North Carolina 2025 Session Status: In Committee 6 R cosponsors

HB 659 — Local Government Spending Transparency.

Last action — Withdrawn From Cal

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced April 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 6 sponsors

    3 primary, 3 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (6 R).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

17 added · 17 removed

Plain-language change summary

The updated version of House Bill 659 includes additional sponsors, reflecting a broader support base for the bill. This change highlights a collaborative effort among different representatives, which may strengthen the bill's chances of passing. Adding more sponsors can signal to the public and other lawmakers that the proposed legislation addresses important issues for a larger group of constituents.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H 2 HOUSE BILL 659 Committee Substitute Favorable 4/29/25 Short Title:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H 1 HOUSE BILL 659 Short Title:
Representatives Echevarria, Loftis, Almond, and Lowery (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
April 2, 2025 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT SPENDING.
Judiciary 1, if favorable, State and Local Government, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House April 2, 2025 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT SPENDING.
"§ 159-33.3.
"§ 159-42.2.
(a) All local government invoices shall be itemized, disclosing, at a minimum, the payee, amount paid, items or services purchased, and performance dates.
(a) All local governmental invoices shall be itemized, disclosing, at a minimum, the payee, amount paid, items or services purchased, and performance dates.
A link to view all quarterly invoices shall appear on each local government's website, except that a local government without a website shall keep copies of the quarterly paid invoices for public viewing in a publicly accessible place at the local government's administrative offices.
A link to view all quarterly invoices shall appear on each local government's website, except that municipalities without a website shall keep copies of the quarterly paid invoices in a binder for public viewing on a counter at the municipal building.
(b) In addition to the information required by subsection (a) of this section, a local government's website shall provide a link to the top three bids on every project, service, or any goods purchased with anytax dollars, with quarterlyupdates.
(b) In addition to the information required by subsection (a) of this section, a local government website shall provide a link to the top three bids on every project, service, or any goods purchased with any tax dollars, with quarterly updates.
The bids shall be unredacted unless otherwise specifically required by law." SECTION 2.
These bids shall not be redacted unless otherwise specifically required by law." SECTION 2.
This act becomes effective July 1, 2025, and applies to invoices paid on or after that date.
This act becomes effective July 1, 2025.
*H659-v-2*
*H659-v-1*
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How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill adds new transparency requirements for local government spending in North Carolina.

  • § 159-33.3

    § 159-33.3. Transparent spending and bid reporting. (a) All local government invoices shall be itemized, disclosing, at a minimum, the payee, amount paid, items or services purchased, and performance dates. A link to view all quarterly invoices shall appear on each local government's website, except that a local government without a website shall keep copies of the quarterly paid invoices for public viewing in a publicly accessible place at the local government's administrative offices. The invoices shall be unredacted unless otherwise specifically required by law. (b) In addition to the information required by subsection (a) of this section, a local government's website shall provide a link to the top three bids on every project, service, or any goods purchased with any tax dollars, with quarterly updates. The bids shall be unredacted unless otherwise specifically required by law.

    This establishes new requirements for itemizing invoices and reporting bids on local government websites.

Action History

  1. Withdrawn From Cal

  2. Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  3. Reptd Fav

  4. Cal Pursuant Rule 36(b)

  5. Placed On Cal For 05/06/2025

  6. Reptd Fav Com Substitute

  7. Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  8. Reptd Fav

  9. Re-ref Com On State and Local Government

  10. Passed 1st Reading

  11. Ref to the Com on Judiciary 1, if favorable, State and Local Government, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  12. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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3 sponsors · 3 co-sponsors · 173 not signed on

Sponsors (3)

Co-sponsors (3)

Not signed on (173)

173 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 173 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety finance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HB 659?
HB 659 is sponsored by Bill Ward (Republican), Mark Brody (Republican), Jarrod Lowery (Republican), Jonathan L. Almond (Republican), Donnie Loftis (Republican), and Brian Echevarria (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 659?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced April 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 659?
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