Trafton Dinwiddie on State and Local Government

The State Budget Showdown: House and Senate Budget Proposals Compared

During the 2023 Long Session, the General Assembly enacted a two-year budget to carry the state through June 30, 2025. While that budget remains in place, it is standard practice for the General Assembly to enact a budget...more

6/24/2024 / General Assembly , Legislative Agendas , North Carolina , State and Local Government , State Budgets , State Legislatures

2024 North Carolina Primary Election Recap – Grassroots Candidates Show Strength in Numbers

As attorneys and professionals, Ward and Smith's government relations team watches with keen interest those who are elected, or might be elected, to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches in North Carolina state...more

3/20/2024 / Election Results , General Assembly , General Elections , North Carolina , Political Candidates , Primary Elections , State and Local Government , State Elections

Senate Approves Budget on Bi-Partisan Vote, Setting Up Negotiations with Newly-Minted Supermajority

While much of the media attention was surrounding the override of Governor Cooper's veto of Senate Bill 20 last week, on Thursday, North Carolina Senate members gave final approval to the chamber's version of the 2023...more

5/24/2023 / Governor Cooper , Governor Vetoes , Legislative Agendas , Senate Committees , State and Local Government , State Budgets , State Legislatures

Pay Raises and Infrastructure Improvements: A Closer Look at the NC House Budget

North Carolina's House lawmakers recently unveiled their proposed two-year spending plan for the state, well ahead of the traditional schedule. The proposed nearly $30 billion budget would set a new record high for state...more

4/5/2023 / Governor Cooper , Income Taxes , Legislative Agendas , State and Local Government , State Budgets , State Taxes , Tax Credits

NC General Assembly Returns for 2023 Session with Unfinished Business

As the clock struck noon in Raleigh on January 11th, lawmakers and their families settled into the House and Senate Chambers at the North Carolina General Assembly to witness history. In the House of Representatives, Rep....more

1/24/2023 / General Assembly , Governor Cooper , Governor Vetoes , Legislative Agendas , State and Local Government , State Legislatures

Red Wave, or Not So Much? A North Carolina Midterm Election Recap

NC Republicans Capture Key Judicial Races, Earn a Supermajority in NC Senate but Ultimately Fall Short on a House Supermajority - When North Carolinians awoke the morning after Election Day, Republicans had won meaningful...more

11/11/2022 / Election Results , General Elections , Local Elections , Political Campaigns , Political Candidates , State and Local Government , State Elections , State Legislatures

Burning at Both Ends: NC General Assembly Keeps Hemp Legal With Last Minute Vote

Before the North Carolina General Assembly wrapped up the effective end to their 2022 Long Session late last month, lawmakers enacted critical legislation – Senate Bill 455 – which kept hemp and CBD-related products legal in...more

7/15/2022 / Agricultural Sector , Farms , General Assembly , Governor Cooper , Hemp , Legislative Agendas , State and Local Government , State Legislatures

Back to Work: NC Lawmakers Gear Up for the 2022 Short Session

After wrapping up one of the longest sessions in the North Carolina General Assembly's history, lawmakers return this week for the first day of the 2022 Short Session. Historically, the Short Session operates on a...more

5/24/2022 / General Assembly , Legislative Agendas , Medicaid Expansion , Medical Marijuana , State and Local Government , State Budgets , State Legislatures

That's a Wrap: NC General Assembly Ends Longest Session in State History

The Long Session certainly lived up to its name, spanning 199 legislative days and marking the first time in state history that a Regular Session was adjourned in a different year than it was convened. The General Assembly is...more

3/17/2022 / General Assembly , Governor Cooper , Legislative Agendas , State and Local Government , State Budgets , State Legislatures

Trafton Dinwiddie

Ward and Smith, P.A.

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