NC Government Relations Blog - Ward and Smith, P.A.

Short Session of the North Carolina General Assembly Fuller Than Your Tall Latte

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen, Lee C. Hodge, and James W. Norment

This year's short session of the North Carolina General Assembly is well underway. Though the session might turn out to be short in length (stay tuned!), it has not been short on excitement, surprise, or debate. …

Incentives, Bond, Medicaid, and Tax Legislation Move, While Anticipation Builds for Budget Agreement

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen

August 19, 2015

During the last two weeks, General Assembly onlookers saw significant developments on several of the top policy issues of the 2015 Long Session, with signs late last week of emerging progress towards a budget agreement.…

Lengthy Budget Showdown Set to Begin after Naming of Conferees

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen

Although the Governor, the House, and the Senate have spent the past five months drafting, unveiling, touting, debating, and passing their respective multi-billion dollar state budgets, what remains is in many ways the big…

Labor Day, Halloween, or Maybe Christmas Budget?

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen

Lengthy Budget Debate Predicted Senate Budget The North Carolina Senate unveiled its two-year state spending plan in the Appropriations Subcommittees on the afternoon of June 15th. On June 16th, the Senate Appropri…

A Surprise Veto Override, Budget Anticipation, and Tax Reform 2.0

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen

Senate Budget Delay Last week, the General Assembly largely was characterized by House members, interest groups, and members of the media anxiously waiting for the Senate to unveil its proposed two-year budget for the sta…

After Lengthy Debate, NC House Passes $22.2 Billion State Budget

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen

After weeks of public and closed-door Appropriations Committee meetings, the North Carolina House worked until the early morning hours Friday, May 22, to approve its version of the two year state budget. Total debate…

Legislature Headed Toward Budget Debate

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen

With the deadline for all bills to pass their chamber of origination on April 30th, known as the crossover deadline, the General Assembly has been working at a frantic pace during the last several weeks. Legislators …

The Governor Outlines His Bond Priorities, House Files 313 Bills Before Deadline

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen

With the all-important House deadline to file public bills and resolutions setting the pace, last week the General Assembly was inundated with its final major wave of bill filings for the year. In only 4 days, 120 House me…

Despite Basketball Interest, Legislators File 156 Bills in Just Four Days

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen

Now that the winter weather has cleared and the House and Senate bill filing deadlines loom, last week at the General Assembly saw a significant uptick in the volume of bills introduced. Bill filing tallies have lagg…

McCrory Unveils His Spending Plan, House Members Approve Economic Development and Gas Tax Measures

Written By Whitney Campbell Christensen

Governor's Budget Governor Pat McCrory shared his two-year budget with the public last Thursday during a press conference at the North Carolina State Emergency Operations Center. The Governor's $21.5 billion spendin…

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