Appropriations – Who and How
The Legislative Process
It is important to understand how decisions are made and who can influence those decisions at the North Carolina General Assembly.
This section includes Representatives and Senators who are at the core of the budget process. Every two years, North Carolina adopts a biennium budget. The Governor presents his/her budget to the General Assembly, and Legislative Committees typically begin with those recommendations as a starting point.
Grants funding for the North Carolina Arts Council is proposed within the Department of Cultural Resources budget. Cultural Resources is one of 16 agencies included in the General Government Committee.
The House and the Senate rotate starting the budget every two years. The House and Senate General Government Committees often meet jointly to hear presentations from the agencies, then work independently to create a budget. The Committees’ recommendations are presented to the “big chairs” that make the final budget recommendation. Amendments can be made once the budget is presented but before it is adopted. Those items which are not in agreement in the House and Senate budgets are referred to a Conference Committee for resolution.
While the following key legislators are directly involved in arts funding, it is imperative for advocates to develop relationships with all Legislators. Issues are often discussed in party caucus and any Legislator can influence the outcome.
How to use the information: The contact pages include Raleigh and local addresses and phone numbers, email addresses, and social media links. The pages also include grants funding histories for a specific county so that programs can be noted when communicating with legislators. These pages can be distributed to advocates to assist in citizen advocacy.
Key Legislators and Contact Information
Click on the Legislator’s name for complete contact information.
Legislators by County
Legislators by Committee
NC SENATE
President Pro Tempore Phil Berger
Appropriations/Base Budget Committee
Senator Harry Brown (Co-Chairman)
Senator Peter Brunstetter (Co-Chairman)
Senator Neal Hunt (Co-Chairman)
Appropriations Committee on General Government/Information Technology
Senator Jim Davis (Co-Chairman)
Senator Tommy Tucker (Co-Chairman)
Senator Ben Clark
Senator Norman W. Sanderson
Senator Jeff Tarte
Senator Mike Woodard
NC HOUSE
Speaker Thom Tillis
Appropriations Committee
Representative Nelson Dollar (Senior Chairman)
Representative Justin P. Burr (Chairman)
Representative Bryan R. Holloway (Chairman)
Representative Linda Johnson (Chairman)
Appropriations Sub-Committee on General Government
Representative Rayne Brown (Chairman)
Representative George Cleveland (Chairman)
Representative Mark Brody (Vice-Chairman)
Representative Susan Fisher (Vice-Chairman)
Representative Elmer Floyd (Vice-Chairman)
Representative Larry G. Pittman (Vice-Chairman)
Representative John R. Bell
Representative Carla D. Cunningham
Representative Pricey Harrison
Representative Joe Sam Queen
Representative Dennis Riddell
Representative Stephen M. Ross
Representative Jason Saine
