Name: Ya Liu
Age: 45
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: yaliu4nc.com
Occupation & employer: Small Business Owner
Years lived in the area: 22
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 bring local government experience, background in academia, and the perspective of a small business owner to the state legislature. My biggest accomplishments have been publishing numerous articles in aging and public health, serving thousands of small business owners and residents across the triangle, and advocating for public & higher education, economic improvements, healthcare access, and housing for all Carolinians as a state legislator.
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?
The three most pressing issues are rising costs, housing affordability, and a lack of support for our education.
I will work to lower unnecessary costs for families and small businesses, protect access to affordable health care, invest in transportation and infrastructure, and continue to find ways to increase wages across the board for North Carolina in ways that hard working people will see more money in their pockets to match the inflation issue we are facing.
For housing, North Carolina needs more homes and increased housing density to face the shortage we are seeing. We need to address the burden of rising property taxes on our most vulnerable populations such as the elderly in the state, protecting their homeownership and encouraging young families to buy homes.
I will work to increase funding for public schools, bring back master’s pay and healthcare benefits that have been taken away, and increase student spending in classrooms that alleviates the issue of teachers having to spend their own money for their classroom.
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?
North Carolian worked diligently to expand Medicaid back in 2023, I was proud to be a part of it. We have shown we can work together to find solutions to provide more affordable and practical answers to health care issues in our state. With over three million people in our state under Medicaid, this 50-billion-dollar cost demand is a direct threat to that work and coverage for those under Medicaid.
With these costs looming and putting pressure on our state budget, we need to ensure that Medicaid is fully funded and that the expansions made in 2023 are preserved. We can do that through maximizing every federal dollar given to us, working closely with our state healthcare providers, and looking at the blueprint of the 2023 expansion to help us.
This shortfall cannot be ignored and put healthcare out of reach for hardworking families or by forcing costs on hospitals and providers. The 2023 plan was pragmatic and collective to increase coverage across the state, and we need to continue that commitment.
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?
I voted against the constitutional amendment bill because taking away an abundance of funding and budget money from municipalities and local governments does not seem to be in the best interest of our state. These taxes pay for a variety of local services that may face severe budget cuts if this amendment passes. If this passes the General Assembly is going to have a serious issue with how to help small and large municipalities with the sweeping loss of revenue they will face.
5. How would you address the rising costs of housing, childcare, and basic necessities facing North Carolina families?
North Carolina can address these issues through a variety of measures. On housing, we need to increase our supply and encourage denser housing in urban and transit-connected areas, providing more options for homeowners and renters.
We also need to increase funding for childcare subsidies and expand coverage to reduce the financial burden on hardworking families and help parents pursue work and opportunity. We recently helped address this in the state budget by providing an additional $160 million for our subsidy program, but it is clear that more funding will be needed in the future.
Basic necessities like groceries and utility bills have also become too expensive for many families. SNAP benefits are facing significant changes under new federal legislation, including increased costs for states and counties. We are working closely with NC DHHS to determine what North Carolina needs to do to maintain access to these critical benefits. Moving forward, I will continue to work on legislation and with our state agencies to address rising costs.
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?
North Carolina is still recovering from several natural disasters in the last decade and the efforts shown by the federal government and funding from our state legislature is not enough to help these communities. I will continue to support the needs of our cities and small communities to be prepared for flood mitigation, disaster recovery, and modern infrastructure to avoid serious loss or damage when faced with natural disasters. I voted in favor of every chance I’ve been given to fund western North Carolina’s reconstruction and supported the Governor’s budget proposal of over 50 million dollars to improve disaster response and recovery assistance for future storms.
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?
I voted against the redistricting map in October of last year because it was another redistricting process without meaningful public input or support. I have consistently sponsored legislation that would bring a fair and independent redistricting process to North Carolina.
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?
The most recent budget provided starting teachers an 8% raise and provided teachers in this state a $48,000 starting salary. This still puts us below the national average and considering the influx of people and the quality of our public schools and colleges, this is not where we should be. The Governor’s budget, which I supported, would’ve provided increased raises and salaries across the board, given back money to public schools that have shifted to private & charter schools, and restored several pay incentives and benefits to teachers that once existed, including master’s pay. I will always fight for our public schools as it is a pillar of our state.
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?
After our country and soon our state abandoned the guidelines in Roe v. Wade in 2023, the democratic caucus fought to codify Roe v. Wade into our constitution. I do not support further restrictions and will continue to advocate for Women’s health and reproductive rights.
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?
North Carolina is a strong producer of Hemp for our country and the recent target of this industry by the federal government and our state with HB 328, comes unwarranted and without much cause. I support the legalization of medical marijuana in North Carolina and have known of personal stories that made a difference for their loved ones.
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?
Iryna’s law brought some positives to our criminal justice system by addressing pretrial release, mental-health procedures, and increased funding for the Mecklenburg County DA’s office. I supported the criminal justice reform attempts in this bill because it was needed at the time and I hope we continue to prioritize mental health as a serious part of our criminal justice system. I was not in favor of the death penalty reform portion of this bill and will continue to support ethical and humane forms of the practice.
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?
While data centers bring tax revenue to our state, we have to weigh the environmental and community cost to what benefits they are bringing. We need to introduce large-road tariffs, develop load flexibility measures on data centers, and explore energy and water usage reporting from existing data centers as information is currently scarce. Some communities don’t want them in their town, and we have to respect that. Research needs to be done about finding discrete locations that don’t harm property value or increase utilities cost on residents.
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.
I worked closely with a family in my district to change North Carolina education policy where underage students dual-enrolled in high school and community college educational and disciplinary records are automatically shared with their parents or guardians instead of before where parents had to enroll to receive such notifications.The aim of this policy was to increase transparency and protect underage students in times of educational issues. Had I not been approached by this family impacted so severely, I would have not known the issue existed.
I am proud to say after working closely with our education committees and higher education bodies in the state, we passed and enacted HB 378, Leon’s law. A simple but commemorative way to remember Leon and in the future better protect our underage students in North Carolina. I always welcome issues my constituents face and look at ways we can find solutions.
14. Are there any issues this questionnaire has not addressed that you would like to address?
