NC House of Representatives District 42: Leonard L. Bryant

Name as it appears on the ballot: Leonard L. Bryant

Party affiliation: Republican

Previous elected offices held: N/A

Age as of Election Day: 55

Immediate family members: N/A

Occupation (employer, where you work, what you do): Retired

Website and campaign social media: bryantfornchouse.com; Facebook at Bryant for NC House 42; X, formerly known as Twitter, at x.com/bryant4house42

1. North Carolina law bans abortion in most cases after the 12th week of pregnancy. What change (if any) do you want to make to this, and why? And if no change, why no change?

Twelve weeks is a good ban. I would not change the ban at this time.

2. With high levels of toxic chemicals in Cumberland County’s drinking water, describe the assistance you plan to send to water utilities, and to people who use drinking water wells, to cover the costs of mitigating PFAS contamination.

Work to apply pressure to Chemours to pay for the damage they have done to the community. Work to provide clean water by other means until the problem is resolved.

3. North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarships are injecting hundreds of millions of tax dollars into the private school economy. Economists say that when the government puts money into an economy, prices rise. What price controls or other regulations do you intend to enact to prevent private schools from raising tuition prices at the expense of the North Carolina taxpayers?

None are required. People will not seek to pay excessively high prices for anything, including education for their child. The Opportunity Scholarships are successful because it provides required educational choice, particularly for low-income families in our county.

4. Based on increased spending to support education and infrastructure, and tax cuts enacted by the legislature, the General Assembly’s Fiscal Research Division projects that the state budget will start having shortfalls in the 2026-27 fiscal year, and these will exceed $2 billion by the 2028-29 fiscal year. The North Carolina Constitution requires the budget to be balanced. What should be done to prevent the shortfall?

We are on a glide path to have a continued surplus in our state and a balanced budget. Our General Assembly is ensuring fiscal stability by lowering unfunded liabilities and cutting unnecessary costs within the state budget. This is how fiscal viability is assured both now and in the future.