On July 29th, the North Carolina General Assembly successfully overrode Governor Stein’s veto of House Bill 402, the REINS Act. This wasn’t just another legislative battle—it was about restoring a basic principle: that the people, through their elected representatives, should have a say in the rules that significantly impact their lives and wallets.
When my team started researching this issue, we uncovered something troubling. North Carolina had roughly 110,000+ regulations on the books, and according to the North Carolina Office of State Budget Management, many had “Unknown” baseline costs. Think about that—rules affecting businesses, families, and communities with costs that nobody had bothered to calculate or track. For too long, unelected bureaucrats in state agencies have imposed regulations with major financial consequences while bypassing meaningful oversight from the people’s elected representatives. Under the old system, agencies could implement rules costing citizens millions of dollars with minimal legislative input, effectively sidestepping the democratic process our founders designed. This was never about partisan politics. When I introduced this legislation with my colleagues, we weren’t targeting any particular party or administration. We were addressing a fundamental question that cuts to the heart of representative government: which branch has the authority to levy taxes on our citizens—the legislative branch (that voters elect), or the executive branch (which they don’t)?
The NC REINS Act establishes a clear principle: any new state regulation with an economic impact exceeding $20 million over a five-year period must receive approval from the General Assembly before taking effect. This threshold ensures that major regulatory decisions receive proper legislative scrutiny while allowing agencies to continue their essential day-to-day functions. Let’s be clear, this reform doesn’t halt necessary regulations— we include reasonable exceptions for emergencies and regulatory changes that would be required to keep programs federally compliant. Instead, it creates a transparent process where major rules face the same democratic deliberation as other significant policy decisions. If a regulation truly benefits the People of North Carolina, it should be able to survive legislative review.
The journey wasn’t easy. After the House passed the bill 68-44 in April with solid bipartisan support, and the Senate approved it, after several revisions, Governor Stein vetoed the legislation on June 27th. He argued it would “hamstring” state agencies and make it harder to protect public health and safety. I respectfully disagree. The REINS Act doesn’t prevent agencies from protecting North Carolinians—it ensures that the People of North Carolina have a voice at the table, through their elected representatives, when decisions are made that will have a direct and significant impact on their lives and livelihood.
The veto override on July 29th required careful coalition-building, but it demonstrated the broad bipartisan support this particular reform has garnered. We secured 73 votes in the House, and the Senate voted 30-19 to override. The override succeeded because legislators from both sides of the aisle recognized that regulatory accountability benefits all North Carolinians, regardless of which party controls the executive agencies.
With the REINS Act now law, North Carolina becomes the fifth state to pass this type of legislation in 2025. This reform should continue to make our state attractive to businesses as it provides some regulatory predictability, while ensuring necessary protections remain in place through a transparent, accountable process. The REINS Act maintains the flexibility government requires to respond to genuine emergencies and maintain federal compliance, while ensuring that major policy decisions receive the level of scrutiny our system of government demands, and transparency our citizens expect.
The passage of the REINS Act represents a practical victory for representative government. This isn’t about stopping “good” or “bad” regulations—it’s about ensuring that significant regulations undergo proper democratic review. By requiring major regulations to pass legislative scrutiny, we’re protecting the fundamental principle that in North Carolina, the people’s elected representatives should have the final say on rules that substantially impact citizens’ lives and livelihoods. This allows the People the ability to hold accountable, by way of the ballot box, those responsible for financial burdens placed on their lives by the state government. The REINS Act also proves that when legislators work together across party lines, meaningful reform is achievable. This victory does not belong to elected officials alone, but to every citizen of North Carolina who believes that democracy works best when transparency, accountability, and a respect for the voice of the people are the focal point of policy and government decisions.
Rep. Allen Chesser represents North Carolina House District 9 (Nash County) and served as a primary sponsor of the NC REINS Act.
