(The Center Square) – Senators in North Carolina have advanced a proposal keeping 501(c) donors’ personal information protected.

The Personal Privacy Protection Act, known also as Senate Bill 416, is in the House of Representatives awaiting direction from the Rules Committee. Authored by Burke County Republican Warren Daniel, the proposal has drawn comparisons to a 2021 bill that didn’t get past a gubernatorial veto.

Campaign finance disclosure laws are not changed by the bill.

Proponents of the legislation say it is in line with freedom to give without being exposed. When he vetoed, then-Gov. Roy Cooper said “dark money” was protected.

The bill sets disclosure violations punishments of up to 90 days in jail or up to a $1,000 fine.

No Republicans were in opposition. Democratic Sens. Dan Blue of Wake County, Paul Lowe of Forsyth County and Gladys Robinson of Guilford County were in favor.

If enacted, the bill becomes law Dec. 1.

(The Center Square) – Pittsburgh-headquartered PPG, a global Fortune 500 company that makes paint, coatings, and specialty materials, said Thursday it will invest $380 million in a new North Carolina factory.

The return to Shelby in Cleveland County harkens the echoes of the 1950s, when PPG was in the same community.

In a company release, Tim Knavish, PPG chairman and chief executive officer, said, “PPG’s investment in this new manufacturing facility demonstrates the significant demand growth for our world-class technologies and our continued commitment to serving our aerospace customers. By modernizing and digitizing our facilities, PPG will continue to embody our purpose – to protect and beautify the world – while contributing to the growth and innovation of the aerospace sector.”

PPG, in a release, said the new aerospace facility will try to reduce environmental impact while incorporating advanced manufacturing technology. Quality and safety, it said, will be paramount.

“It’s great to see another top manufacturing company select North Carolina as a place to do business,” North Carolina Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said in a statement. “It’s also gratifying to see a company like PPG, with its historical ties to the region, once again become part of the strong and vibrant community of Shelby. I look forward to the great things to come from this renewed partnership.”

PPG says the factory will create 110 jobs, with an average annual salary of $66.861. The Cleveland County average wage is $48,310, a release from the state says.

PPG has been approved for a $300,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund, the governor’s office said.

“Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment,” according the governor’s office. “All OneNC grants require a matching grant from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.”

PPG which operates in more than 70 countries and had sales of $15.8 billion in 2024.

The company will make coatings and sealants for airplanes at the Shelby plant.

“Our state’s workforce is our greatest asset, and I will continue to advocate for more training and education programs so that employees can build a career and employers have the well-trained people they need to get to work,” Gov. Josh Stein said in a statement.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Cleveland County had a population in 2024 of 102,194. It had a poverty rate of 17.2%, the Census said.

PPG was founded in 1883 in Creighton, Pa., and was originally called the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has filed another bill to help U.S. service members negatively impacted by the Biden administration’s COVID vaccine mandate at the Department of Defense.

Under former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, active-duty service members were required to take an experimental COVID vaccine, and nearly all who submitted Religious Accommodation Request (RAR) exemptions were denied. This led to service members being dishonorably discharged, demoted or other negative consequences, prompting multiple lawsuits in which federal judges ruled against all four branches of the U.S. military, The Center Square reported.

On Thursday, Cruz introduced the Reaffirming Every Servicemember’s Trust Over Religious Exemptions (RESTORE) Act to require the DOD to establish a Special Review Board to audit all four branches to investigate how and why nearly all RARs were denied.

The bill, which has multiple cosponsors, follows through on a commitment Cruz made to U.S. military members years ago. It also follows a bill he filed in January, the Allowing Military Exemptions, Recognizing Individual Concerns About New Shots (AMERICANS) Act, to ensure protections against any similar future mandates, The Center Square reported.

Although the National Defense Authorization Act of 2023 terminated the DOD COVID-19 vaccine mandate, an ultimatum Republicans made in order to pass it, it didn’t help service members who’d already been punished, demoted and discharged after their RARs were denied. Approximately 28,000 RARs were submitted. Fewer than 400 were approved in violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Those who weren’t discharged for refusing to take the COVID shots still faced “cruel and unusual punishment,” demotion and dishonorable discharge, according to attorneys with Liberty Counsel representing service members who sued over the mandate, The Center Square reported.

Members of the Coast Guard were still seeking relief in a lawsuit filed by Thomas More Society, who two years after the mandate were still being denied promotions because they wouldn’t comply, The Center Square reported.

“American servicemembers are still facing unjust consequences for personal religious decisions that caused them to reject the Biden administration’s coercive COVID-19 vaccine mandates, including being denied promotions and receiving negative performance reviews,” Cruz said. “Under the RESTORE Act, these wrongs would be corrected for the men and women in uniform.”

The bill requires the secretary of defense to create a special review board to audit RARs and review the personnel records of every service member who filed one specifically for the COVID mandate. The audit requires the DOD to determine how service members’ careers were negatively impacted and to take corrective action.

Corrective action includes backdating promotions to the rank that service members would have achieved absent the adverse impact; correcting their date of rank; restoring lost pay and benefits, including back pay, retirement contributions and applicable bonuses; and reinstating them to service if they were forced out because the COVID mandate.

It also requires that all adverse administrative actions related to a service member’s refusal to take the experimental COVID drug or other protected religious accommodation are expunged from their record, including administrative reprimands, negative or inconsistent evaluations, promotion delays or denials, among others.

The bill requires the DOD to conduct the audit within one year of the bill becoming law and to provide compensation and remedies within 60 days of case resolution. It also requires transparency, including reporting findings to Congress and an audit by the inspector general.

U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, filed companion legislation in the U.S. House.

“President Trump and (Defense) Secretary (Pete) Hegseth are on a mission to fix what [former President] Joe Biden and [former Defense Secretary] Lloyd Austin did to our brave men and women in uniform,” Jackson said in a news release. “This bill gives the Trump Administration the authority to investigate and finally deliver justice to the thousands of servicemembers who stood their ground and stayed in uniform after filing Religious Accommodation Requests from the COVID-19 vaccine.

“These heroes were wrongfully punished for their religious convictions — passed over for promotions, slapped with unfair evaluations, and pressured to cave,” Jackson continued. “Those actions were absolutely wrong, and Congress must provide Secretary Hegseth with the authorities and tools he needs to make it right!”

Through years of litigation, federal judges ruled against U.S. military branches and the U.S. Supreme Court repeatedly ruled against state lockdown policies, The Center Square reported.

In one case, Judge Steven Merryday rebuked Navy and Marine Corps leaders, saying they must comply with federal law because it applies to “everyone from the President to a park ranger … from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to a military recruiter – even if they don’t like it and even if they don’t agree with it. The Free Exercise Clause and RFRA are the law of the land.”