Campaign promise
What a candidate says they plan to do. It is a commitment to voters—not proof that the policy has happened.
Look for: a dated campaign page, advertisement, speech, recording, or written plan.
Campaign season brings advertisements, graphics, promises, bill numbers, and competing descriptions of the record. Those things are not all the same kind of evidence. This guide gives District 27 voters a simple way to ask: What exactly is being claimed, what source supports it, and what does that source actually prove?
The basic rule: A bill’s subject or title does not prove what a candidate believes. A campaign promise does not prove that a result happened. A budget appropriation does not prove that one person personally secured every dollar. Always match the wording to the evidence.
Six kinds of campaign information
Stated position
What a candidate has said they believe about an issue or proposal. The quote must be kept in context.
Look for: a direct statement with the date and complete relevant wording.
Bill vote
A recorded action on a specific question. The chamber, date, bill edition, and vote matter.
Look for: the official roll call—not only a bill summary or campaign description.
Sponsorship
A legislator can be listed as a primary sponsor or cosponsor. That role does not automatically prove passage or support for later substitute language.
Look for: the official bill record and sponsor listing.
Advocacy
Actions intended to influence policy, such as testimony, letters, public requests, or meetings.
Look for: a primary source naming the actor, date, audience, and specific action.
Completed result
A law, program action, or measurable outcome that actually occurred. Enactment alone is not proof of a real-world result.
Look for: a session law plus implementation or outcome evidence when making an impact claim.
How to read a bill’s status
- Introduced: A bill was filed. It has not necessarily received a vote.
- Passed one chamber: The House or Senate approved an edition. The other chamber may still act.
- Ratified: Both chambers approved the same final version, but the measure may still be awaiting the Governor’s action or another step.
- Vetoed: The Governor rejected the ratified bill. It is not law unless the required override process is completed.
- Enacted: The measure became law. Check the session law and effective date.
- Implemented: The law or program is operating. This may require agency records or other evidence beyond the session law.
Why bill editions matter: A committee substitute can replace the subject of an earlier bill. When that happens, the original title or first version should not be described as though it were the final law.
Reference: selected 2025–2026 North Carolina bills
This reference table is about the official legislative record. It does not, by itself, establish any person’s support, opposition, motive, or responsibility. Statuses should be checked again before relying on them.
| Bill | Official subject | Plain-language description | Status | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB 87 | Educational Choice for Children Act | Creates a state participation framework for a federal tax credit connected to qualifying contributions to scholarship-granting organizations. The final law differs from the bill’s earlier cell-phone subject. | Enacted | NCGA record |
| HB 674 | The Firearms Liberty Act | A firearms-policy proposal involving concealed-handgun permits, firearm-storage arrangements, and specified less-than-lethal defensive devices at schools. | Not enacted on record | NCGA record |
| HB 193 | Firearm Law Revisions | Creates a conditional pathway for authorized nonpublic-school employees or volunteers to carry firearms or stun guns on school property, with other public-safety provisions. | Enacted | NCGA record |
| HB 318 | The Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act | Expands specified state and local jail, judicial, and federal immigration-enforcement coordination requirements. | Enacted | NCGA record |
| SB 378 | Align Medicaid Eligibility with Federal Law | The latest House substitute concerns Medicaid provider participation by Planned Parenthood Federation of America and associated entities. The bill began as an HOA measure. | Not enacted on record | NCGA record |
| HB 926 | Regulatory Reform Act of 2025 | An enacted omnibus law affecting multiple regulatory, development, licensing, environmental, education, utility, and local-government topics. | Enacted | NCGA record |
| HB 859 | Local Govts/Guaranteed Income Programs | Would restrict local governments from operating defined unconditional guaranteed-income programs unless expressly authorized. | Not enacted on record | NCGA record |
| HB 171 | Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI | Would limit specified DEI activities, funding, positions, training, and related practices in state and local government. | Status requires recheck | NCGA record |
| SB 227 | Eliminating “DEI” in Public Education | An enacted public-education law restricting specified DEI-named units and defined practices or concepts, subject to statutory exceptions. | Enacted | NCGA record |
| SB 257 | 2026 Appropriations Act | An enacted statewide current-operations budget with appropriations and numerous policy, tax, fee, and revenue provisions. | Enacted | NCGA record |
Questions to ask before sharing a claim
- What is the exact claim—not the slogan or headline?
- Is it a promise, a position, a vote, sponsorship, advocacy, or a completed result?
- What is the primary source, and is it current?
- Which bill edition, chamber, date, and session are involved?
- Does the evidence show what the claim says—or something narrower?
- Are there exceptions, amendments, effective dates, or implementation limits?
- Would the same wording be fair if applied to every campaign?