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Meet the state lawmakers working on a final budget proposal

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The House chamber of the General Assembly, Jan. 8, 2025. Ben Humphries/EdNC

Now that the House and Senate have both released their budget proposals, the two chambers must work together to try to pass a compromise budget in time for the new fiscal year that begins on July 1. They do this through what’s called a conference committee, and the legislature recently released the list of representatives who will be serving on this committee.

In odd-numbered years, the state legislature meets for a long session, where their primary task is to set the budget for the next two years. The latest consensus revenue forecast, which helps the state know how much money it has to spend, projects that North Carolina will have $180 million less in revenue for this fiscal year than originally predicted back in February.

“The downward revision is due primarily to lower-than-expected corporate income tax collections in April, particularly related to reduced estimated tax payments from businesses,” says the updated forecast, “likely due to anticipating higher input costs and lower profits from recently implemented tariffs.”

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While it is generally expected to have a new budget in place by July 1, delays in the negotiation process are expected this year as the chambers discuss disagreements about pay raises, personal income taxes, and more.

The House and Senate budget proposals have some common ground — usually an indication that an item will make it into the final budget. Both proposals would increase funds for the State Health Plan, fund enrollment growth at community colleges, and allocate additional funds to Hurricane Helene relief efforts. They would also both raise pay for teachers and other state employees, although the House proposal focuses more on beginning teacher pay. Both proposals also have some of the same policy provisions, such as granting more authority to the state’s Charter Schools Review Board and investing in literacy initiatives for students beyond third grade.

Read more about the budget proposals

Once the committee comes up with a compromise budget, it must pass both chambers of the legislature before making its way to the governor for his signature or veto. Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, has indicated his support for the House proposal. Republicans have a veto-proof majority in the Senate but are one vote shy in the House. There are nine Democrats on the conference committee.

Keep reading to see the full list of conference committee members.

Senate members

House members