CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Fresh off electoral gains in the state house and state senate, North Carolina Republicans are now making plans for the General Assembly's 2023 session, starting in January.
NC House Speaker Tim Moore, who represents Kings Mountain, appeared on WCNC's Flashpoint this week and told host Ben Thompson the economy and workforce development are republicans' top priorities.
"We need to make sure we have a ready supply of workers to take these new jobs that are coming to North Carolina. And we need to do what we can to make, make it so that it's affordable to live in this great state," Moore said.
Medicaid expansion, long the source of disagreement among republicans and democrats, will be addressed early in the session, according to Moore. Currently, North Carolina is one of only twelve states that doesn't provide Medicaid expansion.
"I do think that it'll be an issue that we take up very soon in the session," he said.
Moore also indicated Voter ID was a priority for republicans. The state supreme court overturned a 2018 constitutional amendment that required voters to show some sort of identification at the polls.
"The people voted for it. 36 other states have it. It only makes sense to have that, as you know, some baseline protections to prevent election fraud," Moore said.
And after a US Supreme Court decision this year overturning a federal right to an abortion, state lawmakers might have to address abortion access. Moore said he'd take a "consensus" approach to the controversial issue.
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"When a woman is facing this decision, she's probably facing one of the greatest if not the greatest crisis of her life at that moment, and really helping try to look at it in a compassionate way to ensure that, that she has the resources, should she decide to have a child," he said.
While Moore wouldn't commit to any specific legislation, he said he supported exceptions for rape, incest and when the health of the mother is at risk.
SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW SUNDAY AT 11 A.M. ON FLASHPOINT, ONLY ON WCNC CHARLOTTE.
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