New rules for NC workplace deaths + Is there ‘runway’ for a budget deal?
Good morning, and welcome to Under the Dome, your daily roundup of politics news. I’m politics editor Jordan Schrader.
Below, you’ll find the latest on budget negotiations between the state House and Senate, and learn about bills dealing with coaches’ training, social media restrictions, and technology that would crack down on speeders.
There’s also an update in the prosecution of former FBI director James Comey in North Carolina’s federal courts.
And find out what experts say could be the potential political impact of the allegations swirling around Rep. Chuck Edwards.
Let’s get into it.
NC’s new rules for workplace deaths
When state regulators discover workplace safety violations and issue punishments, their fines can sometimes be reduced for small businesses because of their size. The reductions can be as large as 70% for the very smallest companies.
But the state Department of Labor has now changed its rules so that such reductions no longer apply if a worker dies.
Republican Labor Commissioner Luke Farley announced the change last week. He said in a News & Observer opinion piece announcing the change:
“A life isn’t worth less because it was lost at a small business instead of a large corporation. Grief does not scale. Responsibility does not shrink. And accountability should not be relative.”
“Some might worry that eliminating the ‘death discount’ will place new burdens on small businesses. I’m an advocate for small businesses, and I understand those concerns, but the right way to support them is with education, outreach, and other compliance assistance — not by discounting the value of a life. That does everyone a disservice,” he said.
The North Carolina State AFL-CIO says other states and the federal government should follow suit.
“Those fines are already too low, and Commissioner Farley is right: the loss of a human life cannot be discounted,” state AFL-CIO President Braxton Winston said in a statement. “We applaud him and the NC Department of Labor for finding that this shameful practice did nothing to promote justice or accountability and thank him for ending it in North Carolina effective immediately.”
Headlines you won’t want to miss
- NC’s budget negotiations are moving, but dragging. Where talks stand
- Mental health training newly required for some NC coaches. Could it become law?
- Bipartisan NC lawmakers advancing bill to ban social media for minors under 14
- NC considers in-car devices to curb speeding when other penalties aren’t enough
- Rep. Chuck Edwards faces investigation. How could it affect Congress and campaign?
- Ex-FBI director James Comey asks judge to cancel NC hearing in Trump threat case
- What Duke Energy’s upcoming merger means to NC amid spending jump, rate backlash
- Climate activists block governor’s mansion, call Stein ‘complicit’ with Duke Energy
- Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles announces surprise resignation 6 months after reelection
- Who will be Charlotte’s next mayor after Lyles resigns? Here are possibilities.
- What’s a coding course for in the age of AI? Maybe not learning to write it
Thanks for reading
That’s all for now! Have a great day, and we’ll see you back here Sunday.
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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "New rules for NC workplace deaths + Is there ‘runway’ for a budget deal?."
