Brooks Pierce Capital Dispatch: Legislators End 2024 Session with Veto Override and Proposed Constitutional Amendment
The 2024 North Carolina General Assembly session ended last Friday after members overrode a veto, proposed a change to the state constitution, and supported a constitutional convention to set term limits for members of the US Congress.
Veto Override
The Senate on December 2 and the House on December 11 voted to override a veto by Gov. Roy Cooper of S 382, a 132-page conference report that among other things, reserves additional funds for storm recovery, makes changes in the state budget, alters the power of a number of state officials including the Governor and Attorney General, and makes the Highway Patrol a separate entity with its Commander being appointed by the General Assembly. The vote in the Senate was 30 to 19 and the House vote was 72 to 46. All the votes to override were from Republicans and all the votes to sustain the veto were from Democrats.
Gov. Roy Cooper and Gov.-elect Josh Stein filed a state court lawsuit on December 12 challenging the provision in S 382 about the legislative appointment of the Commander of the Highway Patrol. Under the bill [section 3E.1(u)], the person serving as Commander on November 18 could serve until July 2030.
Access a summary of S 382 in a previous edition of Capital Dispatch linked here.
North Carolina Constitutional Amendments
Legislators passed a bill that places a state constitutional amendment about voter identification on the November 3, 2026 ballot. S 921 amends the current voter ID provision in North Carolina's Constitution to require all voters to show a photo ID, not just those voting in person. Currently, the Constitution's voter ID language is specific to those voting "in person." This change would require voters to show a photo ID for in-person voting during the early voting periods and on Election Day, and when voting absentee by mail and provisional ballot. The Senate passed the bill 30 to 19 and the House passed it by 73 to 45.
The Senate by a 30 to 19 vote passed a bill (S 920) amending the North Carolina Constitution to lower the maximum state personal income tax rate from 7% to 5% but the House did not consider the bill. North Carolina voters in 2018 passed a constitutional amendment to lower the maximum allowable personal income tax rate from 10% to 7%. The current state personal income tax rate is 4.5% and will drop to 4.25% in 2025.
US Constitutional Amendment on Congressional Term Limits
Legislators approved House Joint Resolution 151, under which the General Assembly would apply to Congress requesting a Convention of the States limited to the purpose of proposing a United States Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress. The Senate passed the resolution by 29 to 20 and the House had earlier passed it in March 2023 by 69 to 48.
2025 Session
The new 2025 Session of the General Assembly will begin on January 8, 2025. Members will first elect their leadership and consider rules to govern the session. This odd-numbered year session, often called the “long session” because of its full agenda, will include discussion of a new biennial budget for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2025, and hundreds of other bills expected to be introduced on a variety of topics.
Information about bills and work of the General Assembly can be found at its website: www.ncleg.gov.
For more information, contact a member of the Brooks Pierce Government Affairs Team.
Ed Turlington, Partner
Drew Moretz, Government Relations Advisor
Katelyn Kingsbury, Government Relations Advisor