Capitol Corner February 2021
Centralina launched a new initiative called Raleigh Relations in the fall of 2020. This effort is designed to expand our engagement with the state government in three ways.
Category: Capitol Corner
Capitol Corner January 2021
Lawmakers in both Washington, DC and Raleigh are back to work after the holiday break. The General Assembly started its long session on January 13th, when it decides the two-year state budget and key priorities, which are expected to include COVID relief, healthcare, broadband and transportation. Centralina has launched a new effort called Raleigh Relations to monitor legislation and strengthen relationships with the elected officials representing our region.
Capitol Corner December 2020
Washington is in the final stretch of the 116th Congress. Two items remain in negotiations that must be resolved before lawmakers can head home for the holidays â FY21 appropriations and coronavirus relief. Congress was forced to pass a one-week extension of the continuing resolution to fund the government at current levels through December 18. The measure aims to give policymakers more time to strike a deal on a comprehensive FY21 spending bill, which may include coronavirus relief funding provisions if a separate aide package cannot be agreed upon.
Capitol Corner November 2020
With an estimated 144 million votes cast, this Novemberâs elections broke a century-old record for percentage of registered voters who voted and recorded the highest number of votes to support a presidential candidate on both sides. The Biden-Harris ticket is the declared winner by the Associated Press based on expected Electoral College votes, exceeding the 270 needed.
Local Election Reflections on the Centralina Region
Most of our attention may have been on the presidential or even state elections this year, but we should also look at what happened in our local elections. In the nine-county Centralina region, 51 total member seats were on the ballot in the 2020 local government general election.
State Election Reflections: Many of the Regionâs Experienced Legislators Returning to Raleigh
The 2020 elections brought very few changes to the stateâs legislative landscape. In the Centralina region, there were 27 races for seats in the N.C. House of Representatives, 24 of which had an incumbent seeking re-election.
Capitol Corner October 2020
The House voted 214-207 along party lines to pass the Democratic $2.2 trillion stimulus measure. The legislation is a slimmed-down version of the HEROES Act, the $3.4 trillion stimulus bill that passed the House in May. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the measure still too expensive to pass the Senate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin continue negotiations. The proposal contains $436 billion in aid for states and cities.
Capitol Corner July 2020
Centralina has applied for nearly $499,560 in planning assistance under U.S. DOTâs Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, Transportation Discretionary Grant Program.
Capitol Corner June 2020
The U.S. House of Representatives is readying an infrastructure bill with plans to consider it on the House floor in late June or early July.
Capitol Corner May 2020
The Senate resumed at the end of April and the House will start back May 11. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that her starting point for next relief package (Phase 4) is up to $1 trillion in aid for states and local governments that allows making up for lost revenues.