The NCGA has been in session since January 29, 2025. The Senate adopted permanent rules via SR 1 (Senate Permanent Rules), while the House adopted temporary rules via HR 1 (House Temporary Rules). We covered this in our previous blog post here.  On March 27, 2025, the House introduced Permanent Rules, via HR 563 (House Permanent Rules) (NCLeg.gov link here). It was adopted on April 2, 2025. Below, we break down the major differences between the Temporary Rules vs. new Permanent Rules.

Summary of Changes

Summary of Differences between HR 1 (House Temporary Rules), as amended, and HR 563 (House Permanent Rules): 

Order of Business 

• For pro forma sessions, the prayer and pledge may be delayed until a session that is not a pro forma session is convened.

Conduct of Debate

• When recognized by the Speaker during session, any member may speak to a point of personal privilege for up to one minute on a matter of immediate importance to the collective House. The Speaker will determine if the question is one of personal privilege.

• Outside of session, during business hours designated by the Principal Clerk, members can reserve time to speak from the Well of the House on a point of personal privilege for up to 10 minutes. The video system will be used to record members and duplicates of the recordings may be requested from the Principal Clerk within one week of presentation. After one week, the recording will be deleted. 

• A member may use their time during a 10-minute point of personal privilege to explain to the House a "Representative Statement." Upon request, the statement will be spread upon the Journal.

• Neither personal privilege nor a Representative Statement may be used to explain a vote, debate a bill, speak to policy or politics, advocate or advise on political issues or ideologies, in any way disrupt the regular business of the House, or be used to solicit support or sponsors for any bill. The format of a Representative Statement will be prescribed by the Rules Chair.

Motions

• The ability of the Majority Leader and Minority Leader to debate for up to three minutes after general debate has been cut off (after the previous question has been called) has been clarified to include votes overriding the Governor’s veto.

Voting

• A member cannot vote unless the member is in the Chamber between the time when the question is put and the time the vote is locked.

• A member may only change their vote under certain circumstances. The Speaker may establish written procedures for if and how a member may change a vote.

Committees

• The Minority Leader is now included with the Rules Chair, the Speaker Pro Tempore, the Majority Leader, and the Deputy Majority Leader, as an ex officio member of each standing committee with the right to vote. In this capacity, the Minority Leader, like the other ex officio members, only counts as a member of a committee for purposes of determining a quorum if the Minority Leader is present.

Handling Bills

• The 3:00 PM deadline for submitting bills to the Principal Clerk’s office for introduction now applies to Mondays, replacing the former Monday deadline of 15 minutes after adjournment.

• The requirement that every bill introduced in the House or received from the Senate, proposing the incorporation of a municipality must have a recommendation from the Municipal Incorporations Subcommittee of the Joint Legislative Committee on Local Government has been deleted.

• The requirement for an actuarial note for every bill proposing any change to a State, municipal, or other retirement system funded in whole or in part out of public funds or program of hospital, medical, disability, or related benefits provided for teachers and State employees, funded in whole or in part by State funds has been modified to be necessary only if required by State law. The process for requesting and producing the actuarial note has also been modified.

General Rules 

• The rules for temporary modifications of rules due to a State of Emergency have been modified to account for the Minority Leader now being included as an ex officio member of every standing committee and for the deletion of the rule that required all public bills and resolutions to go through House Rules.

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