NC Legislature Updates: Rule Changes for 2025-2026 Explained
January 8, 2025
Want access to real-time transcriptions like this one? Start your free trial or schedule a demo.
January 8th 2025 - Organizational Session
The House and Senate convened at noon on Wednesday, January 8th, 2025, for the beginning of the 2025-2026 legislative session.
This was an Organizational Session, which is held on the 2nd Wednesday in January in odd-numbered years. (NCGS 120-11.1.)
During the Organizational Session H1 and S1 were filed and adopted, establishing the temporary rules for the House and permanent rules for the Senate.
Roboro has summarized the bills, including key rule changes shaping the NC General Assembly this biennium, so you can stay ahead as you prepare for session. See below.
NC - House Bill 1 - House Temporary Rules
Roboro Summary
House Bill 1 establishes the temporary rules governing the North Carolina House of Representatives for the 2025 Regular Session. These rules outline the procedures for legislative sessions, order of business, conduct of debate, voting, committee operations, handling of bills, and general legislative governance. Below is a summary of the key provisions:
Legislative Sessions and Procedures
The House will convene at the designated hour each legislative day, with default times set if not specified. No Friday sessions in January and February.
Sessions cannot extend past 10:00 PM on Mondays and 9:00 PM on other days without leave.
No votes may be held on Sundays, except for Journal approval and adjournment motions.
Order of Business
Each session opens with clearing the chamber, followed by prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
A quorum is defined as a majority of qualified members. If absent members fail to provide valid excuses, a special messenger may compel attendance.
The daily order of business includes petitions, messages from the Governor, committee reports, bill readings, and legislative voting.
Pro forma sessions allow only specific legislative actions without full debate.
Debate and Conduct
The Speaker directs proceedings and may designate another member to perform duties in their absence.
Members must be recognized by the Speaker before speaking and can be interrupted only for specific parliamentary inquiries.
Limits are set on speech length, with no more than two speeches per debate and strict time constraints.
General decorum rules prohibit disruptive behavior, improper attire, food, newspaper reading, or mobile phone use during sessions.
Motions and Voting
Specific precedence is given to motions such as adjournment, tabling, and amendments.
Electronic voting is required for key legislative decisions, including budgetary and tax-related measures.
Roll-call votes can be requested and require one-fifth of the members present to sustain.
The Speaker votes only in tie situations, except in elections where they may vote normally.
Committee Operations
The Speaker appoints committee chairs and determines committee sizes while ensuring partisan balance.
Committee meetings must be public unless disorderly conduct necessitates exclusion.
Remote participation is permitted under specific conditions, allowing members to vote and be counted for quorum.
Standing committees are responsible for reviewing and reporting bills before they reach the floor.
The standing committees are:
Agriculture
Alcoholic Beverage Control
Appropriations
Appropriations, Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources
Appropriations, Capital
Appropriations, Education
Appropriations, General Government
Appropriations, Health and Human Services
Appropriations, Information Technology
Appropriations, Justice and Public Safety
Appropriations, Transportation
Banking
Commerce
Disaster Recovery and Homeland Security
Education – Community Colleges
Education – K-12
Education – Universities
Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform
Energy and Public Utilities
Environment
Ethics
Families, Children, and Aging Policy
Federal Relations and American Indian Affairs
Finance
Health
Insurance
Judiciary 1
Judiciary 2
Judiciary 3
Local Government – Land Use, Planning and Development
Local Government
Marine Resources and Aquaculture
Military and Veterans Affairs
Oversight and Reform
Pensions and Retirement
Redistricting
Regulatory Reform
Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
State Government
State Personnel
Transportation
UNC Board of Governors Nominations
Unemployment Insurance
Wildlife Resources
Bill Handling and Deadlines
Bills must be submitted and introduced according to the following deadlines:
Local bills must be submitted for drafting by February 20, 2025, and must be introduced by March 6, 2025.
Public bills must be submitted for drafting by March 6, 2025, and must be introduced by April 3, 2025.
The crossover deadline for Senate bills to be considered by the House is May 8, 2025, with exceptions including budget, finance, redistricting, and constitutional amendment bills.
Members are limited to 15 public bills and blank bills are prohibited.
Committee referrals are determined by the Speaker, with some bills fast-tracked under specific conditions.
Certain types of resolutions, such as memorials and commendations, are discouraged and should be presented as Representative Statements instead.
Ethics and Special Rules
The Ethics Committee investigates potential Open Meetings Law violations and may issue reprimands.
Procedures exist for dividing bills or amendments into separate components for independent voting.
Special provisions allow for the handling of constitutional amendments, appropriations, and redistricting bills.
NC - Senate Bill 1 - Senate Permanent Rules
Roboro Summary
Senate Bill 1 establishes the permanent rules governing the North Carolina Senate for the 2025 Regular Session. These rules regulate legislative sessions, order of business, debate procedures, voting, committee operations, bill handling, and general legislative governance. Below is a summary of the key provisions:
Legislative Sessions and Procedures
The Senate will convene at the time set in the previous adjournment. If no time is set, sessions default to 2:00 PM.
In cases of disaster or emergency, the President Pro Tempore determines when and where the Senate will convene.
The Presiding Officer calls the session to order and opens with prayer.
If the Senate President is absent, the President Pro Tempore or a designated senator presides.
A quorum consists of a majority of all qualified members. If fewer are present, the attending senators may compel absent members to return.
Order of Business
After the Journal's approval, the order of business follows a structured sequence, including committee reports, bill introductions, messages from the House, veto messages, unfinished business, and voting.
Local and public bills are addressed in numerical order.
Senators may deliver personal privilege statements, but these cannot be used to explain votes or debate legislation.
Debate and Conduct
The Presiding Officer maintains order and may clear the gallery or lobbies in cases of disruption.
Senators must be recognized before speaking and are limited in the number of times and duration they can speak on a bill or motion.
The Lieutenant Governor, as Senate President, may not debate legislation and only votes in the event of a tie.
Senators must adhere to decorum rules, including a dress code, restrictions on disruptions, and prohibitions on soliciting donations on the Senate floor.
Motions and Voting
Motions follow a strict order of precedence, with some requiring a second and others being decided without debate.
A motion for the previous question can be called to end debate and proceed to a vote.
Votes on key legislative measures, including constitutional amendments and veto overrides, must be conducted using the electronic voting system.
Roll-call votes are required if requested by at least one-fifth of present members.
Senators must vote unless excused and may not change their vote after the electronic voting system locks.
Committee Operations
The President Pro Tempore appoints all committee members and chairs.
The standing committees are:
Agriculture, Energy, and Environment
Appropriations/Base Budget
Appropriations on Department of Transportation
Appropriations on Education/Higher Education
Appropriations on General Government and Information Technology
Appropriations on Health and Human Services
Appropriations on Justice and Public Safety
Appropriations on Agriculture, Natural, and Economic Resources
Commerce and Insurance
Committee of the Whole Senate
Education/Higher Education
Elections
Finance
Health Care
Judiciary
Pensions and Retirement and Aging
Regulatory Reform
Rules and Operations of the Senate
State and Local Government
Transportation
Committee meetings must be public unless specific rules allow otherwise.
Remote participation and voting in committees are not permitted.
No roll-call votes are taken in committee; votes are determined by the chair.
Bill Handling and Deadlines
Bills must be submitted and introduced according to the following deadlines:
Local bills must be submitted for drafting by February 13, 2025, and must be filed by February 27, 2025.
Public bills must be submitted for drafting by February 27, 2025, and must be filed by March 25, 2025.
The crossover deadline for House bills to be considered by the Senate is May 8, 2025, with exceptions including budget, finance, redistricting, and constitutional amendment bills.
Public bills must affect at least 15 counties; otherwise, they are considered local bills.
Bills must go through three readings before passage.
Certain resolutions, including those for commendations and memorials, must be handled through Senatorial Statements rather than formal legislation.
Fiscal and Actuarial Notes
Bills affecting state revenues or expenditures must be reviewed by the Finance or Appropriations Committee.
Fiscal notes must be prepared for any legislation with budgetary implications.
Bills altering state pension or retirement systems require actuarial notes.
General Provisions
The Senate may establish select committees as needed.
The Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate oversees procedural compliance.
The broadcasting of Senate sessions is permitted at the discretion of the President Pro Tempore.
Smoking, disruptive behavior, and unauthorized distribution of materials are prohibited in the Senate chamber.
Did you know?
With Roboro, you can get real-time summaries for every bill and searchable live transcriptions for every floor session, committee meeting, and press conference.
See how your peers are supercharging their advocacy efforts with Roboro. Start your free trial today.
