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SB 294

Connecting to Care Act

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Ana Maria Rodriguez

SB 294 boosts budget openness by forcing a one-week public comment period, hearings, and committee briefings before budget votes, and makes budget requests public records.

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Bill Summary · SB 294

SB 294 — Budgeting Accountability and Transparency

Status: Passed 1st Reading (Introduced Feb 6, 2025)
Subject areas: Budgeting; Confidentiality; General Assembly; Notification; Privacy; Public meetings; Records

Main purpose / intent

SB 294 is intended to increase public participation, notice, and openness in the State’s annual operating budget process and to limit legislative confidentiality for certain communications about budget funding requests. The bill requires additional public outreach and notice before final budget adoption votes and makes written requests for budget provisions (submitted to legislators or legislative staff) public records once the budget law is enacted.

Key provisions

  1. New rule for budget adoption (adds § 143C‑5‑1A)

    • Before a house votes on (a) second reading of its version of the Current Operations Appropriations Act or (b) adoption of a conference report that substitutes the Act, each house must:
      • Provide a minimum one‑week public comment period (virtual portal via the General Assembly website).
      • Hold at least one in‑person public hearing (State Legislative Building or Legislative Office Building) during that notice period.
      • Hold at least three non‑voting committee meetings for consideration/debate (these may be by the full Appropriations committees, subcommittees, or relevant standing committees).
      • Provide all legislators with the Act and the Committee Report at least five legislative days before any budget adoption vote.
    • The section is to be treated as a procedural rule of each chamber unless superseded by a chamber rule.

  2. Removal of confidentiality for certain appropriations communications (adds § 120‑133.5)

    • All documents received by legislative employees or other legislators from state agencies or from individual legislators that document requests for provisions or funding in the Current Operations Appropriations Act become public records when the Act becomes law.
    • The bill expressly preserves common‑law attorney‑client privilege and the work‑product doctrine for legislators (no waiver of those protections).

Who is affected

  • State agencies that submit budget requests or provide supporting documents to legislators or legislative staff.
  • Individual legislators and legislative staff (who will handle and publish specified documents).
  • Members of the public and advocacy groups (gain expanded opportunity to comment and attend hearings).
  • Legislative operations (Legislative Services Officer and committee staff, who must implement public portals, hearings, and scheduling).

Procedural / timing details

  • Applies to the “Current Operations Appropriations Act” (the State’s annual operating budget) as defined in G.S. 143C‑1‑1(d).
  • The public comment/hearing and committee meeting requirements must be satisfied before second‑reading and conference‑report adoption votes as described in the new statute.
  • The records‑disclosure rule triggers when the Current Operations Appropriations Act becomes law.
  • The act is effective upon enactment and applies to adoption of the Current Operations Appropriations Act for the fiscal year beginning on or after that date.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Transparency: expands formal public input opportunities and ensures legislators and the public have access to the bill text and committee report before final votes.
  • Administrative workload: creates new scheduling, public‑portal, record‑management, and notification obligations for legislative staff and agencies.
  • Negotiation dynamics: disclosure of written budget requests may alter how agencies and legislators communicate during budget development (the bill preserves legal privileges for attorney communications).
  • Legal/operational questions: implementation will require rules and administrative processes (e.g., how to catalogue and publish incoming documents, redaction protocols for privileged content).

This summary focuses on the bill text adding § 143C‑5‑1A (rules for adoption of the Current Operations Appropriations Act) and § 120‑133.5 (appropriations communications disclosure). If you want, I can:
- Draft a one‑page side‑by‑side comparison showing current practice vs. changes under SB 294;
- Prepare a short implementation checklist for legislative staff or state agencies.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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