North Carolina Rep. Jones state auditor powers bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill sponsored by State Rep. Brenden H. Jones seeks to enhance the State Auditor’s authority by broadening access to records and allowing autonomous salary setting, aiming to improve audit and fraud detection capabilities, according to the North Carolina State House.

In the House, 66 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 45 Democrats and one Republican opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, one Democrat and 26 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 14 Democrats voted against it.

Jones filed the bill in the North Carolina House on March 26 during the 2025 regular session.

The legislation, known as HB 549, was passed on June 19 during the 2025 regular session.

According to the North Carolina General Assembly site, the bill’s official text was formally listed with the short title: “Clarify Powers of State Auditor.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill seeks to enhance the powers of the North Carolina State Auditor by exempting the Office of the State Auditor from certain existing statutory requirements, including procurement rules and information technology guidelines. It provides the Auditor broad access to state agency records, databases, and facilities for audits, fraud detection, and risk assessment. Contracts involving state or federal funds are required to include a clause ensuring the Auditor’s access rights. The bill mandates that the salaries of exempt officers in the Office of the State Auditor be set autonomously, and it gives authority to enforce compliance through court action if access to records is denied. Repeals of outdated sections to reduce redundancy are also included. The legislation becomes effective immediately upon enactment.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Mitchell S. Setzer (Republican-89th District), Rep. John A. Torbett (Republican-108th District), and Rep. Brenden H. Jones (Republican-46th District), along with one other sponsor.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Jones, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2017 to represent the state’s 46th House district, replacing previous state representative Ken Waddell.

Under North Carolina law, bills must receive three readings in each chamber. According to the UNC School of Government, once a bill “passes its constitutionally required second reading and moves to its constitutionally required third reading,” additional debate can occur, but the final stage is often treated as a formality. Unless a legislator requests a roll-call, the third reading may be approved by voice vote or unanimous consent without a separate recorded tally.