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North Carolina House passes committee substitute to Senate Bill 257 on third reading, 86-20
Summary
The North Carolina House passed House committee substitute No. 2 to Senate Bill 257 (the 2025 Appropriations Act) on third reading, 86 to 20, sending the measure to a conference with the Senate. Debate highlighted competing priorities for education, disability services and voucher expansion.
The North Carolina House voted to pass House committee substitute No. 2 to Senate Bill 257, the 2025 Appropriations Act, on its third reading, with a recorded tally of 86 ayes and 20 nays. The measure was ordered engrossed and will move to a conference with the Senate.
Representative Lambeth, who opened debate in favor of the measure, urged colleagues to approve the bill so the chamber could enter conference "unified and supportive of moving this forward into the next step." He framed passage as a show of commitment to invest in citizens, businesses and schools.
Opponents and some supporters pressed for changes and highlighted shortfalls. Representative Rubin said the majority must "own" decisions made over the past 15 years that, he argued, left North Carolina underfunding public education and other services; he cited a per-pupil funding shortfall "about $4,800" below the average and said the state ranks 48th in education funding. Representative Crawford, who said she runs a nonprofit serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, urged the House to add funding for the innovations waiver wait list, citing 18,950 people on that wait list and describing long waits of "10, 12, 14, or even more" years.
Representative Prater criticized continued expansion of private-school vouchers, saying the budget includes "$1,100,000,000 over the next two years" for the voucher program and arguing that those increases could instead fund community-college recurring appropriations and other public priorities. Supporters, including Representative Jones, highlighted teacher pay increases, added DMV staffing and public-safety funding as reasons to defend the House budget in conference.
A noncontroversial chair amendment moved by Representative Arp — addressing firefighter cancer coverage and a dual-licensure request from HHS and the Department of Defense regarding childcare — was adopted by recorded vote (106–0) before final passage.
The House debate concluded with members on both sides urging work in conference; the bill now proceeds to the Senate for consideration and a formal conference process to reconcile differences between chambers.
