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NC Legislature Updates: Rule Changes for 2025-2026 Explained

NC Legislature Updates: Rule Changes for 2025-2026 Explained

January 8, 2025

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Roboro screenshot of session with transcriptions
Roboro screenshot of session with transcriptions

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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. 

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