This year’s legislative long session comes to an end

A little over a month since this year’s new budget passed, General Assembly leaders have announced that the 2023 legislative long session is nearly wrapped up.

On Wednesday, the General Assembly ratified Resolution 2023-11, announcing adjournment of both the House and Senate on Oct. 25, following the Republican passage of new state congressional maps. Lawmakers will reconvene once a month starting on Nov. 29, the resolution says, to consider a limited number of items.

Senate Pro Tempore Phil Berger, R-Guilford, said it’s unlikely that the legislature will return to vote on bills until next year’s short session begins on April 24, per a WUNC report.

According to the resolution, lawmakers can take up business on nine different type of measures, including to reconsider bills vetoed by the governor, bills “providing for the selection, appointment, or confirmation,” and bills related to election laws, among other things.

Berger said those sessions will likely be no-vote sessions, WUNC reported. The dates are on the calendar in case lawmakers need to address court orders in various lawsuits challenging new laws, or to address other specific scenarios covered in the resolution.

The House and Senate can meet on the following days:

• Nov. 29-30
• Dec. 20-21
• Jan. 17-18
• Feb. 14-15
• March 13-14
• April 10-11

The Speaker of the House of Representatives or the President Pro Tempore of the Senate may authorize appropriate committees or subcommittees of their respective houses to meet during the interims between sessions to (i) review matters related to the State budget for the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium, (ii) prepare reports, including revised budgets, or (iii) consider any other matters as the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the President Pro Tempore of the Senate deems appropriate. A conference committee may meet in the interim upon approval by the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

Excerpt from Resolution 23-11

Here is a full list of the topics that can be taken up from November to April 11.

This year’s legislative session included many impactful education items, including the vast expansion of private school vouchers through the Opportunity Scholarship Program, more flexibility for charter schools, and changes to school curriculum through laws like the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

The long session also included new computer science and graduation requirements for schools, changes to principal licensure and high school athletics, and investment in career development, among other things.

In addition to the expansion of private school vouchers, the 2023 budget also included base salary raises ranging from 3.6 to 10.8% over the biennium for teachers, with beginning teachers seeing higher raises. Most other school employees will receive a 7% raise over the next two years — 4% this year, and 3% next.

A list of all education bills that became session law is available on the General Assembly’s website.

EdNC will have a deep dive on the education items that passed this long session in the coming days. In the meantime, check out our guide to the 2023 state budget, which went into effect on Oct. 3.