the […]

Conflicting Views

Posted on May 19, 2017 by admin in Agriculture, Budget, Business, Children, Courts, Crime, Jobs, Justice, McGrady, Newsletters

Those who know me well know I have conflicting views on the legislative process. There are some things I like and some things I hate. The basis for these conflicting views was pretty evident over the past two weeks. It is easy to describe my positive views. There is nothing like the feeling of successfully […]

Legislative Seasons

Posted on May 15, 2017 by admin in Beer, Budget, Business, Children, Courts, Crime, Economic Development, Justice, McGrady, Newsletters

Just as a year has distinctive seasons, the legislative session has its own seasons. The first season starts with the convening of the legislature. There is some pomp and circumstance and typically things go slowly in the beginning. Legislators get to know each other, begin to draft legislation, and things get organized — with the […]

NC Leads Nation in Economic Ranking

Posted on May 10, 2017 by admin in Business, Celebration, Economic Development, Economy, Employment, HB2, Jobs

From the Triangle Business Journal: There will be no sharing of Site Selection magazine’s Prosperity Cup title this year. In its May issue, released Thursday, North Carolina took first place for the 2017 award. Formerly known as the Top Competitive State award, North Carolina had tied with Texas for the top spot in 2016 after having […]

Tourist Spending at Record Levels in NC

Posted on May 9, 2017 by admin in Business, Economic Development, Economy, Employment, Environment, Hunting & Fishing, McCrory, Taxes

50 million tourists spent $23 billion in North Carolina last year, an all-time high, according to a new report by the U.S. Travel Association. These tourism dollars supported 45,000 small businesses, 218,340 jobs, and generated $3.6 billion in taxes. And much of that spending was undoubtedly linked to outdoor recreation; figures also released today by the Outdoor Industry Association show that in 2016, outdoor […]

Legislative Life After Crossover

Posted on April 27, 2017 by admin in Asheville, Budget, Business, Children, Cooper, Education, Election Reform, HB2, Justice, Local Government, McGrady, Municipal Government, Newsletters, Politics

Over the past two weeks, legislators’ energies were focused on passing bills to meet the “crossover” deadline — the date on which bills die if they haven’t passed from one chamber to another. While there are some bills that don’t need to meet crossover, such as bills having to do with spending, a significant number […]

Survival of the Fittest: Making Crossover

Posted on April 18, 2017 by admin in Beer, Business, Children, Culture, Environment, Health, Healthcare, Insurance, Jobs, Local Government, Newsletters, Private Property Rights, Zoning

For the last several months, legislators’ primary focus has been on getting bills filed, and some number of those bills have been heard in committee and came to the floor for a vote. Over the next eight days, more bills will likely be heard in committees and come to the floor for a vote than […]

The Week After the Repeal of HB2

Posted on April 7, 2017 by admin in Business, Education, HB2, Law Enforcement, McGrady, Newsletters, Utilities, Water

Last week was so hectic, with legislators in and out of meetings and sessions to secure the votes for House Bill 142 — the repeal of HB2, that legislators seemed exhausted this week even with looming bill-filing and crossover deadlines. Most activity occurred in committees where legislators pushed their bills through committees with the goal […]

Diverse Coalition Supports McGrady Compromise

Posted on February 28, 2017 by admin in Business, Economic Development, HB2, McGrady

Representative McGrady was joined today by a diverse and bipartisan group of both state and local elected officials and an impressive coalition of 13 different business groups and associations in support of his bipartisan compromise legislation (HB186) to repeal HB2. They included Charlotte City Council members James Mitchell and Ed Driggs, Charlotte’s City Manager Marcus […]

Majority Leader Outlines Record of Success

Posted on February 17, 2017 by admin in Business, Economy, Education, Education Reform, Government Reform, Jobs, Regulatory Reform, Tax Reform, Taxes, Unemployment, Unemployment Reform

The following piece was written by North Carolina House Majority Leader John Bell and first appeared in the North State Journal on February 8, 2016. What We’ve Done for North Carolina North Carolina was once a state that was defined by slow economic growth, high unemployment, burdensome taxes, and massive federal debt. Our great state […]

Growing Rural Broadband

Posted on February 16, 2017 by admin in Business, Dan Forest, Education, Public/private partnerships, Technology

Representative McGrady has co-sponsored bipartisan legislation allowing Public-Private Partnerships to expand high-speed fiber optic networks to rural and other underserved communities. The BRIGHT Futures Act (House Bill 68) is legislation focused on accelerating digital infrastructure and economic development in rural and unserved areas of North Carolina by connecting them to the key markets of Broadband, […]

From the Times-News Editorial Board

Posted on February 10, 2017 by admin in Business, HB2, Local Government, McGrady, Municipal Government, Sports

The following editorial appeared in the Hendersonville Times-News on February 10. HB2: Don’t wait to find a solution Henderson County and Western North Carolina have a smart, pragmatic and experienced leader in N.C. Rep. Chuck McGrady. His consensus-building skills are needed as North Carolina tries again to repeal a law that’s cost the state millions, […]

Tax Changes for 2017

Posted on January 3, 2017 by admin in Business, Economy, Tax Reform, Taxes

We’re all familiar with that old saw “nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Benjamin Franklin wrote those words in a letter to French physicist Jean-Baptiste Leroy in late 1789, two years after the adoption of the United States Constitution and just six months before his death in the spring of 1790. And while it’s taken centuries […]

Let it Grow! Let it Grow! Let it Grow!

Posted on December 28, 2016 by admin in Business, Economy, Energy, Jobs, Military, Regulatory Reform, Taxes, Unemployment

The following article is reposted from yesterday’s edition of the Raleigh News & Observer. It references a report prepared by Dr. Michael L. Walden, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at North Carolina State University. You can read the entire report here. (Note: Dr. Walden’s report concerns North Carolina’s economic […]

Yet Another Surplus of Good News

Posted on December 1, 2016 by admin in Budget, Business, Economy, Jobs, Tax Reform, Unemployment

While our friends on the left continue to complain about how conservative economic policies are holding North Carolina back, the state continues to enjoy lower unemployment and unprecedented budget surpluses. It was announced yesterday that for the first quarter (July – September) of the current (2016-17) Fiscal Year, North Carolina collected $191 million more in tax […]

The NC Economy: Then vs. Now

Posted on October 24, 2016 by admin in Budget, Business, Economic Development, Economy, Employment, Federal Government, Government Reform, Tax Reform, Taxes, Unemployment, Unemployment Reform

The Kind of September

Posted on September 1, 2016 by admin in Agriculture, Business, Economic Development, Emergency Management, Health, McCrory, Older People, Recreation, Tribute

September is a big month as far as gubernatorial proclamations go. The goal of a proclamation is to bring greater awareness and understanding of a particular subject area, including heritage and culture, tourism, the economy, and public health matters — just to name a few. Governor Pat McCrory has proclaimed September as Alcohol And Drug Addiction […]

Lowest Jobless Rate in a Decade

Posted on July 22, 2016 by admin in Business, Economy, Jobs, McCrory, Unemployment

For the first time in nearly a decade, North Carolina’s unemployment rate has fallen to below 5 percent. For some context, in 2011 — the last year a Democrat occupied the Governor’s mansion — North Carolina’s unemployment rate averaged a staggering 10.5 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since Governor Pat McCrory took […]

CSX to Bring 1,500 New Jobs to NC

Posted on July 19, 2016 by admin in Business, Economic Development, Jobs, McCrory, Transportation

Governor Pat McCrory announced today that CSX Corporation, one of the world’s leading transportation companies, will open a new intermodal terminal in Edgecombe County. Known as the Carolina Connector (CCX), this critical infrastructure project will bring jobs and economic opportunity to eastern North Carolina and position the state as a leader in enhanced freight movement. CCX […]

Revenue Surplus Revised Upward

Posted on July 18, 2016 by admin in Budget, Business, Economy, Jobs, McCrory, Tax Reform

In another encouraging sign for North Carolina’s economy, Governor Pat McCrory announced that for the third time this year, the State Budget Office has revised revenue figures upward above May projections by $95 million. The state is projecting a final revenue surplus of $425 million, mainly driven by more people working and earning more money. […]

Happy Days are Here Again

Posted on June 30, 2016 by admin in Business, Economy, Employment, Jobs, Taxes

The latest economic figures for North Carolina are in. Lt. Governor Dan Forest shares the great news with you since the media neglects to report the positive numbers.

Details of the Budget Compromise

Posted on June 28, 2016 by admin in Agriculture, Appropriations, Budget, Business, Children, Civil Service, Economic Development, Education, Election Reform, Energy, Environment, Government Reform, Healthcare, Justice, Law Enforcement, Medicaid, Municipal Government, Older People, Public Employees, Public Safety, Tax Reform, Taxes, Transparency, Transportation, Water

Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) held a joint press conference yesterday to announce details of the $22.34 billion budget agreement reached between Senate and House conferees this past weekend. The compromise budget includes a responsible 2.8 percent spending increase and achieves both chambers’ shared goals with Governor Pat McCrory of […]

House Regulatory Reform Act of 2016

Posted on June 16, 2016 by admin in Business, Consumer Protection, Economic Development, Economy, Environment, Municipal Government, Private Property Rights, Regulatory Reform, UNC, Utilities

With a unanimous vote this afternoon, the House gave its final approval to the Regulatory Reform Act of 2016. The measure now goes to the Senate for its consideration. The wide-ranging legislation, which continues the legislature’s ongoing commitment to reforming the North Carolina’s burdensome and outdated system of regulations, amends a number of state laws related to business, […]

North Carolina Economy is Surging

Posted on May 27, 2016 by admin in Business, Economy, Employment, Jobs, Regulatory Reform, Taxes, Unemployment Reform

From WRAL: Report: NC economy surges ‘very strong’ 3.4% RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s economy is surging with an index of data climbing to its highest point in two years, says NCSU economist Dr. Michael Walden. The economy’s improvement is reflected in the state’s jobless rate, which fell to 5.4 percent in April. That’s the lowest […]