LEGISLATIVE NEWS

ADJOURNMENT RESOLUTION

In late June, the House and Senate agreed to an adjournment resolution (Senate Bill 916), with intermittent reconvening throughout the remainder of the year. The scheduled dates on which both chambers will reconvene are July 29, September 9, October 9, November 19, and December 11. During these sessions, activities would be limited to dealing with vetoes, appointments, conference reports, elections, and a final adjournment. The November session may involve discussions on the state budget, crossover bills, and potential constitutional amendments for voters in the 2024 election.

Governor Roy Cooper signed 12 bills from the state legislature into law on Monday, covering various important areas such as childcare grants, teacher raises, Right-to-Try, and public safety. One of the bills authorized teacher pay raises, while another allocated $67.5 million in childcare stabilization grants. Cooper also proposed spending $1.5 billion on childcare industry grants and subsidies. The bills signed covered a wide range of topics from healthcare to court changes to education, and they include:

Cooper also vetoed Senate Bill 445 related to court-filed documents and allowed the Regulatory Reform Act of 2024 (Senate Bill 607), to become law without his signature.

Cooper recently vetoed bills regarding the use of ATVs on roads (House Bill 155), housing rules forbidding landlords from refusing tenants with federal rent aid (House 556), state building code changes (Senate Bill 166), and prohibiting the state government from accepting cryptocurrency payments (House Bill 690). The override attempt by the legislature of these vetoes has been tentatively scheduled for July 29.

Other bills passing both chambers with near-unanimous support include a constitutional amendment to reaffirm voting rules for citizens (House Bill 1074), a legal definition of antisemitism (House Bill 942), DMV-requested changes for digital driver's licenses (House Bill 199), crackdown on vaping products (House Bill 900), and a bipartisan Farm Act (Senate Bill 355).

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UNFINISHED LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS

Although the 2024 legislative session has so far not included typical adjustments to the back half of the biennial budget, state leaders remained optimistic about the state's future growth and management under Republican policies and held out hope for passage of a budget later this year.

One major casualty of the failure to pass the budget was the proposed increased funding for private school vouchers, which was tied to additional raises for public school teachers.

Several notable bills, such as the one requiring sheriffs to work with federal immigration officials (Senate Bill 50), a medical marijuana legalization bill (Senate Bill 3), and a social services reform attempt (Senate Bill 625), failed to make it through both chambers. The House and Senate also differed on changes to broadband internet grants (Senate Bill 743) and election laws (House Bill 1071), leading to unfinished legislative business.

Despite the setbacks, some ideas like election law changes could still be revisited, with Sen. Warren Daniel leading the effort for more transparency in political ads and mail-in ballot signature verification.

While some bills and constitutional amendments may be reconsidered later in the summer, legislators also plan to address any potential vetoes issued by Governor Cooper. The ongoing discussions and possible revisits to unfinished legislation are intended to resolve key issues shortly after the general election in November.

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NEW LAWS EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2024

24 bills became effective either partially or completely on July 1. Included among the new legislation is Senate Bill 747, a bill that seeks to update voter registration lists and ensure fair elections by imposing strict guidelines on the State Board of Elections. The election legislation includes requirements for address checks, mail-in voting rules, data sharing agreements with other states, and the removal of ineligible voters from the list. Also effective on July 1 are Senate Bill 452 which gives the State Board of Education more control over high school sports. The General Assembly overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of the bill expanding students' rights to appeal decisions by the athletic association. Senate Bill 677 accelerates the construction of certain building projects, while House Bill 600 provides regulatory relief, especially for industries like agriculture and fisheries. Two other laws that have become effective are House Bill 11, which specifies regulations for North Carolina schools for the Deaf and Blind, and House Bill 198, which amends transportation laws in the state. The full listing of bills effective beginning July 1 and on various dates through January 1, 2025 can be found here.

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POSITIVE CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMS SIGNED INTO LAW

The North Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill 565, which among other things restores automatic expunctions of record of being charged with a crime if those charges have been dismissed by a district attorney or if the individual was found not guilty. The legislation will allow North Carolinians to apply for housing, jobs, loans, and schools without fearing that allegations of a crime for which they were not convicted will prevent their applications from being approved. The North Carolina Chamber of Commerce recently released poll results showing that more than 70% of North Carolinians support expungement in those cases. Governor Cooper signed the bill into law on July 8, 2024.