The General Assembly wrapped up nearly all of its work for the calendar year, the last week in November and while they haven’t officially adjoined the 2021 long session, legislators are not expected back in the Dome until late January. ,
The 2021 session, which began in earnest on Jan. 27, marks the second longest uninterrupted annual session since at least 1965, when calculated by the number of days that lawmakers hold chamber floor meetings, according to legislative data. The longest was in 2001.
Now, as we enter the 2022 “Short-Session” legislators are squarely focused on redistricting and the 2022 elections. Last week we saw a four-day trial over North Carolina’s new political maps came to a close. Once approved, these maps will be used in every election for the state legislature and U.S. House of Representatives through 2030. The trial combined multiple lawsuits challenging the newly redrawn maps, as well as the overall redistricting process. The focus of the trial, overseen by a three-judge panel, is whether or not the maps represent unconstitutionally gerrymandered districts. Lawyers representing the newly drawn maps contend that the maps have been fairly drawn pointing to the clustering of Democratic voters in cities while also not disputing that the Congressional maps give Republicans a 10-4 advantage. Opponents of the new maps testified that by using these maps, Republicans will continue to win elections even if they do not win a significant majority of the Statewide vote.
The NCAHU General Assembly Action Committee will use the time in this year’s short session to continue educating legislators on key items of healthcare policy and to increase this associations viability as key health care leaders and advocates in the State. The committee will be meeting mid-first quarter to discuss and define specific legislative priorities for this year.
