NC Legislative Update

NC LEGISLATIVE SESSION, SHORT BUT INTENSE
by Jeff Gray, Legislative Agent
State Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police

Updated July 19,2011

The 2011-2012 Biennial Session of the North Carolina General Assembly, which convened on Wednesday, January 26th, made history in a number of ways.  First, the Republicans control both the House and the Senate for the first time since the late 1800’s.  Second, this was the shortest long session of the General Assembly in almost three decades, with an adjournment on June 18th.  The Senate is now being led by President Pro-Tem Phil Berger, an attorney from Rockingham, North Carolina, and the House Speaker is Tom Tillis, a former IBM executive from the Charlotte area. 

Also, unlike past sessions of the General Assembly, the Legislature opened for business with leadership prepared and committees already appointed.  The process ran efficiently and many of the past practices that have clogged up the legislative process have been changed or modified, not the least of which was a limit on the number of bills a legislator could introduce.  Although it was short, the session was intense.  Committee calendars were packed with bills, both the House and Senate met a number of times on Fridays (virtually unheard of!), and bills were pushed through floor debate at a furious pace.

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