North Carolina
NC legislators should focus on deregulating the labor market | Opinion
RALEIGH — Our state continues to outpace our peers in economic growth. Over the past five years, North Carolina’s gross domestic product expanded by an inflation-adjusted annual average of 3.1% vs. 2.3% for the nation as a whole. Our total employment rose 9.2% over the same period, again beating the national average of 4.7%.
But now is no time to rest on our laurels. Other states are redoubling their recruitment efforts, retooling their education and transportation systems, and reforming their tax and regulatory codes. Moreover, our economy faces new headwinds. Domestic and international reaction to the Trump administration’s new trade war will temper expectations and raise costs for both households and businesses.
During its 2025 session, the General Assembly should continue to make North Carolina a better place to live, work, invest, and create new businesses. Given tight budgets and modest revenue projections, lawmakers will have more room to maneuver on regulatory reform than on tax reform.
To be more specific, we should further deregulate labor markets in North Carolina. Our state already forbids compulsory unionization and wisely abstains from fiddling with market prices for labor. But policymakers ought to make it even easier to create new jobs, enter new occupations, and deliver goods and services more efficiently.
Here are three good ways to open up our labor markets:
First, the General Assembly should enact House Bill 763, the “Neighbor State License Recognition Act.” Sponsored by Reps. Jeff Zenger (R-Forsyth), Steve Tyson (R-Craven), Ben Moss (R-Richmond), and Mark Pless (R-Haywood), this legislation would establish occupational-license reciprocity with our nearby states of Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The bill would allow North Carolina residents previously licensed in one of those other states to obtain a professional license in North Carolina without undergoing another round of costly training and testing requirements. Only medical professions such as physicians and veterinarians would be exempt.
In a just-released paper for the John Locke Foundation, economists Edward Timmons and Conor Norris observed that North Carolina currently licenses more occupations than do all but 10 other states in the country. While such regulations are often sold as consumer protection, the preponderance of research shows they confer few safety benefits or quality improvements. Their primary effect (and true purpose) is to make labor markets less competitive, raising consumer prices by up to 16% and reducing employment in North Carolina by a net of about 42,500 jobs.
When states recognize licenses issued by other states, wrote Timmons and Norris, the resulting elimination of “redundant training, testing, or education requirements” tends to boost in-migration by highly productive professionals — helping not only those newcomers but also businesses seeking employees and consumers seeking services.
Second, the General Assembly should reexamine North Carolina’s current array of certification rules and licensing boards. Senate Bill 451, for example, would reduce the minimum requirements for continuing education and professional development for contractors, inspectors, auctioneers, real estate brokers, electrologists, cosmetologists, foresters, and other licensed professionals. Its sponsors include Sens. Tim Moffitt (R-Henderson), Steve Jarvis (R-Davidson), and Tom McInnis (R-Moore).
Finally, lawmakers should follow up these initial steps by adopting a more-sweeping measure known as the “Right to Earn a Living Act.” This would change the regulatory paradigm altogether, requiring licensing boards to prove that any rules they apply are “narrowly tailored to accomplish a compelling government interest.”
Arizona, Tennessee, and Louisiana have already adopted this legislation in some form. It “places the burden on the state to demonstrate the necessity of licensing,” Timmons and Norris wrote, “and it assumes that individuals have a right to work without the impediment of regulation. Under the Right to Earn a Living Act, occupational licensing is the regulation of last resort.”
I think state lawmakers should pursue a broad range of deregulatory initiatives this session, from certificate-of-need and scope-of-practice reforms to the NC REINS Act, which would require legislative authorization for a regulation exceeding $1 million in economic impact.
Still, licensing reform would be a good place to start.
John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His books Mountain Folk, Forest Folk, and Water Folk combine epic fantasy with American history (FolkloreCycle.com).
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A graduation ceremony for NC State University’s Department of Biological Sciences at Reynolds Coliseum on Friday night left hundreds of family members outside, frustrated and emotional after they were not allowed into the building.
Inside, graduates were met with pomp and circumstance as they walked across the stage to accept their degrees.
Outside, people shouted in confusion as they realized they would not be permitted to enter.
“I’m hurt. She’s hurting. We’re hurt,” said Dr. Darlene Jackson, a grandmother from Winston-Salem. “They’re asking, can’t we get here? But this is ridiculous. Ridiculous.”
We get here, and we are turned away. That’s BS. It shouldn’t be happening like this. They did not plan this well,
– Sally Charlet, NCSU grandparent
Families said they arrived about an hour before the 7:30 p.m. ceremony, only to find a line wrapped around the building. Many said they were eventually told the venue had reached capacity.
“They are saying the fire marshal shut it down because it’s too crowded,” Jackson said. “They should have known how many occupy this. They should have had it in a different place.”
Sally Charlet said she flew in from Florida earlier in the day to watch her granddaughter graduate.
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“We get here, and we are turned away,” she said. “That’s BS. It shouldn’t be happening like this. They did not plan this well, and they should have tickets. That would have made a lot of sense.”
According to GoPack.com, Reynolds Coliseum seats about 5,500 people.
Some families said they were especially devastated after years of supporting their students’ work.
This is awful, and it needs to be made right.
– Eddie McFall, NCSU parent
“It’s very disheartening,” said Rhonda Bartone, whose son earned his Ph.D. In toxicology. “He did a five-year program getting his Ph.D., and we have no family. And they’re seeing him get his Ph.D. right now. We had to text his professor and ask him to please take some pictures of him. It’s hard not to cry.”
Several people outside shared photos sent by students inside showing empty seats.
“There was unfortunately not better planning for the hundreds of students, maybe even thousands of students, and, of course, thousands of students, even more people, parents, siblings, loved ones,” said Julia Norton, whose fiancé earned his Ph.D.
One father, Eddie McFall, who is also an alumnus of NC State, said he has three children at the university, including a senior graduating Friday.
“His mother was five feet from the door when they shut it down,” he said. “Won’t let anybody in there.”
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About 45 minutes after the ceremony began, someone came outside to address the remaining crowd. Families were told their only option was to watch a livestream from the student union or on their phones.
“I can go to my house and watch the livestream,” McFall said. “Who’s the event coordinator? Who from the school did this? This is awful, and it needs to be made right.”
NC State did not respond to questions about how the situation unfolded or why the event was not ticketed. The university said it provided a livestream for those unable to attend in person and had posted earlier in the week advising visitors to expect delays around the coliseum.
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NORTH CAROLINA — Fifteen lineworkers from North Carolina’s electric cooperatives recently traveled to Guatemala to help bring first-time access to electricity to a rural village.
The group spent three weeks working in El Plan Nuevo Amanecer.
Crews constructed three miles of line, bringing power to more than 50 homes, a school, two churches and the community’s only health clinic.
Photo: North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives
Without access to bucket trucks or heavy machinery, volunteers worked by hand across rugged terrain.
The project helped bring light to the village, creating new opportunities for education, economic growth and safer everyday life for the community.
The effort was done alongside NRECA International.
Volunteer lineworkers represented several North Carolina electric cooperatives, including EnergyUnited, Union Power Cooperative, Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative, Jones-Onslow EMC, Edgecombe-Martin County EMC, South River EMC, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation and Rutherford EMC.
Photo: North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, May 7, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 7 drawing
Day: 3-7-3, Fireball: 0
Evening: 3-5-8, Fireball: 9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 7 drawing
Day: 8-1-3-1, Fireball: 5
Evening: 7-1-5-3, Fireball: 4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from May 7 drawing
10-11-14-19-36
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from May 7 drawing
01-25-31-32-33
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 7 drawing
05-08-21-44-48, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:
- Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
- Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.
When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
- Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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