May 1, 2025 | Proudly representing Guilford County and the 57th District

I am sending this email amidst a flurry of chaos down in Raleigh. This is a strategy that GOP leaders are deploying on us to rush through a variety of dangerous bills. I am including a number of key bill updates below but other bills that cleared the House yesterday and those that are slated to be voted on today I have yet to summarize my thoughts so will be sending further updates in the near future.

I’m honored to represent you in Raleigh, and I appreciate everyone who has contacted me with your concerns about a variety of bills that are progressing through the House. Please take advantage of my Monday virtual office hours below to connect with me on anything that I can help with. In closing, I hope May brings you and your loved ones warmth and happiness in big and small ways.

I spoke on the floor against HB 636 - Promoting Wholesome Content for Students. This bill would require the creation of a 10-person committee in each school district (5 parents and 5 school employees) to review all existing and future library books and book fair books. It allows anyone within the district to sue schools for up to $5k and "reasonable legal feels" in damages.

(Click this thumbnail to listen to my speech)

Our public-school librarians already work hard to curate a healthy, diverse, and age-appropriate list of books for school children and already listen to parents. This process already exists.

Books that have been banned under vague laws such as this include Night by Elie Wiesel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

I voted NO on HB 636 and hope that Gov. Stein will veto this bill.

(Click this thumbnail to listen to my speech)

I spoke on the floor to voice my opposition to HB 92 - NC Digital Assets Investments Act. This bill would give the State Treasurer the authority to invest up to 5%, or over $6 billion, of tax-payer general funds and state-employee pension funds in cryptocurrencies, nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and other digital assets.

Our Treasury should strive for stable returns while minimizing risk. The crypto industry is an unregulated, scam-ridden industry, that is entirely speculative and a "bigger sucker scheme."

Needless to say, I voted NO on HB 92 and will encourage my colleagues in the Senate to do the same.

This bill bans State Agencies from supporting, implementing, or maintaining workplace DEI programs, policies, or initiatives. HB 171 - Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI echoes national talking points implying that marginalized groups have not earned their positions in government.

Diversity is good for our State's economy. Governments and companies work better when the workforce reflects the constituents and consumers they serve. DEI develops talent and gives everybody an equal chance to exhibit their abilities, not just the well-connected born into advantageous positions.

This bill passed along partisan lines and now heads to the Senate. I was a strong NO to HB 171 and will oppose any other bill that attempts to take us back to the 1950s.

The State House also voted to pass HB 318 - The Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act. This bill forces County Sheriffs to detain suspected-undocumented people accused of a crime and of being undocumented for 48 hours.

This is yet another bill that scapegoats and bullies immigrants, and for those reasons I voted NO on HB 318.

Virtual Office Hours

It is always a priority for me to hear from constituents, thus I have created a calendar for anyone to book a phone call with me. I have availability on Mondays anytime from 9am-3pm. Please use this link to book your time and if you have a specific topic or bill you would like to discuss, please share at time of booking so that I can be prepared for our discussion.

What's on the calendar?

We will continue voting today on Thursday, May 1st. Click the calendars button below to see what we'll be voting on.

Crossover

In order for a bill to be considered this biennium, the bill must pass the Chamber of origin and be referred to the other Chamber before the self-imposed deadline of May 8th. Because that is the last day a bill can "cross over" to the other chamber, that day is called Crossover.

In short, if a House bill doesn't get past the House before May 8th, that bill is dead. That means I'll be voting on a flood of bills the next week. Even legislative leadership is prone to procrastinate!

The State Budget

After Crossover, the House will begin to focus on passing the State Budget. I'll cover all that entails and how you can follow along at a later date.

I joined my North Carolina House Democratic colleagues in hosting a press conference to unveil our 12 gun safety bills ranging from safe storage to red flags to ghost guns. All are commonsense and are popular even among gunowners. North Carolina wants legislators to address this horrific problem that gets worse every day. We must be proactive, and all of these bills would do just that with preventative measures that would save lives.

To watch our press conference, click this link.