It’s Crossover Week at the North Carolina General Assembly, but what does “Crossover” mean and why does it exist?

Crossover is a deadline self-imposed on the NCGA by legislators. By this deadline legislation introduced in one chamber must pass and be sent to the other chamber in order to have a chance to become law by the end of the legislative biennium. This biennium’s Crossover date was set as May 8th, 2025 in House Resolution 1 Rule 31.1.e and in Senate Resolution 1 Rule 41.

Certain bills are exempt from this deadline, such as any legislation that comes with a new fee or a new spending. Essentially any bill that doesn’t have to go through either the Appropriations or Finance Committees is subject to the Crossover deadline.

In the 1980s “Crossover” was introduced as a way to manage the flow and workload of legislators during the final weeks of the fiscal year, making it easier for them to concentrate on passing a budget by June 30th.

The North Carolina General Assembly’s website has a compilation of every bill subject to the Crossover deadline that passed either chamber in time from 2001 to 2023.