Much accomplished, much left to do 14 years after GOP takes over NC General Assembly

In 2011, when Republicans took over the North Carolina General Assembly, they were filled with a lot of hope. After being out in the cold for most of the state’s history, this new majority had bold plans for reducing taxes and regulations on business, offering families more options for education, and cutting government waste.

Republicans should certainly pat themselves on the back for accomplishing many of these goals.

North Carolina is among the fastest-growing states in the nation, with people and companies pouring in to take advantage of the opportunities spurred by these reforms.

After major educational-freedom initiatives, like lifting the charter school cap and creating the Opportunity Scholarship program, 25% of the state’s students, and growing, attend charter schools, private schools, and home schools.

Taxes have come down in many areas, there are major budget surpluses every year, regulations have been slashed, and waste has been dramatically cut from many state departments.

North Carolina is the envy of the nation in many areas, and the conservative governing principles of those running the legislature for the past 14 years deserve a lot of credit. But much is left to be done. And after a decade and a half in power, Republicans will need to guard against complacency.

Staying on track

In the last long session, in 2023, the conservative base may have grumbled louder than at any other time since the 2011 GOP takeover. The session and budget negotiations kept going on and on, after compromise wasn’t readily found on issues like medicinal marijuana and casino expansion — issues that weren’t exactly at the top of voters’ minds.

There were also a few major items that directly clashed with what conservative voters expect from their legislators, like an expansion of Medicaid and a massive government appropriation to a nongovernmental foundation called NC Innovation, which works to match public university research with private-sector investors.

It’s hard not to see all of this as a departure from the small-government philosophy that originally brought Republicans to power.

Looking forward

While last long session led to some disappointments and distractions, there is still reason to think that conservatives in the legislature will solve important issues like they have in the past.

Housing is one area that could use some creative ideas. People are pouring into the state, and they need affordable places to live. Making it easier to build homes in the places people want to live, rather than eating up more farmland further and further out, is key to solving the issue.

Healthcare is another area where North Carolinians are feeling some pain. With the state having the most expensive healthcare in the nation, there are a lot of elements to our complicated system that need tweaking. Certificate of Need reform should be low hanging fruit, but finding ways to lower health insurance rates and hospital costs are also needed.

Public safety in North Carolina’s cities is also frequently mentioned by voters. The opioid crisis continues to end far too many young lives. There’s a general lawlessness in many city centers that drives foot traffic away and kills small business. Gun violence by teenagers in places like Greensboro, Charlotte, and Durham also remains at concerning levels.

Storm recovery is another vital area — one the legislature has made clear they will put at the top of their list as session begins. Considering hurricane recovery in eastern North Carolina from years past has still not been completed, hopefully the new governor, Democrat Josh Stein, will work with the legislature to develop new, more-streamlined, approaches. They seem to be attempting exactly this with GROW-NC.

In the coming months, hopefully legislative Republicans can bring a lot of their original enthusiasm, principle, and creativity to address these, and other, concerns of everyday North Carolinians.