How much did NC lawmakers actually get done this session? Not much, analysis shows

Since Republicans took control of the legislature in 2011, this year's long session has produced the second fewest bills entering summer break.

House Speaker Destin Hall presents his chamber’s budget plan on May 20, 2025.

As of Monday afternoon, 55 measures are on Stein’s desk, 32 bills have become law and four are pending veto overrides.

Collectively, the 81 bills represent the second fewest number of bills lawmakers have passed out of both chambers since Republicans gained full control of the legislature in 2011.

The total is less than the 102 bills lawmakers cleared before the 2023 summer break (when they had a supermajority) and slightly higher than the 89 measures cleared before the 2021 summer break (when they lacked a supermajority and were dealing with additional health protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

While this is historically unproductive, top legislative leaders disagree with that characterization, saying the number of bills clearing both chambers isn’t a fair metric.

“One of the things we’ve done differently this time is you’ve seen us package multiple bills that one of the chambers passed into a conference report,” said House Speaker Destin Hall. “That’s not really unusual to package some bills, but we’ve done that for a larger number of bills this time around. If you break it out in terms of whole bills that were put into a conference report, I don’t know that it’s that much different.”

Senate leader Phil Berger added, “I don’t accept the characterization. … Numbers of bills as the sole metric as to whether or not the session has moved a certain number of things really is not good. A number of things have been rolled into conference reports.”

An Anderson Alerts review showed few bills clearing both chambers this year advanced through a conference report.

Democrats disagree with any suggestion this has been a productive six months.