Legislation to watch advancing in North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WITN) – A few bills are moving through the state’s government affecting, sports, education, and retirement.

House Bill 347 allows betting from mobile devices on professional, college, electronic, and Olympic sports. Horse racing gamblers are included too.

Wednesday afternoon, the House gave its final nod on the legalization of mobile and select in-person sports gambling after a 68-45 vote in favor of its approval. All bets are now on that Governor Roy Cooper will sign his name on the bill’s dotted line, and gambling experts feeling “troubled.”

Next, the cost of college could soon become a topic for tenth-grade students here in our state. Republican representative Jake Johnson filed house bill 640 titled the“Career opportunity transparency act.”

It would require schools to teach 10th-grade students about the average cost to finance a four-year college degree and compare that to the cost of other options like community college or trade programs. Students would also compare what people with different degrees earn in different regions of the state. The proposal of the bill passed a House Education committee.

Finally, legislation that would limit state agencies and pension plans in how they invest is advancing through the state Senate.

The Associated Press says the legislation would prohibit socially and environmentally conscious criteria to be taken into consideration when making investment decisions or hiring employees. The move comes after the Biden administration asked a federal judge on Monday to toss out a lawsuit led by Republican states. It was over a rule allowing employee retirement plans to make socially conscious investment considerations.

It advanced through the senate pensions, retirement, and aging committee and needs to clear one more committee before it receives a vote on the floor for final approval. State treasurer Dale Folwell, a Republican, has voiced his support for the bill.

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