NC House District 18
Deb Butler, Democratic incumbent
Career: Lawyer
Education: BA, University of Tennessee; Juris Doctorate, Wake Forest University School of Law
Q: What qualifies you to serve in the North Carolina legislature?
A: I have the experience and the education necessary to be effective at the job, but more importantly, I think I’m the best choice because I have an unwavering commitment to the people of this district. I have led within my party from the front as chief whip and as the Democratic chair of the finance and the judiciary committees.
And I guess people know that I will always advocate for this community with as strong a voice as necessary for policies that seek to improve the lives of everyone. Service is a privilege and I always keep that front of mind.
Q. What is a bill you would like to sponsor or co-sponsor and what is a bill you want to repeal — or even amend? Why?
A: Gosh, where to begin? There are so many I have filed and would like to see become law and an equal number I’d like to repeal, but if I had to limit it to one in each category, I would say that the bill I drafted and filed this year known as H.B. 178 entitled “Budgeting Accountability and Transparency Act” would be at the top. If you followed the budget debacle this year, you understand just how valuable this bill really is. It requires public involvement and notice among other fiscally responsible measures. The public has a right to understand in advance how their money is going to be spent. It would be a great law.
And I would like to repeal S.B. 266, which is misleadingly entitled “Power Bill Reduction Act.” This bill is going to allow Duke Power to bill the consumer for construction while in progress before the first kilowatt of energy is ever produced by a proposed new facility. South Carolina made this mistake and their ratepayers have been left holding the bag to the tune of 9 billion dollars.
Why we are replicating their folly is a mystery to me and I would like to see a repeal of S.B. 266. The Governor vetoed this bill, but Republicans made it law and overrode his veto.
Q: What will you do to hold industry accountable for pollution of toxic chemicals, such as PFAS or 1,4 dioxane, in the water or air? Will you support enforcing additional maximum contaminant levels of PFAS compounds, aside from PFOA or PFOS; how, if so?
A: I have been endorsed by the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters for many years as my environmental record is strong. Please see a partial list of bills I have filed on various environmental concerns:
- H279 (2023) Break Free From Forever Chemicals
- H881 (2025) PFAS Free NC
- H882 (2025) Break Free From Forever Chemicals (refiled)
- H871 (2025) Microplastics Study
- Assorted Polluter Pay Bills
Q: Is the public school allotment formula sufficient or does the legislature need to change it? Explain what your plan is for this issue.
A: We are utterly failing when it comes to public school funding. We are last in the nation and the basic problem with the formula is that it tells a district how many positions and how much money it gets, but doesn’t address the fundamental and basic issue of what it actually costs to provide a good quality education to each student.
Other states use different approaches, and we need to follow the successful models to get our funding out of what is a present unconscionable and egregious disinvestment in our children. It’s disgraceful and we must do better. We have the means, but not the political will. I hope to change that altogether.
Q: State law allows law enforcement agencies, including the State Bureau of Investigation, to store data captured by license plate reading cameras (Flock cameras) for up to 90 days. Since the CEO of Flock cameras has now recommended agencies reduce the time camera data is stored down to seven days, would you make it a priority to change state law to follow this recommendation?
A: Yes, and I am glad that our county commissioners hit the pause on the use of these plate readers until they are better able to understand how to place guardrails to protect against abuse and to protect citizen privacy.
Q: Do you support how the film grant program currently operates? Do you think the $31-million annual cap on award disbursements should be lifted? Do you think the General Assembly should allocate more money to the program?
A: I support film, and there is no question in my mind that the rebate system we originally had was more effective than the grant program that is being used now.
The grant program ran out of money a bit ago and absent additional funding, we run the risk of missing out on great opportunity and investment by the film industry. It is important that we have a predictable, efficient and consistent program that filmmakers can rely upon as they plan projects that stretch over months and sometimes years.
We have the skilled workforce for the industry and films want to be here, but unless we get our act together, I fear the loss of film in our state and that would be a real shame because they are one of the industries we should be cultivating, not making it harder for them to work here.
Q: Would you support rolling back the sales and use tax exemption for data centers to build in North Carolina? Explain.
A: Absolutely. Data centers use incredible amounts of power and water and we, as taxpayers, have no business subsidizing their profit margins. Data centers do not create very many permanent jobs and they eat up hundreds of acres and millions of gallons of water. In my opinion, they are not a good fit for our region for those reasons.
Q: The current gas-tax funding system for the NCDOT no longer seems to efficiently support necessary projects – including the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement. Is tolling the answer; what other funding mechanisms would you support? Would you vote on legislation to allow the Turnpike Authority to toll the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge if it comes before you?
A: I will not support a toll on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement as I consider that to be double taxation. We have all paid our taxes already so to expect locals to pay again is not fair.
I believe it is time for an exhaustive review of our state funding formulas for transportation projects because given the incredible growth this region is having and is projected to have into the future, a bridge replacement is unquestionably necessary for us and if we aren’t scoring well enough for funding in due course, I am left to question the fairness and adequacy of the formula.
Q: Would you vote to implement an independent commission to draw legislative and congressional lines? Why or why not?
A: Yes. Lawmakers should not be in charge of drawing the districts. That is like the proverbial fox guarding the hen house.
Q: In terms of economic development, North Carolina gets high marks for business, but middling and lower marks for worker satisfaction and quality of life. What would you do to improve these metrics for state residents?
A: I think the quality of life and worker satisfaction concerns largely center on folks feeling like they don’t have enough money to enjoy their lives and their families as much as they should. Some of the immediate things that we could do as a legislature to help people’s pockets are things like reinstituting the earned income tax credit, which would help working families that qualify for up to about $1400 additional dollars in their pockets per year.
Another piece of legislation that I fully support is universal free breakfast and lunch for all students in NC’s public schools. That would help hold soaring grocery prices down somewhat.
I also think we can help seniors and/or disabled persons by expanding existing law concerning real estate taxes. Right now, eligible people can have a portion of their real estate taxes deferred. I believe if you qualify, by virtue of senior status or disability, those deferrals should be forgiven.
So, these are three ideas that could be implemented swiftly and while they don’t come close to tackling the very complex issue of rising costs, they would bring immediate relief.