North Carolina lawmakers returned to Raleigh today, and there is a lot of unfinished business awaiting them. Last year was a notably unproductive legislative year with lawmakers passing only 97 bills, which is quite low for a long session. In addition to passing fewer bills, state lawmakers have yet to pass one of the most important bills they could: a state budget. Despite repeated pleas from North Carolina Governor Josh Stein to pass a much-needed budget, Republican leaders House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger have been in a standoff over budget proposals, leaving state agencies, state workers, teachers, students, and residents facing rising costs.
The funds included in a state budget go to state agencies, teacher raises, and state programs like Medicaid, which is approaching a major $319 million fiscal cliff if more funding isn’t allotted by May. Stein has called for lawmakers to pass a full budget, but as debates over the budget drag on, he has also called on them to pass separate legislation to fund Medicaid in order to address urgent needs. Yet lawmakers have not acted.
Though they haven’t passed a state budget, the two chambers, both with Republican majorities, managed to agree on other bills ranging from allowing Duke Energy to raise prices on customers prematurely for the production of new power plants to a newly gerrymandered congressional map drawn at the behest of President Donald Trump.
Several bills were vetoed by Stein, excluding the congressional map, which was not eligible to be vetoed. With a majority in both the House and the Senate, and with the help of a few party-splitting Democrats, Republicans were able to override eight of Stein’s 14 vetoes from last year.
Though both chambers have a Republican majority, only the Senate has a veto-proof majority, with the House just one Republican shy of that.
This has left many vetoed bills on the calendar for the state House that have already been overridden in the Senate, like Senate Bill 50, Freedom To Carry NC; Senate Bill 558, Eliminating “Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion (DEI)” In Public Higher Education; Senate Bill 227, Eliminating “Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion (DEI)” In Public Education; or Senate Bill 153, North Carolina Border Protection Act.
Although there is plenty of work from last year still needing to be done, it doesn’t leave other issues off the table. Property taxes, Hurricane Helene recovery, and adjusting funds for changes at the federal level all have the possibility of being addressed during the short session. However, nothing is guaranteed.
What might add to the suspense entering the short session is the results from the March primary election, where several sitting lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, were ousted in favor of their primary opponents.
Due to this, these legislators may be unwilling to push for progress, work across the aisle, and get things done for the people of North Carolina.
The state’s legislative short session will run through July 2nd.
