Lots of new laws took effect Jan. 1. Here’s a look. Go to the N.C. General Assembly web site to read all the details. CarolinaStompers.com also has a round-up of the new laws.
– raise the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $6.15 per hour.
– lower the highest individual income tax rate from 8.25 percent to 8 percent.
– require recreational anglers who wants to fish in coastal waters to get a license.
– rework the state’s primary economic incentives program by eliminating some unused tax credits and focusing others on poorer counties. The Department of Commerce also will have to make public more figures about how incentives are being used by the state to lure businesses or create jobs.
– bar lobbyists from giving nearly all gifts and campaign contributions to legislators, Council of State members and candidates for these offices.
– create a retooled eight-member state Ethics Commission that will collect economic disclosure forms from people within all three branches of government and receive ethics complaints.
– allow the state to hire 90 new assistant district attorneys.
– deregulate the cable television industry by phasing out local franchise agreements in favor of service filings with the Secretary of State’s Office.
– require that all boat vessels be titled, a move that will make it easier to identify boats and their owners. Titling vessels has been optional.
– adjust primary and runoff dates for municipal elections.
– reduce the maximum cash contribution a candidate can accept from $100 to $50 and prohibit contributions by check or money order with blank payee lines.
– double to $4,000 a family’s maximum annual state tax deduction for giving to North Carolina’s college savings plan.
– expand financial disclosure requirements by “527” groups or individuals.
– reduce the threshold required by political parties to remain on ballots statewide and the number of signatures required by unaffiliated candidates to get on the ballot.
– require state agencies to verify the legal status of all new employees through a federal verification process program.
– expand the license renewal period for most adult drivers from five years to eight years.
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– deregulate the cable television industry by phasing out local franchise agreements in favor of service filings with the Secretary of State’s Office.
Can you or anyone tell if this is going to have any local impact, perhaps by opening up local cable service to competition, perhaps leading to some lower rates? Cable rates, now a monopoly service, are outrageous, with customers having little choice about what they receive beyond "basic" and "extended basic" and "premium." A service offering choice of channels – 10 channels for a price, 20 channels for a price, etc. – would be welcome.