Overview

The NC General Assembly is scheduled to return on Tuesday, April 21^st for the start of the ‘Short Session’ (odd-numbered year sessions are called ‘Long Session’ and start in January).

And so, we start again sending you Raleigh Report every Friday thru whenever the General Assembly adjourns for the year.

While there is no limit set on the duration of a state legislative session, state House Speaker Destin Hall (R – Caldwell) did post on X a proposed calendar for that chamber that ends the Session on July 2^nd.

Since the legislature is yet to enact full operational biennial state budget for FY 2025-27, all eyes are focused on whether the state House and Senate can come to agreement on a tax and spending plan once this Session starts.

There are signs back-and-forth negotiations between the two chambers are getting underway, with an agreed-upon proposal to fund the Medicaid rebase (the amount of funding needed to provide all the estimated health services provided to Medicaid beneficiaries in the state) rumored to be ready for a vote within a few weeks, and a full budget proposal likely out in May or June.

A complicating factor is that Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) lost in his primary election to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, spurring speculation among state Senate Republicans as to who might replace him as leader of their caucus.

Whether that impacts the balance of power between the House and Senate, or if there are legacy public policy items Senator Berger hopes to accomplish before he departs, should become evident quickly.

Senator Berger has stated he will serve out the remainder of his current term through the end of 2026, with the election of a new state Senate GOP leadership team prior to the start of the 2027 Session in January.

Of course, the IIANC Governmental Affairs Program will provide updates and insights throughout the 2026 election season, keeping you informed on how all the hot races on the ballot are shaping up and playing out.

IIANC's Legislative Agenda

NOTE: Joining the team working on state legislative issues is Allison June Mabe, who started in March as Program Manager of Governmental Affairs. A 2025 graduate of Meredith College in Raleigh, where she was a varsity lacrosse player, Allison June interned with IIANC last summer, first earning a part-time role that was made full-time this spring.

As with every legislative session, IIANC’s Governmental Affairs Program will monitor, evaluate and take action as needed on any and all issues that emerge during the 2026 Session.

One item on our to-do list that we’re working on is further enhancements to the law IIANC successfully got passed in 2022 to prohibit lenders from requiring a replacement cost estimator as a condition of issuing a property loan.

We continue to hear from IIANC members about this issue, and are working with legislative bill drafting staff on potential modification to the statute (NCGS 58-3-137) to strengthen the penalty on lenders for violations of the law.

Finally - A Busy March and April

The IIANC Governmental Affairs Program has been hard at work in the weeks leading up to the 2026 Session:

Partnered with NABIP-NC on five Health Insurance Symposiums sponsored by the iHEAL Collective that were conducted across the state (with free CE for health agents combined with an opportunity to chat with state legislators about issue of concern);

Sponsored with NCAST seven Distracted Driving Awareness minor league baseball games - IIANC member Senator Vickie Sawyer threw out the first pitch at the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers game;

Hosted a Thinkers Lunch in Charlotte featuring Catawba College political scientist Dr. Michael Bitzer and Director of the NC Demography Program Dr. Nathan Dollar on North Carolina’s dynamic population changes and how they are impacting the political climate of the state.