It's quiet at the N.C. General Assembly today, a striking change from the past couple of weeks that saw bills zooming through committees and chambers to beat the May 8 crossover deadline.
Crossover is the arbitrary day by which most bills must pass one of the chambers in order remain live and available for further action during the biennium. Some measures that might ordinarily have gotten closer scrutiny were moved through the process quickly with a promise of followup action after the deadline.
We expect the House to reveal its version of the state budget late next week, passing it to the Senate before the weeklong break that starts on Memorial Day, May 26.
Bills of interest that saw action this week:
- H369, Parking Lot Reform and Modernization Act, hit a snag when staff drafting lawyers flagged one of its three sections as unconstitutional. The section was pulled from the bill and an appropriation was added, so that the bill would remain eligible after crossover despite not being passed by the full House. The measure remains in House State and Local Government Committee.
- H549, Clarify Powers of the State Auditor, raises concerns that it would empower the State Auditor in a similar fashion to the federal “DOGE” office. The House passed the bill with a near party-line vote (Ray Pickett, R-Watauga, voted against).
- H569, PFAS Pollution and Polluter Liability, passed the House with very little opposition. This bill requires that entities that manufacture PFAS must reimburse water systems for upgrades to address pollution.
- H870, Sedimentation Act and Other Environmental Changes, is the latest challenge to DEQ’s delegated authority, calling for legislative approval of federal delegated authority to an executive agency, which raises concerns over the separation of powers. The bill passed the House on a party-line vote.
- H926, Regulatory Reform Act of 2025, has a concerning section that would limit environmental and health standards for water and sewer systems construction to nothing stricter than the state’s standards. The bill is in House Rules and is not subject to crossover.
- S639, NC Farm Act of 2025, which is not subject to crossover, was amended in committee to add a section limiting liability for pesticide manufacturers. We’re hearing this is to protect Bayer, which is battling longstanding litigation over Roundup herbicide.
With the crossover deadline / chaos past, we're finalizing a few new action alerts, including an updated email campaign opposing S261, the bill that would let Duke Energy charge ratepayers for construction work in progress (CWIP), and H402, NC REINS Act, which would send agency rulemaking into chaos. Keep an eye on your email, our website and our social media for links and more information when those alerts go live!