This week, the General Assembly briefly reconvened for one of the Special Sessions authorized by the July adjournment resolution. Although legislative activity and bill movement were both limited during this narrow window,...more
9/13/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Broadband ,
Building Codes ,
Community Colleges ,
Funding ,
General Assembly ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Medicaid ,
North Carolina ,
Private Schools ,
Public Schools ,
State Budgets ,
Vouchers
During the 2023 Long Session, the General Assembly enacted a two-year budget to carry the state through June 30, 2025. While that budget remains in place, it is standard practice for the General Assembly to enact a budget...more
As attorneys and professionals, Ward and Smith's government relations team watches with keen interest those who are elected, or might be elected, to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches in North Carolina state...more
After wrapping up one of the longest sessions in the North Carolina General Assembly's history, lawmakers return this week for the first day of the 2022 Short Session.
Historically, the Short Session operates on a...more
The Long Session certainly lived up to its name, spanning 199 legislative days and marking the first time in state history that a Regular Session was adjourned in a different year than it was convened. The General Assembly is...more
After months of wrangling over policy and money, Governor Roy Cooper (D) and the General Assembly’s Republican leadership have agreed to implement North Carolina's first budget since 2018.
On November 15, Republican...more
Since convening in January, the North Carolina General Assembly's Long Session has been marked by lengthy state budget negotiations, starts and stops, and several historic pieces of proposed legislation. American Rescue...more
7/30/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
CARES Act ,
Disaster Preparedness ,
Economic Development ,
Federal Funding ,
Flood Management ,
General Assembly ,
Governor Cooper ,
Infrastructure ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Public Projects ,
State Budgets ,
State Funding
As we find ourselves facing a massive global health crisis and sudden economic downturn, many North Carolinians are looking for relief from their government.
Congress has acted. What about the North Carolina General...more
The 2018 Short Session of the North Carolina General Assembly adjourned in late June and can boast something that many Short Sessions cannot: that it was genuinely short.
What else made it memorable? An unusual...more
Brief History of Special Sessions -
In odd numbered years, after the North Carolina General Assembly adjourns its Long Session, the body typically abstains from lawmaking through the commencement of the Short Session the...more
10/23/2017
/ Adjournment ,
Article II ,
Constitutional Amendment ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Environmental Policies ,
General Assembly ,
Governor Cooper ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Notice Requirements ,
Redistricting ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Section 11 ,
Special Sessions ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets
In the early morning hours of June 30th, the North Carolina General Assembly adjourned its 2017 Long Session after a lengthy night of debate, negotiation, and casting votes. This year's adjournment date marks the second...more
After adjourning for two weeks to name committee leadership, complete an extensive office shuffle and make one final fundraising push, state lawmakers will open the 2017-18 Biennium of the North Carolina General Assembly in...more