General Assembly reconvenes to address issues across a wide variety of topics

Crossover deadline leads to flurry of legislative activity…

Raleigh, N.C.— The North Carolina General Assembly will reconvene after its one-week break for Easter. This week will see a flurry of legislative activity as the May 9thcrossover deadline approaches.

Here are some key bills the General Assembly will hear in committee this week.

Economic Development

• On Monday, the House Rules Committee will hear HB 649, County Tier Designation Study Bill.

• This will direct the North Carolina Collaboratory to study the impact of various changes to the current County Tier system. Currently, the County Tier System provides enhanced incentives to companies that locate new projects in economically distressed counties. Critics complain that the current system does not match the reality on the ground. Read more, click here.

• On Monday, the House Rules Committee will hear HB 694, Study Water/Wastewater Regionalization.

  • This legislation directs the UNC School of Government to study and identify cost-saving opportunities through regionalizing water/wastewater systems across North Carolina. Access to water and wastewater infrastructure often limits the scope of various economic development projects. For example, the three massive projects in Chatham County, all with capital investments exceeding $4 billion each, are only possible through a partnership between Chatham County and Sanford’s water systems. Read more, click here.

• On Tuesday, the House Commerce Committee will hear HB 616, Selectsite Readiness Program Modifications.

  • This legislation provides some updates to the Selectsite Readiness Program. The program promotes the creation of sites for potential economic development projects. Read more, click here.

• On Tuesday, the House Regulatory Reform Committee will hear HB 926, Regulatory Reform Act of 2025.

  • This is the annual legislative vehicle Republicans use to reduce and eliminate outdated and unnecessary regulations. The legislation is often filled with a hodgepodge of regulations to reduce. This year, legislators used it to propose an amendment to the State Constitution to protect private property. Read more, click here.

• On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Regulatory Reform will hear SB 451, Occupational/Professional Licensing Relief.

  • SB 451 reduces continuing education requirements for Geologists, Athletic Trainers, Locksmiths, Environmental Health Specialist Examiners, Exterminators, Appraisers, and Interpreters. While the legislation reduces the continuing education requirement, it still requires annual certification processes. Read more, click here.

Health

• On Tuesday, the House Health Committee will hear HB 135, Misbranding/Cell-Cultured Meat/Env. Assess.

• This bill increases the regulatory burden for labels for different animal protein products. Read more, click here.

• On Tuesday, the House Health Committee will hear HB 489, Increase Access for Small Employers/Insurance

  • This legislation would increase small employers’ access to stop loss, catastrophic, and reinsurance coverage by lowering the number of eligible employees to five. Read more, click here.

• On Tuesday, the House Health Committee will hear HB 489, Insurance Coverage Emergency Ambulance Trans.

  • The legislation requires health insurance companies to cover the emergency services necessary to transport a covered person to a medically appropriate location. Read more, click here.

Agriculture

• On Wednesday, the Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to hear SB 639, North Carolina Farm Act of 2025.

  • This is the annual legislation that works to address a variety of regulations and policy issues related to farming and agriculture in North Carolina. Read more, click here.

Criminal Justice

• On Tuesday, the House Judiciary 2 Committee will hear HB 261, Sent. Enhancement/Immigration-Related Crimes.

  • This legislation would enhance the criminal penalty for individuals convicted of a crime in North Carolina who have been previously deported or denied entry to the United States. Read more, click here.

• On Tuesday, the House Judiciary 2 Committee will hear HB 781, Unauthorized Public Camping & Sleeping.

  • The legislation bans unauthorized camping or sleeping on public property. Read more, click here.

• On Tuesday, the House Judiciary 2 Committee will hear HB 690, The Citizens Support Act.

  • The legislation directs state agencies to take the appropriate steps to stop noncitizens from receiving state benefits. Read more, click here.

State and Local Government

• On Monday, the House Rules Committee will hear HB 439, Allow Concealed Carry of Knife.

  • This bill would allow anyone to carry a concealed knife as long as they are 18 years of age, carry valid identification, not a felon, and the person is not anywhere where a handgun is prohibited from being carried. Read more, click here.

• On Tuesday, the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee will hear HB 859, Local Govts/Guaranteed Income Programs.

  • This legislation would prohibit local governments from enacting guaranteed income programs. Despite the policy failures of guaranteed income programs, Durham County enacted a universal income program. The legislation would prevent local governments from spending money on programs that have been shown not to work. Read more, click here.

• On Wednesday, the House State and Local Government Committee will hear HB 659, Local Government Spending Program.

  • This legislation would require greater transparency from local governments by posting more financial information online, improving invoicing clarity, and providing details on competing bids. Read more, click here.

Looking Forward

While this week will likely be marked with a flood of substantial policy proposals, one big policy proposal still has not been released— the House’s version of the budget. Once the House releases and passes its version of the budget, negotiations between the chambers will begin in earnest, and eventually, the final budget will pass.

The sprint toward the end of the legislative long session begins this week with over 100 bills scheduled to be heard in committee. The frantic pace of legislative activity will continue until the final budget is passed, hopefully in June.