Hundreds of bills likely won't advance at the North Carolina legislature following a Thursday deadline to either the House or Senate in order to be eligible for consideration.
Many of those were proposals by Democrats that were unlikely to ever get a hearing in the GOP-controlled General Assembly, but Republican proposals got shelved as well.
Those include bill to further restrict abortion access, bring back the death penalty using the electric chair, and restore some zoning powers to local governments.
While those bills aren't eligible for votes now under the legislature's rules, House and Senate leaders note that there are procedural workarounds for ideas that find favor later in the session. Those policies could be added to other bills, for example.
"Nothing's ever dead around here," House Speaker Destin Hall told reporters after Wednesday's marathon session. Senate leader Phil Berger had a similar view. "You know, there are so many ways to skin a cat," he said.
Democrats are unhappy that few of their proposals – including some that had bipartisan – made the crossover deadline.
"705 bills were filed by Democrats as primary sponsors," Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch said. "Ten moved in the house. Zero moved in the Senate. I think it speaks for itself."
Here's a look at some of the Republican bills that didn't make the cut:
Abortion restrictions: A small group of House Republicans filed a bill that would effectively ban all abortions, with the exception of instances where the mother’s life is in danger. It never got a single hearing, as many Republicans are content to leave the 12-week abortion ban approved in 2023 unchanged.
Electric chair and firing squads: A House bill that aimed to re-start executions in North Carolina, which have been on hold for decades, didn’t make it to a floor vote. It would have given death row inmates the option to choose the electric chair or a firing squad.
Down-zoning powers for local governments: Legislation ed last December prompted outcry from local leaders because it took away the power to down-zone property – a zoning change that would reduce the density of development allowed at a particular location. Bills to restore those local zoning powers didn’t make it to a vote in either chamber.
Slowpoke drivers: A House bill to require slower drivers to move out of the left lane if they're "impeding traffic” got a favorable vote in the Transportation Committee before it stalled out in the Rules Committee. The bill would also increase the minimum speed requirements to 10 miles an hour below the posted speed limit. Another bill to reduce the waiting period for learner's permit holders from nine months to six months got parked in another committee.
Distracted driving: A Senate bill to ban the use of cell phones and electronic devices didn’t get a hearing. The "Hands Free NC" legislation has also failed in previous sessions. "I do think that there's a lot of for that sort of legislation, I just don't know that we've been able to develop the kind of consensus that we need in order to be able to move forward with it," Berger said.
Transgender bathroom access: A Senate proposal to require people to use bathrooms and other facilities that match their gender at birth (similar to the repealed 2016 House Bill 2) never got a hearing. Berger said this week that it has "no runway" to move forward ahead of the crossover deadline.
Balloon ban: The Senate deflated hopes of ing a ban on mass balloon releases, a practice that environmentalists say leads to litter and harms animals.
