NC Capitol Wrap

The final days of the North Carolina state legislature's session before a long summer break saw shrimpers kill a proposal that would've set back many of their businesses, as state lawmakers also failed to deliver on other high-profile debates including a new state budget. But they approved $500 million in Hurricane Helene relief and, looking ahead to the 2026 primary elections in March, plenty of bills focused on culture-war topics ranging from DEI to guns, immigration, transgender issues and public school library lists. Next on their agenda? The wide-ranging elections overhaul GOP leaders just unveiled.

JetZero's massive job announcement was the only political kumbaya moment of the week. NC lawmakers spent hours wrangling over immigration bills and gun rights. In the meantime, state House and Senate leaders don't seem to be getting any closer to a budget deal, potentially leaving Hurricane Helene relief hanging during an upcoming break. 

North Carolina Republican Party chairman Jason Simmons faces a challenge for his job at this weekend's GOP convention, where U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis could also be targeted by party activists. Democrats are canvassing rural North Carolina ahead of the 2026 Senate race against Tillis, but they're also dealing with silence from Roy Cooper on his intentions. Meanwhile in the state legislature, lawmakers are rushing to pass bills on energy policy, immigration, foster care, guns, towing, power grabs targeting Gov. Josh Stein and other hot-button issues ahead of a likely break in July, as tensions simmer over budget disagreements.

State House and Senate leaders have failed to agree on the details of a $500 million Hurricane Helene relief bill, delaying the bill's passage by weeks. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein says he wants to work with GOP lawmakers, and President Donald Trump, on Helene but needs faster action and more funding. State Senate leader Phil Berger said the legislature may have a deal soon, but Stein said in several speeches this week the wait has been too long. Meanwhile, death threats against politicians have been on the rise in North Carolina. And NC Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie breaks news about asbestos concerns inside the state legislative building.

Helene relief aid and a bill to invest the NC Pension Plan in Bitcoin and other cyrptocurrencies are moving forward in the legislature. So are bills to ban DEI in public schools or to crack down on students using cell phones during class time. But other education worries could be on the horizon: The state's biggest school district is implementing a hiring freeze, citing in part the efforts by President Donald Trump to eliminate the federal Department of Education, which gives North Carolina over a billion dollars every year.

On this week's edition of the Wrap, Jefferson Griffin's challenge to 60,000 voters moves forward in both state and federal courts. Which one will rule first? WRAL's Laura Leslie and Will Doran also break down Stein’s executive action on reproductive rights ahead of the Trump inauguration, and doctors opposed to RFK’s nomination to HHS put Tillis on the spot as 2026 looms.  

WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran talk about the opening of the 2025 legislative session and what legislative leaders say their top priorities will be in the coming week. Plus, the latest twists and turns in the state Supreme Court race, and the new state treasurer says state employees can expect to see higher health insurance premiums soon.

In this week's edition of the Wrap, Republican lawmakers succeed in overriding Cooper's veto of the power shift bill. WRAL's Laura Leslie and Paul Specht also break down the continuing battle over the Supreme Court race, and the pricetag for Helene damage becomes clearer. 

Jefferson Griffin's campaign for Supreme Court has been trying to throw out the ballots of 60,000 people who voted this year, and now the NC Democratic Party is suing to try to block his strategy. If they're successful it's likely that Justice Allison Riggs will win re-election; she led by 734 votes after a recount. Another recount is underway, but Republicans' main strategy to help Griffin is the ballot challenges, which are based on a legal theory that's already been rejected in federal court. Meanwhile another political fight is afoot in the state legislature where Republicans appear on the cusp of overriding Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of a bill stripping power away from incoming governor Josh Stein, attorney general Jeff Jackson and other Democrats. In Washington, however, there's a spirit of bipartisanship as members of Congress on both sides seem to like President Joe Biden's $100 billion plan for disaster relief. But will North Carolina get enough?

A Helene aid bill contained little money for disaster relief but lots of unrelated provisions stripping power from Democrats who won election to key offices including incoming Governor Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson. One of the biggest is the latest in the GOP's nearly decade-long fight to sieze control of the State Board of Elections, which keeps being thwarted by courts and voters. Republican lawmakers this week also vote to override Roy Cooper's veto of a bill to force sheriffs to work with ICE and that also spends billions of dollars more on private school tuition vouchers over the next several years. Plus, why CNN is now asking for Mark Robinson's defamation lawsuit to be thrown out.