One month into the real work of the 2025 General Assembly, and the tension between the chambers is exposed.
H47, Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part 1, passed the Senate with amendments and was returned to the House for what was expected to be a smooth concurrence vote. But the House balked and the bill's now in a conference committee. You could hear senators grumble in the halls, setting the stage for what may be more contentiousness this session.
We were deeply unhappy to see S261, Energy Security and Affordability, a bill that panders to Duke Energy by softening targets for carbon reduction and neutrality, as well as requiring customers to foot the bill for new base generating facilities while they are being built - even if they never come on line. Also, such rate increases would come off-cycle from typical rate proceedings.
The bill was filed on Monday and pushed through the Senate this week — the fastest possible path — with a near-party-line vote. The House will receive the bill next week. Read our statement, and stay tuned for more news on our opposition to this measure.
H8, NC Managing Environmental Waste Act of 2025, is still awaiting Senate attention after passing the House two weeks ago. As you'll recall, similar bills sponsored by Rep. Harry Warren (R-Rowan) in past sessions have gotten bipartisan House support but stalled in the Senate.
Other bills of interest introduced this week:
- H344, Litter Reduction Act of 2025, is a bottle return bill.
- H345, Rights of Nature / Certain River Basins, mirrors legislative efforts in other states to grant legal rights to natural entities - in this case, the Haw and Dan river basins. Co-sponsor Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), filed a similar bill in 2023 that never got a hearing.
- H369, Parking Lot Reform and Modernization Act, prohibits required off-street parking as part of new developments, and does away with parking lot dimensions requirements, thus curbing new impervious surfaces that exacerbate water runoff.
- H402, NC REINS Act, would require any administrative rule amendment with a fiscal impact of $1 million or more to seek final approval at the General Assembly, reigniting the tug of war between the legislative and executive branch over administrative rules.
Governor Stein delivered his State of the State Address this week, urging bipartisan support for Helene relief, budgeting stability in the face of federal upheaval and other economic pressures, and other issues.
Take action:
While it's not a legislative issue, we hope you'll join us in opposing a water quality permit for the long-delayed Mid-Currituck Bridge project. This billion-dollar toll bridge would cause temporary and permanent harm to the many sensitive wildlife preserves and natural areas of the northern Outer Banks, and encourage more development in ecologically unique and sensitive areas of our barrier islands.