General Assembly Reaches Deal to Strip Away Judges' Job Protections

By Michael Whiteley, Eastern Bureau ChiefA compromise between the North Carolina House and Senate about regulatory reform resurrects a measure by House Republicans to exempt the state's 20 workers' compensation judges and other top officials of the state Industrial Commission from civil service protections.The Senate on Thursday voted 27-19 for preliminary approval of House Bill 74, the Regulatory Reform Act of 2013. The House voted 76-36 for preliminary passage of the legislation. A House-Senate conference committee proposed the 68-page overhaul of state regulations on Wednesday.The c...