Rep. Price files bill in North Carolina House for annual long-term budget assessments

A new bill filed by State Rep. Renée A. Price in the North Carolina House seeks to improve fiscal responsibility through coordinated budget forecasting and analysis, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 180 on Feb. 24 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Fiscally Responsible & Sustainable Budgeting.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill mandates collaboration between the legislative and executive branches of North Carolina for annual long-term budget assessments to ensure fiscal responsibility. The Director is tasked with creating and updating a five-year budget forecast including spending projections for maintaining current services, analyzing costs of new or modified programs, and assessing fiscal impacts of scenarios such as federal funding changes. The Governor must present budget recommendations that align with these assessments, including a fiscal analysis for the upcoming five years to accompany the budget message. The act becomes effective upon enactment and applies to fiscal years beginning thereafter.

Of the four sponsors of this bill, Pricey Harrison proposed the most bills (10) during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Prince graduated from Tufts University with a BA.

Prince, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 50th House district, replacing previous state representative Graig R. Meyer.