RALEIGH - Half the voters in North Carolina think the General Assembly is causing the state national embarrassment, according to a recent poll.

Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling says the legislature's approval ratings are sinking in the wake of debates over abortion, voter ID, and the state budget.

"Voters don't like feeling this way. I think as a result of that we find that only 38% of voters in the state think that Republican control has been a good thing for North Carolina, 51% say it has been a bad thing."

Jensen says there's particular anger at lawmakers for ending the sales tax holiday, with 55 percent saying they disagree with that decision.