Taking the Pulse, A Health Care and Life Sciences Video Podcast | Episode 240: Independent Practice In Dermatology with Dr. Darragh and Dr. Shuler of Carolina Dermatology
Project Catalyst: An Economic Development Podcast | Episode 14: Shaping North Carolina’s Economic Future with Secretary of Commerce Lee Lilley
Legislators left Raleigh on Wednesday after passing an appropriations bill and overriding a number of vetoes by Gov. Josh Stein. New Appropriations Bill Both houses this week adopted H 125, which provides various...more
Recent North Carolina legislation addresses the electronic storage of attested written wills. Although electronic wills themselves are not yet fully authorized under North Carolina law, these recent statutory changes allow a...more
Until recently, a single judge sitting on a panel of the North Carolina Court of Appeals could tee up an issue for the Supreme Court of North Carolina simply by filing a dissenting opinion. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-30(2) allowed...more
House Passes Budget Bill - The NC House on Thursday passed the biennial budget bill (S 257) by a vote of 86 to 20. The vote was bipartisan with 25 Democrats joining 61 Republicans in supporting the bill. This action...more
The North Carolina General Assembly is considering various alcohol bills during the long 2025 session. Proposed changes include legalizing happy hour, authorizing Sunday sales by ABC stores, clarifying special one-time...more
At Ward and Smith, we are closely monitoring these developments to help our clients with the potential impacts on their businesses. Below is an overview of what stakeholders in the hemp industry need to know about this...more
House Bill 47 ("H47") was signed into law (Session Law 2025-2) by Governor Stein on March 20. The bill's official name is the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025–Part I, but it is more commonly known as the Hurricane Helene...more
Legislators considered dozens of bills over the last two weeks as they faced the “crossover” deadline of May 8. Under legislative rules, bills other than tax and appropriations bills must pass one chamber by that date to...more
House Bill 569 has been submitted to the General Assembly of North Carolina which is styled: AN ACT TO PROTECT THE CITIZENS OF NORTH CAROLINA FROM DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATED BY GENX AND OTHER PFAS COMPOUNDS....more
Senate Budget bill - The North Carolina Senate on Thursday approved its version of the 2025 Appropriations Act by a vote of 30 to 15. Four Democrats joined twenty-six Republicans in supporting the bill. Fourteen Democrats...more
Amongst the flurry of recent executive orders targeting the use of diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) policies and programs under the federal government, it is easy to miss similar initiatives at the state and local...more
Just a week from North Carlina Senators proposing Senate Bill 491, which seeks to create an act to license, examine, and regulate debt settlement services, North Carolina House Representatives Howard (R), Setzer (R), B. Jones...more
Each March, our team participates in the North Carolina State Construction Conference in Raleigh, where thousands of construction industry members meet to hear about the current “state of the construction industry” in North...more
On March 25, 2025, North Carolina Senators Johnson (R), Overcash (R), and Jackson (R) as primary sponsors introduced Senate Bill 491 (“S.B. 491” or the “Bill”), which seeks to license, examine, and regulate debt settlement...more
In November 2023, we pondered whether 2024 might be “the year” for medical marijuana legalization in North Carolina. Well, it wasn’t. Why, you ask? How can a state whose population has expressed overwhelming bipartisan...more
Beginning on October 1, 2024, Senate Bill 319 introduced certain changes to the foreclosure sale process including changes to the statute establishing the place of sale, the authorization of remote bidding in foreclosure...more
Each February, the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts publishes its Report on North Carolina Business Court. The Report includes data on case types, number of cases, pending motions, and average age, with...more
Gov.-elect Josh Stein this week announced nominees for eleven Cabinet positions and two senior administration officials. The North Carolina Senate will consider the Cabinet nominations when it begins meeting in January....more
The 2024 North Carolina General Assembly session ended last Friday after members overrode a veto, proposed a change to the state constitution, and supported a constitutional convention to set term limits for members of the US...more
Legislators returned to Raleigh on Thursday and unanimously passed a second Disaster Recovery bill (S 743). The bill appropriates $644 million and makes various policy changes to facilitate storm recovery. Gov. Roy Cooper is...more
The House and Senate passed the legislation unanimously yesterday afternoon, and Governor Cooper moved quickly to sign the bill into law this morning, making the bill effective today, October 10, 2024. House Bill 149...more
Legislators returned to Raleigh this week and passed a bill that among other things, adjusts the budget law enacted in October 2023. They also voted to override four vetoes by Gov. Roy Cooper. Budget Adjustment Bill - ...more
After a busy week, legislators left Raleigh on Thursday for the foreseeable future. Although they did not pass a new 2024 budget bill, they did appropriate funds for certain purposes and are authorized to return later this...more
The House and the Senate considered significantly different budget bills this week and legislators discussed bills on a variety of other topics....more
Ohio Adopts Sweeping Foreign National Ban, Covering Lawful Permanent Residents - On June 2, 2024, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law H.B. 1, enacting a sweeping foreign national ban on political contributions and...more