Bending the Rules

The House Rules Committee met on the chamber floor last week, raising concerns from transparency advocates.

The House Rules Committee holds a meeting on the chamber floor on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. Photo courtesy of Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline.

After a long day of veto overrides last week, one member rose with an unusual announcement.

“The Rules Committee will have an extremely brief meeting right here around the desk immediately after session,” Chairman John Bell of Wayne County announced from the House floor on July 29.

He wasn’t kidding.

For the first time since taking over the chamber’s most influential committee this year, Bell called on his colleagues to gather around his desk for a vote. In less than six minutes, Rep. Reece Pyrtle of Rockingham County presented a bill aiming to address long lines at the DMV and got it voted out of committee.

“That’s the first time I ever experienced that,” Pyrtle said. “I just did as I was asked and shared the information on the bill.”

There wasn’t the usual committee room, nearby viewing space or online livestream. Instead, lawmakers huddled around a desk barely able to hear what was happening.

It wasn’t until the meeting had already ended when an email notice went out about the gathering, according to records obtained by Anderson Alerts.