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Statehouse Republicans File Medicaid Expansion Bill
House Republicans have filed a bill to extend federal health benefits for poor, disabled, and elderly North Carolinians.
The new bill would create a program called “Carolina Cares,” which is based on a health plan that former Gov. Mike Pence introduced in Indiana.
Under the measure, people making less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level would qualify for the program. They would also pay annual premiums and, in most cases, would have to be working.
The bill is co-sponsored by Winston-Salem Representative Donny Lambeth, among others.
The News and Observer reports that if the bill becomes law, between 300,000 and 500,000 people could become eligible for coverage.
Legislators Significantly Change Hog Farm Liability Bill
Legislation to limit hog farms' liability in lawsuits over animal waste smells has passed the North Carolina House after a significant change.
The House narrowly voted Monday to add language to specify that the legislation would not apply to pending lawsuits. The chamber then passed the bill, sending it to the state Senate.
The legislation limits penalties that a jury or judge could impose against hog farms or other agricultural operations in lawsuits accusing them of creating a nuisance for neighbors. The farms' liability would be limited to the lost property value plaintiffs can prove was the result of the nuisance. The liability couldn't exceed a piece of property's market value.
Salem College Students Conduct Sit-In
Salem College students staged a sit-in protest Monday, saying the school fosters a culture of racism, sexism and elitism.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports that about 100 students sat in hallways in the campus's Main Hall, not far from administrator's offices.
The students outlined their concerns in a 10-page call to action document. The statement demands that the school's trustees, administration and faculty complete at least 16 hours of diversity training before classes resume in August.
Salem College president Lorraine Sterritt and other administrators talked with the demonstrators throughout the day. Sterritt and college Dean Susan Colvini also sent out emails acknowledging the protesters' concerns, and pledging to work with students and faculty to respond to the call to action.
Fire Threatens Homes In Western North Carolina
A wildfire is threatening about three dozen homes in western North Carolina.
The U.S. Forest Service says that the fire in the North Cove community in McDowell County has spread onto land in the Pisgah National Forest.
No injuries have been reported.
Forest Service spokeswoman Lisa Jennings says the fire was reported Sunday afternoon and is threatening about 35 homes and 10 buildings such as sheds and garages.
Jennings says there are no current plans for evacuations, and that firefighters are working to remove fuel near the homes.
The fire is about four miles from another fire that was contained March 28.
6 Hotel Housekeepers Say Boss Sexually Assaulted Them
Six housekeepers are suing a North Carolina hotel, saying their supervisor put them through a decade of sexual assaults and threatened to have them deported if they complained.
Documents filed in Mecklenburg County Superior Court in Charlotte say the workers are suing the Hilton Charlotte University Place, its corporate owners and Jose Rivas, supervisor for the six women.
It alleges the incidents occurred between 2004 and October 2014, the latest when one of the women claimed she was attacked by Rivas and fled to the hotel lobby and alerted police. Rivas agreed to an Alford plea on a charge of assault on a female, allowing him to maintain his innocence even as he acknowledged prosecutors had enough evidence to convict.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.