Washington Post By Jenna Johnson July 18, 2013 Under pressure from the White House, Senate leaders are quickly moving forward with a plan to change how the government sets federal student loan interest rates, tying them to market rates but imposing caps on how high those rates can go.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said […]

InsideHigherEd.com  July 19, 2013 The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations approved a spending bill Thursday that would increase spending on the National Science Foundation by $183 million over what the agency is receiving this year. The legislation is part of an overall spending bill for several agencies that would make a significant investment in federal science research […]

By George Cahlink, Editor www.CQ.com  The weeks ahead will bring debate on funding for the largest federal research programs, including the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. Democrats are planning to use action on spending bills in the Senate and House in coming weeks to make a clear case on differences with Republicans on […]

Morning Briefing: Sprint to August Begins With Student Loans, Health Law By Adriel Bettelheim, CQ Roll Call www.cq.com Senate Democrats’ top priority this week will be trying to reverse a doubling of federal student loan interest rates that took effect July 1 and ending a months long impasse that could affect 7 million students who take out […]

By Mark Binker WRAL.com  North Carolina lawmakers are trying to bring their 2013 legislative “long” session to a close over the next few weeks, although, as of June 24, the House and Senate are still wrangling over major policy bills along with budget and tax packages. Unlike states such as Maryland and Virginia, there is no constitutional […]

  By Kelly Field (Chronicle.com) Washington Defying a threatened presidential veto, Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would tie student-loan interest rates to the free market. If enacted, the bill, HR 1911, would prevent interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans from doubling on July 1, and put an end to the temporary fix […]

The North Carolina General Fund Revenue Report and Economic Outlook for April 2013 developed by the Fiscal Research Division of the General Assembly can be seen here.  This report is an update provided by the General Assembly’s Fiscal Research Division that summarizes revenue for the current fiscal year and outlines the risks to revenue receipts for […]

On Wednesday, March 20, Governor Pat McCrory released his proposed 2013-15 State Budget (UNC System begins on page 43). This is the first step in the state budget process. Throughout the spring, the Senate and House of Representatives will develop and negotiate budget proposals until an agreement is reached and a final budget recommendation is sent to the […]

By Allie Bidwell www.chronicle.com Deep federal spending cuts that both Democrats and Republicans had hoped to avoid were set into motion March 1, as Congress failed to act in time to prevent or postpone the reductions. The $85-billion cut to the federal budget, known as sequestration, leaves colleges uncertain about how reductions in federal appropriations will […]

United Healthcare announced yesterday that it will expand its business by more than 1,000 new jobs, with the majority located out of its Greensboro office. Approximately 600 of the positions are currently unfilled and include customer service representatives, claims processors, nurses and clinicians. Several elected officials were on hand to show support of the move, including […]