Cabarrus County Commission Chairman Chris Measmer has been selected by local Republican Party officials to replace Paul Newton in the state Senate starting next week.

Measmer is a second generation business owner and also serves on the Leadership Council of the state chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

Legislative Action This Week 

The House deadline for introducing legislation, which had been extended a week due to the volume of draft bills members of that chamber had requested be written by staff, ended Thursday, bringing the total number to nearly 2,000 bills filed in both the House and Senate.

The crossover deadline, the date by which a bill must have passed one or the other chamber to remain eligible for further consideration, is May 8^th.

In an effort to address the persistent problem of extended DMV wait-times experienced by North Carolinians, a number of bills have been filed dealing with various motor vehicle laws, including one bill to allow (HB 821) a two-year grace period beyond the expiration of a drivers’ license.

Current DMV Commissioner (and former Insurance Commissioner) Wayne Goodwin announced in February he would be stepping down from that position once Governor Josh Stein appointed a replacement.

State Auditor Dave Boliek is currently conducting what he calls a ‘floor to ceiling’ review of all operations with DMV in response to legislative frustration over the large number of constituent complaints received about the agency.

Speaking of the State Auditor, legislation to extend the authority of that office (HB 549) to look into the use of state funds, including by organizations outside of state government, was approved by the House Judiciary 1 Committee and now moves on to the State and Local Government Committee.

Other Items From This Week

HB 53, sponsored by IIANC member Representative Chris Humphrey, that increases the threshold dollar amounts that determine the major, intermediate and minor levels of vehicle damage under the Safe Driver Incentive Plan (SDIP), passed the full House and now will be heard in the Senate.

HB 394, sponsored by Representative Frank Iller, to prohibit animals and children from sitting in the lap of the person driving a vehicle, was taken up briefly in the House Judiciary 1 Committee but was tabled after some of the members expressed a desire to determine if existing laws already prohibited such things.

HB 584, sponsored by Representative David Willis, to eliminate the proof of high school enrollment for those under 18 years old as well the required nine month restricted privilege duration within the state’s current Graduated Driving License (GDL) law, was heard in the House Transportation Committee but the meeting ended before a vote could be taken.

SB 479, sponsored by Senator Benton Sawrey, that addresses how Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) operate, was approved by the Senate Health Care Committee and now moves on to the Senate Commerce and Insurance Committee.

SB 299, sponsored by Senator Tim Moffitt, to exempt certain historic properties impacted by Hurricane Helene from building codes enacted after the original construction, was heard in the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee. Senator Moffitt assured members he would not proceed with the legislation if he gets confirmation from FEMA that such a provision does not jeopardizes the availability of federal relief funds.

And Finally …

Former state Senator and US Representative Wiley Nickel announced his intention to enter the Democratic Primary for US Senate in 2026, seeking to run against incumbent Republican US Senator Thom Tillis (who has an announced GOP Primary opponent and may have others).

Nickel has stated his interest in the Senate race since deciding not to seek re-election in 2024 to the US House seat he held. Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has been speculated as a possible US Senate candidate as well, but has not publicly stated whether he’ll run (and Nickel has stated previously that he would not run if Cooper chose to).

Members of Governor Stein’s Child Care and Early Education Task Force, including IIANC member Senator Jim Burgin (who co-chairs the group with Lt. Governor Rachael Hunt) were sworn in this week.

IIANC lobbyist Joe Stewart addressed business members of local Chambers of Commerce from across western North Carolina who were in town to meet with their state legislators.

Stewart, invited to speak by former IIANC Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Chuck Eyler, who is active in the Boone Chamber of Commerce, offered attendees insights on the state’s property insurance markets as well as on trends within the state’s political landscape as the state heads toward the 2026 election cycle.

Stewart also sat in with the group on a briefing conducted by staff of the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC) on state Hurricane Helene relief and mitigation efforts.