Bill > S294

This bill aims to increase transparency and public participation in the North Carolina state budget process by introducing new requirements for the Current Operations Appropriations Act. Specifically, before voting on the budget, each house of the General Assembly must provide at least one week for public virtual comments through a dedicated online portal, hold a public hearing in the Legislative Building, conduct at least three nonvoting committee meetings for budget consideration and debate, and distribute the full Act and Committee Report to all legislators at least five legislative days before voting. Additionally, the bill mandates that communications between state agencies, individual legislators, legislative employees, and other legislators regarding budget provisions or funding requests will become public records once the appropriations act is law, with exceptions for attorney-client privileged information and work product. These changes are designed to make the budget process more open, accessible, and accountable to the public, allowing for greater scrutiny and input into the state's financial planning.

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/S294