The Overview

North Carolina legislative leaders filled seats on dozens of state boards and community college boards of trustees this summer, choosing members for bodies that oversee roads, the environment, workers’ compensation cases and judicial discipline. Senate Bill 1092 became law when it was ratified Thursday, Aug. 6, without going to Gov. Josh Stein (D), because North Carolina’s constitution gives the governor no role in bills that make appointments. ​

Sen. Bill Rabon (R) filed the bill July 27. It names appointees recommended by the Senate’s president pro tempore in one part and by the House speaker in another, covering more than 100 boards and commissions.

What The Law Does

The law names a special superior court judge, Jenna Fruechtenicht Butler, to a term ending in 2034, and fills seats on the Board of Transportation, the Industrial Commission, the Judicial Standards Commission, the Environmental Management Commission and the Rules Review Commission, among others. Board of Transportation picks include James Trogdon, a retired major general and former state transportation secretary, and former Republican state Rep. N. Leo Daughtry.

It also names trustees to community colleges from Brunswick to Mayland, including two at Sandhills Community College, and corrects a 2024 appointment to the Bladen Community College board. Most terms began when the law took effect, while others carry set dates, such as three athletic trainer board terms running Aug. 1 through July 31, 2029.

The Debate

The bill moved from filing to ratification in 10 days. The Senate passed it 32-9 on July 28, after unanimously adopting an amendment from Rabon, and the House passed it 71-38 on Aug. 4, according to the East Wake Times.

What’s Next

Appointment bills are how the legislature uses its power to name members to state boards, and this one reaches from the courts to community college campuses. The new appointees help set transportation priorities, environmental rules and college operations, in some cases for terms lasting six to eight years.

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