GAC Update - May 1, 2026
- joannalwise4
- May 19
- 3 min read
Constitutional Amendment - Permitless Carry:
We’re in the second week of the legislative short session, and rumors are swirling around the political bubble that already the House and Senate are close to agreement on a spending plan. If true, this bodes well for the intended mid-to-late May budget release that the chambers hoped for pre-session.
Both the House and Senate voted almost unanimously to fund the Medicaid rebase plan, which Governor Stein signed on Thursday. It is expected that he will sign it quickly. During the weekend, two of the three Democratic legislators who lost in their primaries switched parties from Democratic to Unaffiliated. Representatives Carla Cunningham and Nasif Majeed are still undecided on whether they will caucus with the Republicans. The third Democrat who lost,Representative Shelly Willingham, said he will not change his registration. These switches have led many to believe that Cunningham and Majeed may vote with Republicans to override vetoes that have sat dormant in the House since last year. They are:
● HB 87 EDUCATIONAL CHOICE FOR CHILDREN ACT (ECCA).
○ (Vetoed by Governor - 8/6/25) (Ratified Edition)
● HB 171 EQUALITY IN STATE AGENCIES/PROHIBITION ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI).
○ (Vetoed by Governor - 7/3/25)
● SB 50 FREEDOM TO CARRY NC.
○ (Vetoed by Governor - 6/20/25)
● SB 153 NORTH CAROLINA BORDER PROTECTION ACT.
○ (Vetoed by Governor - 6/20/25)
● SB 227 ELIMINATING "DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI)" IN PUBLIC EDUCATION.
○ (Vetoed by Governor - 7/3/25)
● SB 558 ELIMINATING "DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI)" IN PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION.
○ (Vetoed by Governor - 7/3/25)
Thursday was the bill filing deadline for bills to be introduced in the short session, and many “messaging” bills were introduced by both parties. Senator Phil Berger introduced S889, which would delay property tax revaluations for an additional year for: Bladen, Buncombe, Chowan, Clay, Davidson, Guilford, Harnett, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, and Scotland counties. Because the President Pro Tempore introduced this bill, it has already flown through the Senate’s committee process. The House has introduced their own plans, including a constitutional amendment to cap the property tax levy that governments impose. At this time, it is unclear what the two chambers will agree on, but it is obvious that they will be acting in some way on property taxes.
Additionally, on Wednesday night, Senator Terence Everitt (D-Wake, Granville) announced he would be resigning and removing his name from the November ballot. His seat will be hotly contested in the fall, as it is one of a few swing districts in the Senate. It is yet to be announced who will fill the remainder of his term.
The House plans to only have votes on Wednesday and Thursday of next week, while the Senate plans to be in the full week. Let us know if you have any questions!
Message from Skye on the recent Budget Spending Package:
Senator Phil Berger and Speaker Destin Hall held a press conference to announce that they had come to an agreement on the spending plan for the year. Senator Berger stated that "this is a starting point," noting that there needed to be a good number of things worked out between the chambers. Speaker Hall said this allows the budget chairs to work towards agreement, and big budget chairs will start to meet today.
The high level notes are:
3% average raises for state employees, $1700 bonus for those making less than $65,000; $1000 bonus for those making over $65,000
State retirees 2.5% Cost of living adjustment
Average of 8% raises for teachers, noting this is the largest teacher pay increase since 2006
Law enforcement: average 20.3% raise for SBI and ALE officers; average 17.7% raises for highway patrol officers; 15.4% average for correctional officers
$40.1M to give local law enforcement a one time bonus
Tax plan: Repealing the current personal income tax rate triggers. 2027-29- 3.49%; 2030-32 3.2%; 2033-34- 2.99%
Both chambers will pass a constitutional amendment to lower tax cap to 3.5%
The Senate will take up the House's property tax constitutional amendment.
This is not a full budget deal- This is just agreement on top spending numbers. The full budget will be forthcoming as chairs work through the entirety of the state budget.
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