BY REP. TODD CARVER

The majority of this week’s update is dedicated to discussing the remaining vetoes of Gov. Josh Stein. The remainder will include a short discussion on the budget process and why I believe we need to get a budget passed.

To make sure everyone is caught up. Gov. Stein has vetoed a total of 15 bills during this legislative session. Eight bills, which were summarized in last week’s article, were overridden by the General Assembly. There was also one bill which was rewritten and returned to the governor; its purpose is the removal of squatters from private property. This week the bill was signed by Gov. Stein and became law.

That leaves six bills, which have been vetoed, that could still be acted on any time during the 2025-2026 session. Here’s a summary of each:

♦ HB 87- Educational Choice for Children Act: This bill was vetoed just this past week. It would allow North Carolina to conform with a new federal provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill. Federal law now allows for the tax deduction of contributions made to scholarship funds, but only in states who pass companion legislation. This bill will likely come back for a potential override.

♦ SB 225, SB 558 & HB 171 – DEI Prohibitions: These three bills would prohibit the use of taxpayer funds supporting DEI programs. These bills would prohibit the programs in public education, public universities and state agencies. There has been only Republican support for these three bills, so unless there is someone willing to change their prior votes these bills are likely not going to see much movement.

♦ SB 50 – Freedom to Carry NC: This bill is commonly referred to as a Constitutional Carry. This bill has been a priority for the conservative members for many years. The legislation has always passed the House of Representatives and then died in committee in the Senate. The bill was first proposed this session as HB 5 and was returned from the Senate as SB 50, but both are essentially the same bill. I have voted in support of both iterations of this legislation for reasons explained in a previous article. The problem it will have in getting passed is the number of Republicans who have decided to vote against the bill has grown from two to four members within the House. There is little hope of passage with any Republicans voting against the bill.

State budget process

Now for a few words about the budget process in North Carolina. We passed a “mini budget” when we were in Raleigh at the end of July. This allowed for some promotion-related raises for some state employees. School systems will also get their increases in funding due to enrollment growth. The North Carolina budget is not like the federal budget. We do not shut down without a new budget. We continue at the same funding levels from the previous budget year. This is both a blessing and a curse for budget negotiations. There is an assurance that the government will continue to function with or without a deal.
I hope we can get a budget deal. Without it, there are no cost of living raises for state employees or retirees. There is no growth in our ability to provide services for our citizens. There are many projects which will not be funded without the adoption of a state budget; I sincerely hope we can reach a compromise.

Last week I had someone comment to me that they liked my articles not because they agreed with me but because it made them more informed. I believe this is one of my most important responsibilities in Raleigh — to bring back the information about what is going on at the state level. My hope is to have a district that understands not only what is happening but also some of the reasons why.

Rep. Todd Carver represents the 95th District in the N.C. House. Email him at todd.carver@ncleg.gov.