House District 56: Allen Buansi

Name: Allen Buansi

Age: 39

Party affiliation: Democrat

Occupation & employer: Attorney

Years lived in the area: 25

1. What in your background qualifies you to represent the people of your North Carolina district effectively? What would you cite as your three biggest career accomplishments?

I am a proud product of Orange County, and I have developed experience and leadership right here in my home state. I am a lawyer who has worked in civil rights and in local government law. I have served in the state legislature since 2022. Before that, I served on the Chapel Hill Town Council. I am a proud husband and father of three young children, who are in public school.

What continues to drive me is a vision for North Carolina as an affordable, accessible and inclusive state for everyone. There is still so much work with my colleagues to be done, from fully supporting public education to making life more affordable for folks and families to increasing healthcare access to fighting climate change and more. I am as committed to this work as ever.

Thus far, my three biggest career accomplishments in elected office include the following:

• Passing legislation to enact Medicaid Expansion, in 2023, to increase access to quality healthcare for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians.

• Introducing and getting legislation passed in 2024 to create the “Home of the Venus Flytrap” license plate to support research and protection of a renowned plant native only to North Carolina and South Carolina.

• Introducing and getting legislation passed this year that requires public school systems to provide students, on their student ID cards, information for mental health resources and phone numbers for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (Call 988) and the NC Peer Warmline (Call 855-PEERS-NC).

2. What do you believe to be the three most pressing issues facing the next General Assembly? What steps do you believe the state should take to address them?

Three of the most pressing issues facing the next General Assembly include: (1) public education, (2) healthcare access and (3) energy costs.

Public education. Our state is underfunding our public schools. There is an estimated need of over $13 billion in needed school repairs, renovations and construction across North Carolina. Teachers currently rank 44th in teacher pay out of 50 states. And North Carolina ranks near the bottom in per-pupil spending. For a state of our size (9th most populous in the U.S.) and growing rapidly, this is completely unacceptable. Counties like Wake County are being forced to cut $18 million for special education due to insufficient state funding and higher costs. Schools are struggling with broken HVAC systems that lead to overheated classrooms.

I introduced the Fair Share for Public Schools Act over the summer. With an additional tax on earnings of more than $1 million, it would raise $1 billion annually to specifically fund public schools. Several years ago, the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan (LCRP) was developed which would have required an estimated $5.54 billion investment over eight years, beginning in 2021, to help North Carolina fulfill its constitutional obligation to provide every child the opportunity to receive a sound basic education. In each of my full terms at the General Assembly, I have cosponsored legislation (“Sound Basic Education for Every Child” bill) to implement the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan, including corrective actions.

Healthcare access. Even in a community like Chapel Hill and Carrboro, which has world-class healthcare, disparities in access persist. One of my proudest accomplishments was to support and vote for Medicaid Expansion which finally passed in 2023. That is all under threat now, and thanks to the changes brought on by H.R.1, signed by the President, millions more in North Carolina face the prospect of losing their healthcare access, with the elimination of the Affordable Care Act subsidies and new administrative hurdles on Medicaid recipients. The General Assembly can step up by (1) increasing funding for our local departments of public health services, so they each can provide baseline, preventative services to their residents; (2) increasing support for maternal health and protecting reproductive health care; and (3) developing a mechanism for price transparency for medical services and medications.

Energy costs. This ties in with costs of housing which is also a critical issue we need to address. Energy costs affect every aspect of life, from housing to transportation. We have seen already the impacts of the war in Iran on gas. More specifically, to North Carolina, we have seen the General Assembly take actions to allow Duke Energy to raise energy rates on homeowners and renters, with less accountability and checks. In addition, the refusal to reinstate the solar energy tax credit and the refusal to leverage our state’s potential to produce renewable energy limit our ability to establish our energy independence. We need to reverse course on that front. Legislation last year that locks energy production into nonrenewable energy for the foreseeable future was shortsighted and drives up costs.

3. Federal cuts to Medicaid are expected to cost the state $50 billion over the next decade, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. How would you address Medicaid funding to maintain coverage for the millions of North Carolinians enrolled?

The delayed funding of Medicaid Rebase, has thrown over three million Medicaid recipients, medical providers and hospitals in North Carolina into a great deal of uncertainty. Medicaid Rebase is the adjustment to fiscal support needed due to the costs and volume of people enrolled. Despite knowing well in advance how much is needed in Medicaid Rebase, the General Assembly delayed full funding at various points during the past one and a half years.

North Carolina’s Medicaid recipients, medical providers and hospitals need certainty when it comes to healthcare access. So I cosponsored legislation (HB 1141 – Protecting Medicaid and Autism Services) to fund Medicaid Rebase on a recurring basis beginning in 2027 in order to give our Medicaid recipients certainty.

I have also cosponsored HB 619 (Healthcare Security Act) which would have eliminated the statutory trigger for the discontinuation of coverage for the Medicaid Expansion population, in order for over 700,000 North Carolinians to keep their healthcare access, in the event the federal medical assistance percentage falls below 90 percent.

H.R. 1’s administrative burdens (work requirements, redeterminations etc.) also threaten Medicaid coverage, so I would continue to support legislation to ease counties’ administrative workload and ensure recipients don’t lose the healthcare that they were promised.

4. The General Assembly has voted to put a constitutional amendment on ballots that, if passed, would put a cap on property tax increases. Do you support the amendment? Why or why not?

“Property taxes are a real burden for many North Carolinians, especially older adults, people with disabilities and families on fixed incomes. They deserve targeted relief. But this proposed amendment does not set the limit, define the exceptions or guarantee meaningful savings for homeowners. A recent NC Housing Coalition report indicates that with a 2% levy cap, for example, there would be nearly $950 million less for local services in exchange for just $7 per month, in savings, for the average homeowner. The biggest tax breaks would actually go to corporate landowners. Instead, we need to consider real solutions that will actually make the difference for residents, such as expanding the Homestead Exemption and Circuit Breaker for older adults, people with disabilities, fixed-income homeowners and cost-burdened families.”

5. How would you address the rising costs of housing, childcare, and basic necessities facing North Carolina families?

Housing. Young people and families face the prospect of not accessing stable housing. In that vein, we need to secure access to housing for some of our most vulnerable North Carolinians. I have also supported workforce housing and pushed for funding for the Workforce Housing Loan Program in the state budget, which amounted to $20 million. Much more is needed in order to subsidize affordable housing in rural parts of the state, but it is a solid start. I have supported legislation to make housing discrimination on the basis of source of income a violation of the State Fair Housing Act and to increase funding for the Housing Trust Fund, so we can finance more subsidized housing units.

Childcare. I have supported and will continue to support legislation to stabilize child care funding and benefits in North Carolina; to enhance childcare workforce compensation and benefits and to reinstate the child care tax credit and to permit increase funding for prekindergarten (PreK).

Basic necessities. North Carolina has not raised its minimum wage in decades. It has been sitting at $7.25, since 2009. Meanwhile the costs of basic necessities have only risen. Two parents with two children now need about $8,100 per month; that means they need to earn an hourly wage of at least $23.40 to make ends meet. So I would continue supporting legislation to increase the state minimum wage and to consider adjusting it upward automatically for inflation. Stagnant wages are just not the solution in the face of rising costs. North Carolina has to be responsive.

6. Climate disasters are intensifying: Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in 2024, Tropical Storm Chantal flooded the Triangle in 2025, and coastal erosion threatens the Outer Banks. With much affordable housing located in flood-prone areas and FEMA resources stretched thin, what is your plan for climate resilience and disaster relief?

Disasters are coming with increasing frequency to North Carolina and with more severity and impact to the people. In any disaster relief package, the legislature should look to provide affordable housing grants to units of local government in affected areas, in order to incentivize high-quality, resilient affordable housing. Such funding could also be used to repair rental units and shelters for disaster victims, mortgage and utility assistance and housing stabilization services. Attention also needs to be paid to supporting impacted businesses, with business recovery grant programs. intended to help businesses that experience economic or physical loss due to a natural disaster. Part of the plan needs to take into account where development (proposed and under construction) is going.

A measure such as the “Environmental Justice in North Carolina” bill (HB 684) would have called for the creation of a mapping tool to assess where vulnerable communities are in relation to any proposed or contemplated facilities that can worsen environmental conditions and air and water quality nearby. The bill would have also required that certain state agencies consider cumulative environmental burdens in decision-making on environment, energy, climate and public health projects; and facilities and infrastructure.

7. The General Assembly recently passed a new congressional redistricting map. This marks the state’s seventh congressional map since 2016. How do you view the most recent redistricting? And do you support independent redistricting processes, or do you believe the legislature should retain this power?

“The most recent redistricting was clearly a blatant, partisan gerrymander and did nothing to help people struggling with higher costs. Republican legislative leadership spearheaded that redistricting, in response to the President’s call. At that time, North Carolina was one of two states that had not passed a new state budget, so it was also an abdication of responsibility on the state legislature’s part.

In early 2025, I signed onto legislation (House Bill 20 – Fair Maps Act) that would have created an independent nonpartisan redistricting commission. This would have taken redistricting out of the hands of partisan state lawmakers and instead, put the process into the hands of citizens. In turn, with state legislative races under this system, this would better ensure we have a state legislature that is reflective of the people and responsive to the needs of North Carolinians.

I also introduced House Bill 788 (Fix Our Democracy), which would have introduced a proposed constitutional amendment to establish a nonpartisan redistricting process. Neither of these bills even received a hearing, but I will continue to support them, especially to create an independent, nonpartisan commission.
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8. North Carolina ranks near the bottom nationally in teacher pay. How would you address teacher compensation, and what will you do to ensure a budget passes that adequately funds education?

As mentioned earlier, several years ago, a commission, parents, educators, administrators and others developed the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan (LCRP) which would have required an estimated $5.54 billion investment over eight years, beginning in 2021, to help North Carolina fulfill its constitutional obligation to provide every child the opportunity to receive a sound basic education. In each of my full terms at the General Assembly, I have cosponsored and will continue to support legislation (“Sound Basic Education for Every Child” bill) to implement the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan, including corrective actions to increase public school teacher, administrator and staff pay.

The continued budget allocations of taxpayer dollars into private school vouchers continues to adversely impact public schools and most importantly the children they serve. At the current rate, the private school vouchers are set to receive $825 million by 2030. I have supported the Governor’s call to impose a moratorium and income cap on this funding for private school vouchers. These taxpayer dollars can instead be used to make teacher pay competitive, for new teachers and veteran teachers alike.

9. North Carolina currently has a 12-week abortion ban with certain exceptions. Some legislators have proposed further restrictions. Do you support the current law, believe access should be expanded, or would you support further restrictions?

Right after I was sworn into office back in 2022, my first action as a representative was to cosponsor HB 1119 (Reproductive Freedom Act.), which would have codified the constitutional protections that the Supreme Court cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey provided for abortion access. At that time, the Dobbs decision had not yet come down, but I joined other Democratic colleagues in attempting to codify those protections before the Dobbs decision. In 2023, I cosponsored HB 19 (Codify Roe and Casey Protections), which would have reinstated those constitutional protections to abortion access under state law. In this past legislative session, I cosponsored HB 503 (Don’t Tread on Me) to protect fundamental rights, including access to reproductive healthcare. I will continue to support these legislative measures, to ensure reproductive healthcare access for everyone.

10. Federal legislation will ban most hemp-derived THC products, like Delta-8, by December 2026, threatening North Carolina’s hemp industry. Meanwhile, recreational marijuana remains illegal and medical marijuana bills have stalled. What is your position on hemp regulation and would you address the upcoming federal ban, if at all?

In April, the North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis released an interim report, as it deliberates on what the regulation of hemp and marijuana should look like in North Carolina. This Commission includes though are not limited to: members of law enforcement, medical providers, hemp advocates, prosecutors and state lawmakers. Their interim report is well worth the General Assembly’s consideration and includes recommendations for age restrictions, laboratory testing and labeling requirements on hemp products and other requirements. In fact, there was a bill in the State House last year that I voted for that would have prohibited the sale of hemp-derived consumable products anyone under age 21. Other measures such as lab testing and label requirements warrant the General Assembly’s consideration.

11. Iryna’s Law eliminates cashless bail, requires mental health evaluations for certain defendants, and attempts to restart the death penalty by requiring alternative execution methods if lethal injection is unavailable. The law also accelerates death penalty appeals. Where do you stand on the death penalty and these criminal justice reforms?

“This legislation started out as a good-faith response to a tragedy. However, the Senate turned it into a political grab bag. Democrats support the public safety fixes North Carolinians deserve — but we won’t be silent about the bad-faith provisions shoved in by Senate leadership. Those bad-faith provisions included death penalty overreach and allowing extreme execution methods (firing squads, gas chambers, etc.) if lethal injection is unavailable. It is cruel, outdated, and not reflective of North Carolina’s values. The bad-faith provisions also included equity rollback, where the legislation banned the Governor’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice. This was a purely partisan move to shut down honest conversations about systemic bias. Then, it leads to rushed justice, imposing a rigid 24-month deadlines on death penalty appeals and postconviction motions, risking wrongful executions. I voted against this legislation because I opposed these bad-faith provisions. This legislation also did not do nearly enough to get to the root causes of crime, to fight crime effectively and to address systemic issues in our criminal justice system.”

12. Tech companies are investing heavily in North Carolina data centers, bringing tax revenue but also consuming significant electricity and water resources. How should the state balance data center investment with environmental protection and community concerns?

State lawmakers must ensure that residents, small businesses and local communities are protected from the monetary and environmental costs associated with serving these facilities. So this past spring, I supported and cosponsored HB 1063, which should be the starting point. This legislation would have required all data centers operating in our state to publicly report information about their electricity consumption, peak demand, water consumption, cooling systems and any emissions-free electricity generation they are using.

HB 1063 would have repealed existing sales tax exemptions for data centers and allowed local governments to exercise zoning or land use authority on any data center proposals. It also would have prevented both state and local governments from providing incentives to data centers, including infrastructure grants on the state side and property tax abatements or grants on the local government side.

The legislation also would task the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality with creating water use standards for data centers. Under the proposed rules, data centers would not be allowed to use evaporative cooling – a method that can be energy efficient but uses large amounts of water and results in that water evaporating.

13. Give an example of an opinion, policy, vote or action you changed based on constituent feedback. If you have not yet held elected office, describe a time when you changed your position on an issue after listening to those affected by it.

“Yes, data centers was an issue that was not on my radar in the beginning of the legislative session. But after a number of constituents reached out to my office to educate me and push me, along with a number of briefings about data centers, I have grown much more informed. And my colleagues and I have responded with proposed legislation to address the serious concerns people have, which you can see detailed in my previous response.”

14. Are there any issues this questionnaire has not addressed that you would like to address?