NC Legislature

Help us keep up the drumbeat for good environmental laws and policies! Sign up for our legislative updates, sent each Friday while the General Assembly is in active session and occasionally during other times of the year. Scroll down to read all of our updates from 2024.

2024 Session:

• Dec. 13: Veto overridden but fight over S382 continues: North Carolinians flooded the N.C. House to urge lawmakers to uphold Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of S382, the "Helene relief" legislation that actually focuses on stripping power from incoming elected leaders. Nevertheless, lawmakers voted 72-46 to override the veto. Cooper and governor-elect Josh Stein promptly announced a legal challenge.
• Dec. 6: Stop the power grab, help WNC: As expected, the Senate voted along party lines to override Governor Cooper's veto of S382, a putative Hurricane Helene relief bill. But there's hope in the House: We're contacting state reps, including three dissenting WNC lawmakers, to encourage them to reject the override next week.
• Nov. 22: Plenty of disaster, not much relief: In the same week that Asheville residents finally saw their drinking water restored, North Carolina lawmakers shrugged off a chance to provide additional substantial relief to our devastated mountain communities. Instead, they created a disaster for the whole state with a blatant plan to strip power away from newly elected leadership.
• Oct. 25: More aide to Helene-hit counties: The Legislature convened a one-day session this week to pass its second bill funding storm recovery in Western North Carolina and to offer additional early voting sites in two counties impacted by Hurricane Helene.
• Oct. 11: Helene recovery takes center stage: North Carolina lawmakers' scheduled session pivoted from pending legislation to focus entirely on first steps in the state’s response to Hurricane Helene and the critical needs in western North Carolina. Chapter Director Chris Herndon participated in a news conference to highlight the need to address climate change in long-term disaster planning.
• Sept. 13: Building code veto reversed: This week, we got yet another demonstration of why we deserve better from the General Assembly we’re electing this November, as the legislature enshrined into law a vetoed bill that blocks blocked desperately needed updates to the state building code to improve energy efficiency.
• July 19: What's still on the plate: The N.C. General Assembly's adjournment resolution allows for lawmakers to be called back to Raleigh monthly through the end of the year. That means several bills we've been tracking may yet see more action before this legislative session is truly over.
• July 12: It ain't over till it's over: The NC General Assembly's 2024 "short session" is over - kinda. After a frustrating spring, lawmakers adjourned, scheduling meetings monthly through the end of 2024. Here's where things stand.
• June 21: Budget fight dominates the week: This week on Jones Street started with the promised release of a House budget - and the expected standoff between legislative leaders. Next week, we expect the House to schedule a veto override vote H198, the "billboard bill."
• June 14: PFAS, pipelines, pigs: The state budget fine-tuning that's usually well underway at this time of year has hit a snag. But important environmental bills are making their way through committee vetting.
• June 7: Farm Bill sails through House, no override action: The Honorables were back at work this week, holding meetings and votes after taking a week off due to the passing of the House speaker's father. Still, with spotty attendance, no override vote was scheduled for Governor Cooper's veto of H198, the bill that calls for dramatically increasing tree-cutting zones around billboards.
• May 31: It's quiet … too quiet: The legislature largely cancelled its business for the week to allow members to attend the funeral of the father of Speaker Tim Moore. Next week should be a busy one, so get ready!
• May 24: We - and the trees - win! Governor Cooper wasted no time in vetoing H198, DOT Legislative Changes, which included billboard industry-friendly expansion of tree-cutting rules around outdoor advertising. Thank you to all of you who joined us in demanding this veto!
• May 17: Billboards win a round: The billboard industry won a round as the N.C. Senate, on party lines, approved changes to laws that increase tree-cutting zones around outdoor advertising. We're working on getting House members to vote against concurrence next week.
• May 10: Protect our trees: This week, the Senate Transportation Committee approved H198, DOT Legislative Changes, without amending the bill to change language that expands tree-cutting permissions around billboards, as we sought. So we've sent out an action alert!
• May 3: 'Clean-up' bills dominate: Lawmakers rolled out a clutch of bills to amend the budget, regulations at the Transportation Department - including tree-cutting around billboards - and building codes.
• April 26: NC General Assembly reconvenes, Cooper drops budget: The General Assembly opened its 2024 "short session" on Wednesday, hours after Gov. Roy Cooper released his budget recommendation. Cooper's plan focuses on education priorities, but reliably includes an important environmental agenda that highlights clean transportation, clean-up of "forever chemicals," and land and water conservation.

2023 in Review: Toxic policies to poison our environment & democracy: The 2023 legislative session was damaging to North Carolina’s environment and natural resources, fair elections, and equity and inclusion. Our lobbyist, Laura DeVivo, recaps some of the major issues and outcomes.