BOONE, North Carolina, June 3 (TNStalk) -- Appalachian Voices issued the following statement on June 2, 2023: * * * Tonight, the U.S. Senate rejected an amendment from Sen. Tim Kaine to remove the Mountain Valley Pipeline provision from the so-called "Fiscal Responsibility Act," a deal negotiated between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden to avoid a catastrophic default. Kaine filed the amendment to remove a provision included in the debt ceiling deal that attempts to force e  more

WASHINGTON, June 2 (TNSgov) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued the following news release on June 1, 2023: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Jewish Voice for Peace today welcomed North Carolina Dr. Steve Feldman's decision to donate a $500 honorarium he received from the State of Arkansas, which initially refused to pay him because he would not sign a state-mandated pledge not to boycott Israel, to the support of activism for Palestinian human rights. In May  more

DURHAM, North Carolina, June 2 (TNSgov) -- The Center for Responsible Lending issued the following news release on June 1, 2023: Governor Tim Walz signed into law last week a measure capping annual interest rates on payday loans at 36% in Minnesota, with strict limitations on loans bearing annual rates from 37% to 50%. Payday loans above 50% will be outlawed. The measure is expected to stop predatory payday lending as Minnesotans know it, eliminating loans that carry average annual percentage   more

DURHAM, North Carolina, June 2 (TNSgov) -- The Southern Coalition for Social Justice issued the following news release on June 1, 2023 and letter: Southern Coalition for Social Justice, along with more than 120 legal, nonprofit and LGBTQ organizations, current and former elected officials, members of the legal community, and individuals across North Carolina sent a letter today to the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) condemning its recent decision to cancel a drag show for fear of politica  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, June 3 (TNSgov) -- The North Carolina Justice Center issued the following news release: With the assistance of Legal Aid of North Carolina's Farmworker Unit and the North Carolina Justice Center, three farmworkers reached a settlement for their case against farm labor contractors Jose M. Gracia Harvesting, Inc., Jose M. Gracia, and Gracia & Sons, LLC (Gracia Defendants) based in Four Oaks, North Carolina, for human trafficking and unpaid overtime wages. The settlement a  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, June 3 (TNSgov) -- The Southern Coalition for Social Justice issued the following news release: Southern Coalition for Social Justice condemns North Carolina Republicans' sweeping omnibus elections bill as a coordinated attack on our state's voting system that will make it harder for all North Carolinians to vote, and leave many North Carolinians unable to vote at all. Senate Bill 747 is an attempt to undermine our democracy through technicalities and needless complica  more

WASHINGTON, June 2 (TNSgov) -- The ERISA Industry Committee issued the following news release on June 1, 2023: The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) today said it has "deep concerns" with North Carolina House Bill 246 and the expansive regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that it proposes. Namely, the bill contains several provisions that seek to control the design and administration of self-insured employer health plans governed solely by the federal Employee Retirement Income Security  more