The North Carolina General Assembly concluded its chief work session, garnering mixed results as it overrode Gov. Roy Cooper's vetoes and introduced a constitutional amendment on citizen voting. However, the legislature fell short on several key issues, including passing a comprehensive budget-adjustment measure and additional constitutional referendums.

Despite passing several bills and overriding three of Governor Cooper's vetoes, Senate leader Phil Berger acknowledged that more could have been accomplished. However, he noted that there was still productive activity during the two-month session.

One of the major points of contention between the House and Senate was the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Disagreements over spending resulted in a failure to agree on higher raises for state employees and teachers than what was already planned. Furthermore, the chambers couldn't reach a consensus on setting aside nearly $500 million for scholarships and K-12 students attending private schools or receiving services.

The Senate initially proposed a separate spending measure for the private-school programs, but the House wanted the funds accompanied by increases in public school spending within a budget bill. As a result, tens of thousands of families may miss out on the Opportunity Scholarship dollars, at least temporarily.

Despite these setbacks, House Speaker Tim Moore expressed hope that the funding for private schools could still be approved in time for the upcoming school year. Lawmakers will have the opportunity to address these matters in upcoming short sessions later in the year.

On a positive note, the Republican leadership successfully overrode Governor Cooper's three vetoes, extending their winning streak from the previous year. The overrides included measures related to face mask policies, youth prosecutions, and billboard maintenance rules.

A constitutional amendment also went through, aiming to clarify that only U.S. citizens meeting certain qualifications are entitled to vote in elections. Supporters argue that the current language in the constitution leaves room for challenges. However, other proposed amendment questions failed to pass both chambers.

Bipartisan successes were achieved in the final days of the work session concerning bills combatting sex exploitation, extortion, and human trafficking. Additionally, a compromise measure was approved to resume the automatic removal of criminal charges that are dismissed or result in a "not guilty" verdict, after a suspension since August 2022.

However, negotiators were unable to reach an agreement on a bill to enforce compliance with federal immigration requests by sheriffs and jailers. Furthermore, the Senate's attempt to authorize medicinal use of marijuana did not gain sufficient traction among House Republicans, even when attached to a measure with strict restrictions on federally legal hemp products.

As the North Carolina General Assembly concludes its work session, it is clear that certain matters remained unresolved, while some achievements and setbacks were witnessed. The upcoming short sessions will provide an opportunity to address these outstanding issues and potentially tackle larger matters.