An increasing number of North Carolina businesses are shifting toward social impact and sustainable business practices.

James Montague, president and CEO of F7 International Development, is a Raleigh-based Black real estate developer, recently honored for his commitment to improving the community and carving out a space for local mom-and-pop shops to thrive.

Montague said F7 stands for "Faith in Action," because faith drives him to work with local suppliers and maintain a business in the area's historically marginalized neighborhoods.

"We're looking to add innovation into the neighborhood," Montague explained. "And give the young folks an opportunity to create and make products, and have ideas and have dreams, and bring those dreams into life and fruition."

Montague, who received the North Carolina Business Council's "Visionary Leadership in Business Sustainability" award is one of more than a dozen business leaders honored at the 6th Annual Business Sustainability Awards Luncheon in Raleigh.

Tami Schwerin co-founder and owner of The Plant, an eco-business park in Pittsboro, said she and her partner originally purchased land to build a biodiesel plant. More than 20 years later, the park is home to a native plant nursery, brewery, and 20 eco-friendly local businesses. Schwerin was awarded "Sustainable Business of the Year."

"This is a hard way to go," Schwerin pointed out. "It's way easier to do things in a conventional manner. But our values are all similar at The Plant. All the businesses have an environmental, sustainable, local focus."

Vicki Lee Parker-High, executive director of the North Carolina Business Council, said they saw a record number of nominees for this year's awards. She added more residents want "green," civic-minded local businesses in their communities.

"They want to buy from these companies," Parker-High stressed. "They want to make certain that they can see who their vendors are, who their suppliers are, because more and more consumers are becoming driven by those criteria."

Parker-High added a focus on social impact; environmental, social and governance investing; tax benefits; and allowing a business to incorporate as a public benefit corporation are all ways state policymakers could encourage environmentally and socially responsible business practices.

The moment Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping elections bill into law last week, several voter-advocacy groups filed lawsuits against it.

Senate Bill 7050 creates a broad set of restrictions for third-party voter registration groups. It cuts the amount of time they have to submit voters' applications, and adds new and higher fines for late submissions.

Estee Konor - associate director of litigation with Demos, a 'think tank' that focuses on racial justice - said her group's lawsuit targets a new provision that bans any non-citizen from getting involved in voter-registration work.

Konor said it directly impacts groups she represents, such as Hispanic Federation and Poder Latinx, that have a long history of helping people register to vote.

"And really what this law does is," said Konor, "it is an attack on the ability of Floridians - regardless of their immigration status - to participate in the democratic process of civic engagement."

The bill's sponsor, state Rep. Lawrence McClure - R-Dover - said the bill is meant to hold voter-registration groups to high standards and protect voters' personal information.

Groups like the League of Women Voters and other plaintiffs are also suing, claiming the law is unconstitutional and violates the First and 14th amendments.

Konor said all Floridians, including non-citizens, have the right to participate in the work of building a better democracy. She claimed the law is a brazen attempt to shut down voter registration work in those communities.

"If an organization violates this law in any way, even if they do so by mistake, they will be fined $50,000 per person that has violated the law," said Konor, "and there is no limit."

The new law also requires those organizations to provide voter registration applicants with a receipt detailing the voter's personal information.

According a study by University of Florida Political Science Professor Daniel Smith, Florida voters of color are five times more likely than white voters in the state to register to vote through third-party civic engagement groups.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




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Washingtonians will soon find it even easier to register to vote.

Passed this session, Senate Bill 5112 automatically makes people applying for enhanced driver's licenses eligible to vote.

Alex Alston, consultant for the Washington Voting Justice Coalition, said a number of communities in the state will benefit from the legislation.

"We know that Black and brown communities and folks with socio-economic barriers are often those who are left out of the system," Alston pointed out. "Moving towards a more automatic voter registration system is something that the state's been working towards."

While Washington has made it easy to vote in many respects, including with all-mail elections, lawmakers say nearly 1 million eligible Washingtonians are not registered. After registering them, the state will send a notice in the mail giving people the chance to opt out.

The measure only applies automatic voter registration to people who prove their U.S. citizenship. Alston noted it ensures people not eligible to vote are not inadvertently signed up.

"We don't want inadvertent mistakes that would have negative immigration consequences for someone or their families," Alston emphasized.

Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, Nevada and Oregon have adopted similar automatic registration measures. The law goes into effect July 23.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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Local activists will rally in Boston Common tomorrow to urge Congress to lift the debt ceiling without cuts to social programs in return.

President Joe Biden has rejected a House bill which would have raised the debt limit but cut spending on programs Democrats deem vital to working families.

Debbie Paul, chairperson of the Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition, said lawmakers have a duty to raise the debt ceiling without restrictions.

"Negotiating on budget is done at budget time, not when it comes to raising the debt ceiling," Paul argued. "Because that applies to spending that has already been approved and monies that have been spent."

Paul added local activists will rally to support Massachusetts' Democrats, including Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., to resist what they call "extremist MAGA demands," which could send the U.S. into a historic default. Republicans say it is irresponsible to burden future generations with increasing amounts of debt.

House Republicans are seeking more work requirements for people who receive federal nutrition assistance and Medicaid benefits who do not have children, which they claim would help with the nation's worker shortage.

Paul countered those types of cuts would jeopardize some of the most vulnerable citizens in the Commonwealth.

"They want to do away with some more food subsidies for children," Paul pointed out. "They want to do away with energy assistance programs for the elderly."

Paul added the Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition would support President Biden using his constitutional authority to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling, which now stands at more than $31 trillion. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Congress needs to reach a deal by June 1 before the U.S. can no longer pay its bills.