On today’s show, I’m sitting down with my WHQR’s rural reporter Nikolai Mather to discuss House Bill 774 — legislation that would earmark $34 million to fund free meal programs for students around the state. We’ll unpack how this would work alongside federal programs, plus who’s supporting the bill, and what its chances are of making it into law.
But first, my colleague Rachel Keith joins us to unpack the recent policy forum held by NC Project LEAD — a nonprofit focused on building partnerships in southeastern NC to address the socioeconomic determinants of health. Rachel served as moderator for the forum, which featured some prominent local elected officials and community leaders, and got the chance to present them with some tough policy issues — and a few audience questions.
Editor's note: This show has been updated with an editor's note to correct and clarify a point about the percentage of New Hanover County's budget that goes to public education. You can find that update here, as well.
Links:
- NC Project Lead
- CoastLine: Reggie Shuford, raised in Creekwood, now heads ACLU in PA (WHQR)
- Study shows Cape Fear Health Opportunities Pilot saves Medicaid money (WHQR)
- Healthy Opportunities Pilot shows cost savings for Medicaid: “It’s a hand up” (WHQR)
- NHC Commissioners approve $3 million in affordable housing support, with a few notes (WHQR)
- NC again ranks near bottom for effort to fund public schools
- NC House bill targets guaranteed-income programs for poor individuals, families
- Stanford University, Basic Income Lab
- Teachers, students, and advocates travel to Raleigh for public education (WHQR)
- Cornell University research on collective bargaining
- Economic Policy Institute on collective bargaining
- NHC Smart Start survey shows why some families struggle to get their kids into preschool (WHQR)
