Conference Committee Meeting
Because the House officially failed to concur with the Senate’s changes to the bill, both chambers appointed members to a joint Conference Committee on June 23 and June 24, 2026, to hash out a final compromise.
By their nature, conference committee negotiations are widely considered “closed-door” or un-televised in practice. While notice of their meeting is filed, the actual bargaining between the designated House and Senate members happens behind the scenes to try and reconcile the massive gap between the two versions before the short session ends.
The stakes are incredibly high for these specific discussions:
- The Nuclear Option (The Senate’s Push): The current Senate version contains Part IV, which would completely ban kratom by classifying it as a Schedule VI controlled substance. Top Senate leadership, including Phil Berger, have explicitly stated in recent weeks that they would prefer to just “ban it all.”
- The Regulatory Option: The original intent was centered heavily around strict licensing for hemp and consumer protections.
Because of the severe threat of a total ban hidden inside H328’s conference negotiations, lawmakers who want to avoid an outright ban are simultaneously pushing Senate Bill 59 as a backup strategy. SB 59 passed out of committee on June 10, 2026, and acts as a strict 21+ age limit restriction—what sponsors call “the lowest hanging fruit”—to protect minors without enacting the total Schedule VI ban being debated in the H328 committee.
Information shared from GKC
House Bill 328 — which includes a blanket kratom ban — is set to be debated between House and Senate lawmakers in a closed-door negotiation.
We need advocates to contact the members of this conference committee and urge them to embrace commonsense regulation for natural kratom leaf, not a blanket ban that fails to distinguish between natural kratom leaf products and concentrated synthetic kratom derivatives.
Specifically, advocates should tell lawmakers to consider age restrictions, mandatory third-party testing, and labeling requirements. The General Assembly should follow the lead of federal health officials, who have recommended scheduling concentrated synthetic 7-OH, not natural kratom leaf.
Conference Committee Members
- Sen. Bill Rabon: 919-733-5963 | Bill.Rabon@ncleg.gov
- Sen. Michael Lee: 919-715-2525 | Michael.Lee@ncleg.gov
- Sen. Tom McInnis: 919-733-5953 | Tom.McInnis@ncleg.gov
- Rep. Reece Pyrtle: 919-733-5779 | Reece.Pyrtle@ncleg.gov
- Rep. Brenden Jones: 919-733-5821 | Brenden.Jones@ncleg.gov
- Rep. Neal Jackson: 919-715-4946 | Neal.Jackson@ncleg.gov
- Rep. Donnie Loftis: 919-733-5809 | Donnie.Loftis@ncleg.gov
S559 Age 21 Hemp-Derived Consumables/Kratom
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 5)
Status: Engrossed on March 13 2025 – 50% progression
Action: 2026-06-10 – Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
Pending: House Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Amended) [PDF]
H328 Regulate Hemp-Derived Consumables. Kratom is primarily addressed in Part IV, which aims to classify it as a Schedule VI controlled substance.
Status: Engrossed on April 28 2025 – 50% progression
Action: 2026-04-21 – Failed Concur In S Com Sub
There is limited possibility of action during this short session. If you are a NC resident, please reach out for more information. info@botanicalae.org
H468 regulate kratom
G.S. 18E-101 would establish sales restrictions on kratom products and prohibit the following:
Selling a kratom product that is not contained in an exit package1
or a child proof package.
Selling at retail or on an internet website offering delivery in this State, a kratom product that is
not in compliance with G.S. 18E-105
See NC General Assembly Page on H328
Cities and Counties:
Scotland County