The John Locke Foundation has a new report out about how North Carolina’s agricultural sector is facing a critical labor shortage.
Good evening,
The John Locke Foundation has a new report out about how North Carolina’s agricultural sector is facing a critical labor shortage.
So what does the report find?
Labor Market Mismatch - The decline in domestic agricultural workers is due to rural residents increasingly moving to urban areas, changing career preferences, and cultural stigma
Regulatory Challenges - The Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) and H-2A visa program impose high costs and administrative burdens on farmers
Technological Advancements - Automation and precision machinery offer solutions to labor shortages, but adoption remains constrained by high costs, technological limitations and the need for specialized equipment. While certain products, like livestock and pork, would benefit from mechanization, other crops like sweet potatoes still rely heavily on manual labor
OK, but what does the report recommend to address these issues?
Reform AEWR and H-2FA - Adjust wage determinations to reflect local conditions, simplify the H-2A application process, encourage private recruitment alternatives and provide farmers’ more flexibility to help their workforce find housing, to make hiring more efficient and responsive to the market
Include Agricultural Education in K-12 Schools - Enhancing agricultural curricula in both private and public schools, integrating agriculture into STEM programs, and leveraging school choice programs would encourage more interest in agriculture
Encourage Technological Innovation - Reduce regulatory barriers for agri-tech investment and promote workforce training in trade schools and community colleges
Reduce State-Level Regulatory Burdens - Reduce or eliminate occupational licensing for farm work, ease zoning laws and shorten the current regulatory process to eliminate outdated rules
By embracing market-driven policies that prioritize flexibility, competition, and innovation, North Carolina can secure its agricultural future, without heavy-handed government intervention.
You can learn more about the challenges facing the state’s agricultural industry here, here and here.
House Bill 85 “Removal of Precinct Officials” is a new bill that regulates the behavior of election officials, specifically voting place officials who fail to do their duties
This bill provides county officials with the legal duty and means to remove nonperforming election workers
The bill also prevents election boards from hiring some who had been removed under the law from serving in a future election
The bill provides more detailed instructions for precinct worker training.
If passed, the bill would allow for the removal of senior precinct officers for failing to comply
Representative Pricey Harrison (D) is the only Democrat whose name is on the bill.
She previously sponsored another similar election integrity bill, HB 987.
We don’t normally see a lot of bipartisanship in the legislature, but her place in the left-wing of the party could give her some wiggle room that other Democrats don’t have
As with the bill regulating voter behavior in polling places, this bill regulating election official behavior will hopefully keep decorum in our voting areas
On April 19, 1775, the “shot heard round the world” was fired, and the Revolutionary War began
Although this first battle took place in Massachusetts, North Carolinians shared the sentiment for action and independence
Cornelius Harnett, a prominent North Carolina Patriot politician, was critical in spreading information about the battle
After reports of the battle first reached North Carolina, its delegates to the Continental Congress urged their fellow North Carolinians to arm themselves and take up the fight for independence
North Carolina did not wait for the war to move south before taking a stand - we were revolutionary from the very beginning
A majority of the Wake County Superior Court in Stein v. Hall ruled that North Carolina’s constitution establishes a “unitary executive”
This is despite there being nine other members on the Council of State.
There are also errors in the governor’s argument regarding the “Vesting” and “Take Case” clauses, that imply that “the executive power is solely vested in the governor”
The argument of a unitary executive was made before under Gov. Roy Cooper, who claimed that he had power over federal block grants
This was rejected 6-1 by a Democrat-majority State Supreme Court in Cooper v. Berger (also known as Cooper 1)
The majority DID rule, however, that the board of elections must be under the governor
However, this ignores McCroy v. Berger, where the courts make clear that they do not weigh into how the governor’s “Take Care” nor the separation of powers clause interacts with independently elected members of the Council of the State
In Stein v. Hall, they expanded this decision to apply to the other members of the Council of State
The Stein v. Hall decision completely writes out Article II section 7, and effectively moves all executive powers under the governor
The constitution outlines the legislature’s authority to distribute power. Amongst the Council of State and to modify and change the authority and powers of various agencies, even when those agencies are under the governor.
That the governor has broad authority over all appointments and is the sole executive authority runs counter to the understanding that each Council of State member has autonomy under the executive branch
These questions regarding separation of powers in the executive branch were discussed even in the 1990s, when the North Carolina Department of Justice found that the governor misused his authority in attempting to mandate the filing of financial disclosure for appointments assigned to other Council of State members
Ultimately, this case is unlikely to survive an appeal to higher state courts for its invalidation of McCroy v. Berger, Cooper 1, and the North Carolina Constitution
