Hello friends!
We are now three weeks after the official adjournment of the General Assembly, so I want to provide you a brief wrap up of the session as well as talk about what’s happening now and what we anticipate over the next few months.
Session Wrap Up
While the legislature did pass two Helene relief bills, bringing the total state dollars allocated to $2.1 billion, and three of my legislative initiatives became law, over all it was a disappointing session. We passed far fewer bills than ever before, and most of that work happened in the last two weeks of session in June. This reduced volume makes it much more difficult to get anything passed, especially for Democrats. We also failed to pass a new state budget, that would have been in the $32-33 billion range, though we did pass a $1 billion mini-budget in July that funds some necessary things.
That mini-budget, however, failed to include funding for the Healthy Opportunities Pilot program, which has provided critical support for food, housing, and transportation for over 37,000 low-income families in NC, including over 10,000 people in WNC. Those services have now ceased, harming not just the service recipients but also the nonprofits that were delivering those services and WNC farmers who were providing tons of local food. The mini-budget also did not fully fund the state’s Medicaid program, so reimbursement rates for physicians and services will be cut, likely further reducing the providers who care for Medicaid enrollees.
The legislature also overrode most of the 14 bills Gov. Josh Stein vetoed. The Senate overrode 13 bills due to the Republican supermajority, but the House overrode only eight. The vetoes not overridden by the House – three DEI bills, a bill allowing concealed carry without a permit, and a bill requiring increased cooperation by state law enforcement agencies with ICE – remain on the table for possible overrides later if the House majority can catch enough Democrats absent to override. The final bill not overridden by either chamber was put into a new bill with the offending language removed, and that bill passed both chambers. Gov. Stein recently vetoed one additional bill, but neither chamber has met since then.
Sadly, one of the bills overridden repealed the state’s interim 70% carbon reduction goal originally established in H951, passed in 2021. I was deeply involved in the drafting and passage of that bill in my first term, and it is truly a step back for our state. Thankfully, the final goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 remains.
My Legislative Victories
I entered this session with three main priorities: passing legislation to make it easier to build housing, to reign in the corporate practice of medicine, and to reduce barriers for people coming out of prison. Again sadly, none of these initiatives moved forward. Some of my healthcare efforts were included in a Senate bill, but they were removed in final negotiations with the House.
That said, the three legislative initiatives below did pass.
1. I was successful in securing the de-annexation from the City of Asheville of a piece of property located about two miles outside of the city limits. This request came from a constituent whose business was destroyed by Helene who will use this property for his new office. (And yes, de-annexation requires an act of the legislature!)
2. Senator Moffitt and I worked hard to get additional general fund revenue for Buncombe County to reduce the tax increase they adopted. This is a temporary shift in school capital funds that can now be used for school capital or operating, giving the County more flexibility to fund our schools.
3. Thanks to the dedication of one of my Republican colleagues, Sen. Benton Sawrey, a provision I originally introduced last session related to establishing paternity finally passed. This change will fix a problem that has kept thousands of NC children from inheriting property from their fathers after their fathers die without a will and when the parents are not married. This problem came to me from a friend whose partner died without a will, leaving her with a young daughter. While they thought they had done everything required to establish his paternity, they were tripped up by a small and antiquated but important requirement that resulted in the daughter not being able to inherit anything from her father and all of his assets going to an adult child. Again, this particular requirement has disadvantaged thousands of people over the years, but our efforts removed it, making inheritance easier under these circumstances. I am grateful to my friend for bringing this to my attention and giving me the chance to fix it for others.
I will not let go of the other priorities but, again, since so few bills moved this year, it was hard for any of them to get traction.
What’s Next
The adjournment resolution we adopted at the end of July allows legislative leaders to call us back once a month until next April when we reconvene for the short session. While the House might go back into session in an effort to override the remaining vetoes, the Senate is not likely to reconvene unless there is a thaw in the House-Senate impasse on the budget. Until they can agree on the level of tax cuts, we will not see a budget this year. Hopefully, there will be some kind of resolution before next April, however, because next year we will need to pass a budget to address the new federal requirements for the SNAP (food stamps) program and Medicaid that begin in 2027. There’s been some good writing on this, but here’s a quick summary:
– NC will have to find $420 million annually or we will lose SNAP benefits for 1.4 million North Carolinians, including 600,000 children. Buncombe County has 29,000 people receiving SNAP. Even if we fund this, about 90,000 adults in NC will lose SNAP benefits due to changes in eligibility at the federal level.
– The new federal work requirements for Medicaid recipients will cost the state $150-$225 million to monitor.
– Since the funding formula for Medicaid expansion has changed, we will need to change our law to maintain Medicaid expansion. If we don’t, the 670,000 who joined Medicaid in NC in the last two years will lose their health insurance.
– Due to the work requirements and other federal changes to Obamacare over which we have no control, over 600,000 others in NC stand to lose health insurance.
We must act to continue providing food and healthcare to low income people, disabled people, the elderly, and children. But acting will require the House and Senate to resolve their budget differences. Whether and how they will remains to be seen.
What’s Happening Now
Not going to Raleigh every week means I get to be in Asheville and Buncombe County every week, meeting with folks, attending events, and working on more local issues – Yay!!!! Since July, I’ve worked on the UNCA woods controversy and the recent I-26 controversy, and I continue my work to hold HCA accountable for the care happening at Mission Hospital.
I also continue work on my main legislative priorities, looking for new paths and new partners to move things forward next year or in 2027. And the stream of email from constituents needing our assistance is never ending. So even though I’m not in Raleigh on a weekly basis, I’m still working hard on your behalf every day.
If you have a problem with a state agency or have a question or want to meet with me, please contact us and just ask. I will also remind you about my new legislative website that has resources and old newsletters that could be helpful as well. Thank you again for the privilege of representing you. Oh, and see below for some photos of groups that came to visit Raleigh earlier this year!
All the best –
Julie
