After a series of strong bipartisan votes in the Senate and House, Governor Cooper signed a new $25.9 B budget into law on November 18. The process used to reach this compromise budget was historic. House and Senate Democrats and Republicans–and Governor Cooper–worked on the conference report together over many weeks. As is true of […]
New maps for North Carolina’s 14 Congressional districts and 170 House and Senate districts were released yesterday. Navigate from the NCGA homepage to view submitted maps drawn by legislators, livestreamed committee meetings, and other details. The public can provide feedback at 4 public hearings this coming week. JOINT REDISTRICTING PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULE Monday, […]
Redistricting is front and center while the state budget is being negotiated in a conference committee. How do you weigh in? The public hearing portion of the redistricting process started September 8 and continues across the state through September 30. You do not have to live in the county where the public hearing is held […]
May 14 was the ‘crossover deadline’ for House and Senate bills to pass in their chamber, keeping them eligible for action during the remainder of the session. While there are a few exceptions (bills on elections, redistricting, constitutional amendments and appointments), legislators are always acutely aware of this ticking clock, making the final days before […]
It’s hard to believe we’ve rounded the corner on the first 2 months of the 2021 legislative session. Things got off to a flying start with the appropriation of additional federal COVID relief funds. COVID response We passed a $2.24 billion COVID relief bill in February and second $1.7 B bill in March; both were […]
in-ter-im (noun). The intervening time. In this case, the weeks between the September adjournment of the 2019-2020 session and the first meeting of a newly-elected legislature on January 13. The legislature may be out of session, but I’m still busy answering email messages and calls from constituents, talking with graduate students enrolled in their first […]
The legislative short session kicked off on April 28, a date specified when the long session adjourned on January 14. When we adjourned in January there was every reason to anticipate a typical short session: budget wrangling, passage of a few remaining bills, and adjournment with plenty of time to campaign for the November election. […]
Dear friends, I hope that you are well, practicing the recommended social distance of 6 feet, getting outside for fresh air and sunshine, and staying in touch with family and friends by phone and virtually. I hope that you have not been personally affected by COVID-19. You haven’t heard from me until now because for […]
The 2019 long session kicked off on a cold day in January. The majority’s budget was crafted in the warmth of spring and vetoed in the heat of summer. Fall’s beauty has taken a back seat to brief floor sessions with a paucity of votes, many ‘no vote’ sessions, a few hastily called committee meetings, […]
March is the mid-point of a 3 month NCGA marathon to get policy ideas fleshed out, bills drafted and sponsors lined up—all before a self-imposed legislative clock runs out. Most bills fit into 5 categories—local bills (affecting 13 or fewer counties); statewide public bills that raise or spend money (one category) and those that do […]
