June Legislative Update

The General Assembly convened its short legislative session on May 16, 2018 and we were met with over 20,000 protesting teachers concerned about per pupil spending in K-12 education.  El Pueblo staff and volunteers were part of the historic rally.

For El Pueblo, the start of session was also marked by the defeat of several incumbents in the May 8 primary, most notably Rep. Justin Burr (R-Stanly, Cabarrus), who lost the opportunity to run in the November election.  Rep. Burr, who is known as the defacto leader of a very conservative, anti-immigration caucus and has leveraged this position into a place of power (budget writer) at the General Assembly.

Budget writers have shared a spending plan for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.  El Pueblo lobbyists believe that Governor Roy Cooper will veto the budget, and the General Assembly will override the veto in mid-June, in time for adjournment.  In the meantime, El Pueblo continues to monitor pending legislation that could affect immigrant communities.

This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)