The North Carolina legislature: how it works
What your state legislature controls covers the general powers. This page profiles North Carolina's legislature.
The basics
The North Carolina General Assembly is bicameral: a 120-member House of Representatives and a 50-member Senate, for 170 total members, all serving 2-year terms with every seat contested each even-numbered year. The National Conference of State Legislatures classifies North Carolina as a hybrid legislature, meaning members devote roughly three-quarters of a full-time job to legislative work without full-time-equivalent pay. Base legislator salary is $13,951 a year, among the lowest in the nation, supplemented by per-diem payments and expense allowances that scale with leadership rank. North Carolina follows a two-year biennium built around a long session in the odd-numbered year and a shorter session in the even-numbered year. The 2025 long session adjourned July 31, 2025, with reconvened sessions through April 7, 2026, and the 2026 short session convened April 21, 2026.
Who controls it now
Republicans control both chambers, holding a 30-20 majority in the Senate and a 71-49 majority in the House, following the 2024 elections. Democratic Governor Josh Stein holds the executive branch, producing divided state government. Republicans retain a veto-proof supermajority in the Senate but are one seat short of that threshold in the House.
Where to go
- NC General Assembly: https://www.ncleg.gov/
- Legislative calendar: https://www.ncleg.gov/legislativecalendar