North Carolina Rep. Hall’s elevator inspection backlog bill passes both chambers of North Carolina General Assembly

Passed bill sponsored by State Rep. Kyle Hall aims to address inspection backlogs by revising fees, updating regulations, and enhancing inspector training in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina State House.

In the House, 45 Democrats and 67 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 17 Democrats and 26 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while two Democrats voted against it.

Hall filed the bill in the North Carolina House on March 27 during the 2025 regular session.

The legislation, known as HB 559, was passed on June 24 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: “Make Elevators Great Again.-AB”

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

In essence, the bill aims to address a backlog of elevator and amusement device inspections in North Carolina by implementing fee modifications and regulatory updates. Effective July 1, 2025, the North Carolina Department of Labor will charge revised fees for various inspections, with caps on amounts such as $1,000 for expedited inspections and $300 for routine inspections of elevators with 10 or more floors. These fees will be adjusted annually for inflation starting July 1, 2026. The bill also permits the commissioner to modify inspector qualifications and aligns state standards with national safety guidelines. Additionally, the Department will collaborate with the North Carolina Community College System to establish an in-house training and apprenticeship program to fill inspector vacancies. The act is effective upon becoming law.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Mitchell S. Setzer (Republican-89th District), Rep. Julia C. Howard (Republican-77th District), and Rep. Kyle Hall (Republican-91st 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.

Hall graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012 with a BA.

Hall, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2015 to represent the state’s 91st House district, replacing previous state representative Bryan Holloway.

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.