The North Carolina General Assembly convenes Wednesday in Raleigh, the official start of the legislature’s 2023 long session.

Though they’re no strangers to local and state government, all three of Orange County’s representatives will be starting new positions this year — but one of them has already taken a leadership role.

State House Representative Allen Buansi, who serves Chapel Hill and Carrboro in House District 56, was elected last month as the co-chair of the House Democratic Freshman Caucus. Along with fellow co-chair Ya Liu of Cary, Buansi will help lead 16 other Democrats joining the State House for the first time.

“We’ve got a great group,” Buansi says. “It’s diverse, not just demographically, but [also] profession-wise: we’ve got farmers, business owners, lawyers, nurses. I’m excited about all the different perspectives that are going to be informing our conversations.”

While Buansi is technically a ‘freshman’ in the State House, he’s already something of a veteran. Buansi has actually been serving in the State House since June, when he was appointed to serve out the remaining months of Verla Insko’s final term after her retirement.

Still, Buansi says he’s “honored to serve” as Freshman Caucus co-chair, alongside new lawmakers who “represent the hard work Democrats have put in around the state, as well as the work we must continue in order to get our state back on track.”

In addition to his six-month head start in the State House, Buansi has also served on the Chapel Hill Town Council. Likewise, Orange County’s other two representatives are longtime elected officials taking new seats this year: newly-elected State Senator Graig Meyer is moving up to the Senate from the State House, and newly-elected State Representative Renée Price previously served on the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

The General Assembly’s “long session” is slated to last about six months, but could run longer depending on the legislation in the works.

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