Colin Campbell, WUNC

The bill would prevent truckers from using the far left lane on freeways that have six lanes or more. It's one of the most controversial provisions in a wide-ranging transportation bill that's nearing final passage.

Representative Allen Chesser said, "We're not just punishing people for a mistake that they made, but we're trying to help them improve their lives and change behaviors for the future."

Governor Josh Stein wants to create his own government efficiency program. His team says the proposed Impact Center will look a lot different than Elon Musk's DOGE initiative at the federal level.

The $500-million bill will start the process of rebuilding homes, cleaning up debris and paying farmers for their crop losses. It will also help rebuild private roads and bridges and fund summer learning programs in western North Carolina schools.

A similar bill passed House committees two years ago but didn't make it to a floor vote.

Patients often have to wait days or weeks to find out if their insurance company will cover the treatment or medication their doctor recommends. A bill introduced Tuesday would restrict that practice.

Any federal funding changes could have big ripple effects for North Carolina, where about 600,000 people gained access to Medicaid through legislation in 2023.

More than 620,000 North Carolinians are enrolled through the Medicaid expansion that launched in December 2023.

The bill would allocate nearly a half-billion dollars from the state's reserves to compensate farmers for their losses.

A bill that passed a state Senate committee Wednesday would stop the attorney general from joining any legal actions related to a presidential executive order.