What we’re watching: These bills from NC lawmakers could go the distance
by Sarah Michels, Carolina Public Press February 21, 2025
Less than a month into the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers have filed nearly 300 bills. Before the filing deadline next month, there will likely be another couple hundred bills presented.
Not all will survive the grueling legislative process, particularly considering North Carolina’s divided government.
After the 2024 election barred GOP legislators from a supermajority by one seat, Democratic Gov. Josh Stein may be able to deny many Republicans’ wishes with his veto pen.
Several bills will probably attract more attention than others.
Current law bars North Carolinians fromcarryingconcealed deadly weapons, including handguns, without a permit outside of one’s property. House Bill 5 removes that restriction for adults 18 and older.
It also abolishes firearms from the statutory list of deadly weapons — a list that includes daggers and stun guns.
The bill loosens some additional concealed-carry restrictions. If passed, state residents could carry a concealed weaponat a public event where admission is charged and at parades and funeral processions. Elected officials would be allowed to have a concealed firearm while performing official duties if they have a permit.
Anyone who carries a hidden weapon must have their ID with them and present it to law enforcement if approached.
Those convicted or charged with certain crimes, dishonorably discharged from the military, ruled by a court to be mentally ill or addicted to a controlled substance are not allowed to have a concealed firearm without a permit under this proposed legislation.
Senate Bill 50 is a twin bill in the other chamber, which suggests a higher priority level for this legislation.
Other gun-related bills this session:
House Bill 38, also known as the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act, bans gun dealers from creating a record of people in the state who own firearms.
House Bill 9 bans local governments from regulating firearm use on private property as long as it is “conducted with reasonable care.”
House Bill 28 creates a new crime to be treated as a separate offense under the law: possessing a firearm or weapon of mass destruction while attempting or committing a felony.
Helene on the horizon
As Helene recovery continues, the legislature begins work on its next funding package.
Thus far, lawmakers have passed three relief packages that collectively dedicate $1.1 billion to the recovery effort, though not all of the funds have been specifically allocated.
As it stands, the fourth package draws $275 million from the State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund.
The latest Helene relief package from the General Assembly would withdraw $275 million from a state emergency fund. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press
While the bill is continually being amended, some of the current allocations include:
$140 million for home reconstruction and repair
$75 million for farmers to resume production and protect against future flood damage
$100 million for repair of private roads and bridges
$55 million for small business infrastructure grants
$20 million to local governments for outstanding debris removal
$10 million to supplement rental assistance payments
$5 million for targeted media campaigns to get tourists back in Western North Carolina
The bill is set to be heard on the House floor as early as Tuesday.
‘Breathtaking legislation’
Last year, Republican legislators told future Democratic Attorney General Jeff Jackson he couldn’t make an argument in court that would invalidate any law passed by the General Assembly.
Now, with House Bill 72 and Senate Bill 58, they’re extending that limitation to presidential executive orders.
One of the most common actions of attorneys general is joining their counterparts in other states in opposition to presidential actions like executive orders.
Some North Carolina Republicans would end the practice as the second Trump administration settles into power.
Democratic state Sen. Graig Meyer, who represents Caswell, Orange and Person counties, said he’s been very critical of the bill, which he called “breathtaking legislation.”
“If you don’t want your attorney general to be able to sue the federal government over things that may be unconstitutional … then you actually want a king,” he said. “But even in just blunt political terms, it’s a very short-sighted bill. Because what if, in four years from now, we’re in the reverse situation, and they have a Republican attorney general and a Democratic president?”
Hold the phone
Lawmakers have had it with technology in classrooms.
Or, at least, that’s what they appear to be saying with bills in the House and Senate requiring school boards to create cellphone or wireless communication-free educational environments.
Enter House Bill 87, which aims to eliminate or severely restrict student access to cellphonesduring class.
Senate Bill 55 goes a step further, including tablet computers, laptops, paging devices, two-way radios and gaming devices as banned technologies.
Election bills in abundance
Coming off an intense election cycle, lawmakers are looking to make a few changes.
House Bill 31 would establish Election Day as a North Carolina holiday for general statewide elections.
House Bill 66 would reduce the number of early voting days in North Carolina. Current law requires early voting to begin 20 days before the election. The proposed bill would allow for nine days.
Several local bills align odd-year municipal elections with even-year state and federal elections. Others extend mayoral terms from two to four years.
Finally, House Bill 85 would ban staffers found to not have exercised “due care and diligence” from future election work.
SUMMARY: Concerns have arisen in Holly Springs over a new development of 120 homes near local schools on Avent Ferry Road. Parents fear increased traffic poses a safety risk for children walking to school, with many advocating for road widening due to peak travel congestion. Despite local opposition, the town council approved the project, arguing it is lower density and age-restricted, which they believe will generate less traffic. Residents expressed disappointment, emphasizing safety needs before development progress. The developer is required to align an intersection and enhance crosswalk visibility, with homes anticipated to be completed by mid to late 2027.
Neighbors in Holly Springs are concerned about a new development that the Town Council approved Tuesday night.
SUMMARY: Lawmakers in North Carolina are advancing House Bill 297, aimed at requiring insurance coverage for additional breast cancer screenings, like ultrasounds, alongside routine mammograms. This bipartisan-supported legislation addresses significant financial barriers faced by women, particularly those at high risk. Survivor Cara Hume emphasizes the burden of out-of-pocket costs, personally paying over $1,000 for annual MRIs. While the bill’s quick passage through the house health committee is promising, concerns linger over stalled similar legislation in the Senate. Advocates urge North Carolina to follow the lead of 27 other states that have already implemented such measures for better cancer care access.
House Bill 297, which has garnered bipartisan support, passed unanimously in the House Health Committee and seeks to ensure that diagnostic and supplemental breast exams are covered to the same extent as mammograms.
www.thecentersquare.com – By David Beasley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-18 16:10:00
(The Center Square) – North Carolina agencies would have to get legislative approval for any new regulation that would have more than $1 million in economic impact under bills introduced Friday in the Senate and House of Representatives.
The legislation is part of a nationwide push by conservative groups such as Americans for Prosperity to stop unelected state agency leaders from raising costs for businesses by adding new regulations.
“The NC REINS Act is about giving the people of North Carolina a stronger voice in the rules that shape their lives,” state Rep. Allen Chesser, R-Nash, in a news conference Tuesday. “Right now, unelected bureaucrats can impose regulations with major financial consequences without direct oversight from the General Assembly. The current process is not transparent. We can do better.”
This is not a new issue, Dalton Clark, legislative liaison for Americans for Prosperity said Tuesday.
“It’s something that has been debated several times at the General Assembly,” Clark said. “I think the No. 1 question we’ve got is ‘Why now?”
The legislation now has “overwhelming” bipartisan support, Clark said. A poll shows 80% support for the bill, he said.
Donald Bryson, CEO of the Locke Foundation, said his organization has been pushing for this type of legislation for a decade.
“This is about good governance overall and reinstating accountability and transparency to democratic governance,” he said. ”At what point does a rule or regulation that’s created become so large that it in fact should be a law?”
The proposal “clarifies this strange gray area,” Bryson said.
Similar legislation is pending in at least a dozen states, including Georgia and South Carolina, said Jaimie Cavanaugh, legal policy counsel at Pacific Legal Foundation. Wyoming passed a bill this year, she said.
The Center Square was unsuccessful getting comment from Gov. Josh Stein’s office before publication.
Some legislative critics of the proposal have said that the proposal could be dangerous because it would create an extra layer of approval for regulations aimed at protecting public health.
