Tomorrow we celebrate the 237th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the beginning of our journey as an independent nation.  But, did you know that July 4th also marks another beginning for our nation, one that … Read more

During the 2012 short session, the General Assembly enacted legislation that covered members of local transportation planning groups, known as RPOs and MPOs, under the State Government Ethics Act (GS Chapter 138A), the same ethics laws that apply to many … Read more

The General Assembly’s crossover deadline has come and gone, so now is a good time to pause and take stock of pending legislation affecting public purchasing and contracting.  Bills proposing changes to our state’s public contracting statutes include authorizing design-build … Read more

Which of the following statements is true? A local government can reject a construction bid if the bidder does not list enough HUB subcontractors to meet the local government’s HUB participation goals. If a bidder forgets to identify on his … Read more

UPDATE: NEW LEGISLATION (SB411) WENT INTO EFFECT ON JUNE 19, 2013, SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGING THE ETHICS REQUIREMENTS FOR MPOs AND RPOs.  CLICK HERE FOR A NEW BLOG POST OUTLINES THESE NEW REQUIREMENTS. During the recent legislative session, the General Assembly designated … Read more

During the 2012 Session, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted significant legislation that completely reorganized and updated the state’s emergency management statutes, extended the legal length of law enforcement and emergency management vehicles, and created the criminal offense of terrorism.  … Read more

In two previous blogs (here and here), I discuss a 2012 federal district court ruling (Bateman v. Perdue) on the constitutionality of North Carolina’s emergency weapons restriction statutes and the legislative response to that ruling.  The General Assembly responded to … Read more

In a previous post, I summarized a 2012 federal district court ruling on the 2nd Amendment challenge brought against restrictions on dangerous weapons that can be imposed by local governments during a declared state of emergency.  The General Assembly responded … Read more

UPDATE:  An update on this issue is available here. On March 29, 2012, Senior U.S. District Judge Malcolm Howard ruled on the 2nd Amendment challenges brought against restrictions on dangerous weapons that can be imposed during a declared state of … Read more

NOTE:  This post has been updated to reflect changes enacted by the General Assembly in 2013 and 2014. In North Carolina, the procurement of professional services performed by architects, engineers, surveyors, and construction managers at risk is governed by G.S. … Read more