Folwell supported redistricting reform legislation in 2011. In June 2011, Folwell initially voted in favor of controversial legislation (House Bill 810) to allow short-term consumer loans with high effective annual interest rates (up to 50%); two weeks later, Folwell asked that the official record to be modified to reflect that he voted "no," explaining that he changed his mind upon further consideration. Also in 2011, Folwell backed a Republican budget plan that would cut $400 million from Governor Perdue's budget proposal for K-12 education (which already recommended a $350 million cut), dismantle a significant portion of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, raise certain fees (on driver education courses, GED courts, and ferry tolls), and discontinue the extra penny on state sales tax.