North Carolina Democrats gathered on Tuesday to mourn the loss of over 700 bills that “died” in committee this year following last week’s crossover deadline.
The crossover deadline, which was last Thursday, is the last day for legislation to remain viable by passing through at least one chamber. Legislators file hundreds of bills during the first few months of the long session, but most end up “dead” because they don’t make it through committees and onto the House or Senate floor for a full chamber vote.
House and Senate Democrats held a press conference on Tuesday to grieve their bill proposals that failed to make traction in the Republican-controlled state legislature.
“We are mourning the loss of our ability to truly do the jobs that we were elected to do,” said Sen. Natalie Murdock, D-Durham. “Mourning the loss of policies that could have saved millions of lives, mourning the loss of democracy the people of North Carolina deserve to have. That is why we are here today, holding this bill funeral.”
The press conference highlighted the failure of Democratic bills in North Carolina’s legislature, focusing on healthcare, public safety, education, and state services. Instead of action, many of their bills were sent to die in the Rules Committee without hearings, votes, or debate.
“Us calling this a bill funeral might seem silly, but there’s actually nothing funny about this,” said Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch, D-Wake. “We’re here because this year’s crossover deadline has come and gone, like so many others, with hundreds of bills that provide real, meaningful solutions to some of the worst problems and challenges that we face in North Carolina, dying in the Rules Committee. And frankly, we’re here to mourn those losses.”
They advocated for better pay for state employees and educators, addressing underfunded schools, DMV inefficiencies, and access to affordable healthcare while accusing Republicans of obstruction and deliberate neglect.
“This is what a rigged supermajority looks like, one that works not for you, but the people with power, wealth, and access. And the result is exactly what we’ve we’ve seen play out over the past few months,” Batch added. “One of the most unproductive, ineffective legislatures in modern memory, and North Carolinians are the ones who are actually paying that price every single day.”
Batch added that there are currently “significant headwinds” in the Senate, with many policy efforts coming in large part because of Republican primary challenges that are brewing.
House budget negotiations
House Minority Leader Robert Reives, D-Chatham, offered a glimpse into the budget negotiations currently underway in the House. He said that for the first time in a decade, Republican leadership has reached out to Democratic leadership for budget discussions.
“There have been additional discussions, and not really in-depth discussions at this point in time. But House leadership has reached out,” Reives said. “I’ve been here 11 years, and I think this is the first time that House leadership has reached out to Democratic leadership since I’ve been here. So again, nothing in depth. I haven’t got any pages I can show you, or I can’t even tell you that anything that we want to care about is going to be in the budget. But I appreciate the fact that there has been a reach out, and we’re trying to see what kind of things we’ve talked about together.”
The post Democrats mourn loss of dead bills in press conference ‘funeral’ first appeared on Carolina Journal.