HB 788 ("Fix Our Democracy") proposes amending the North Carolina Constitution to establish a nonpartisan redistricting process for state legislative and U.S. House districts. It would require a constitutional amendment (voting required in 2026) to remove the General Assembly's role in drawing districts, mandating that districts be contiguous, avoid dividing counties where possible, and remain unchanged until the next census. The bill also includes related provisions like online voter registration, automatic registration, banning voter roll purging, and campaign finance transparency changes. This constitutional change would directly affect how electoral districts are created for state legislators and U.S. representatives in North Carolina.
HB 816, the Voucher School Transparency Act, requires nonpublic schools receiving Opportunity Scholarship funds in North Carolina to meet new reporting and accountability standards. These schools must annually provide parents with student test scores, maintain criminal background checks for staff with decision-making authority, administer standardized tests for grades 3+, and submit financial audits to the state if enrolling 70+ scholarship students or receiving $100,000+ in funds. The bill also mandates detailed annual data submissions to the state Division, including enrollment, teacher licensing, facility safety, and disability support compliance. The State Auditor must annually review audits of at least three such schools to ensure accountability. This directly affects voucher-funded nonpublic schools and their reporting practices, not public schools or general education policies.
HB 809 amends North Carolina law to include students enrolled in the state's NC Pre-K program within the average daily membership count for local school districts. Specifically, it requires school boards participating in NC Pre-K to count Pre-K students receiving instruction in school-owned buildings toward their district's daily membership calculation. This change directly affects school districts that operate or host NC Pre-K programs in their facilities, as it will increase their reported student count for state funding purposes. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025, altering how school funding is calculated for participating districts.
HB 787 establishes a matching program for North Carolina residents contributing to the Parental Savings Trust Fund (a 529 program) and creates a tax deduction for such contributions. It provides a 2:1 state match (up to $1,500 per student annually) for eligible contributors - North Carolina residents with household income under 250% of the federal poverty level who open accounts for children aged 14 or younger. The bill also allows a state tax deduction of up to $2,000 per individual ($4,000 for joint filers) for contributions to the fund, with rules to adjust income if funds are withdrawn for non-education purposes. These changes aim to boost college savings for lower-income families, with the matching program starting July 1, 2025, and the tax deduction effective January 1, 2026.
HB 810, effective July 1, 2025, provides North Carolina state employees with paid bereavement leave: up to 40 hours for the death of an immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, sibling, or dependent living with them) and up to 8 hours for the death of a colleague. It applies to all state employees, public school staff, and community college workers, requiring documentation like a death certificate but allowing leave without exhausting sick or vacation time. Employees must use family leave within 180 days of the death and provide funeral attendance proof for colleague leave, with no annual limit on usage. The bill appropriates $2 million annually from the General Fund to cover these leave costs through the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium.
HB 794 mandates the North Carolina State Highway Patrol to study and develop recommendations on four specific areas: overall and regional staffing needs, and overall and rank-specific salary scales. The study requires the Patrol to assess staffing requirements based on state and regional needs, along with salary structures for all ranks. The Patrol must submit findings and recommendations to relevant legislative committees by March 1, 2026. This bill is procedural and does not enact new policies or funding; it solely requires a study to inform future legislative decisions.
HB 798 appropriates $1.72 million annually from the General Fund to create a Cold Weather Shelters Grant Program, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging. The program provides grants to municipalities and nonprofits to establish or expand temporary emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness during severe weather events. Grants are limited to $215,000 per recipient annually, with selection considering poverty rates in the service area and existing funding availability. Recipients must report annually on shelter usage, funds spent, and the number of people served, starting in 2027.
HB 812 appropriates $10 million from North Carolina's General Fund to fund a presidential library honoring Donald Trump at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP). The bill directs UNCP to use these nonrecurring funds for constructing the library, with optional partnership coordination with the federal National Archives. It becomes effective July 1, 2025, and does not alter existing state policies or require further legislative action beyond the funding allocation. This is a procedural funding measure focused solely on capital construction for the library.
HB 85 (title "Removal of Precinct Officials" is misleading) prohibits individuals from working in any election-related role if found to have failed to exercise due care and diligence during election work. This applies to all election workers - paid or volunteer - who are determined negligent in their duties. The bill creates a permanent ban from future election work for such individuals, regardless of their specific position. It does not specify what constitutes "failure to exercise due care," leaving that determination to election authorities. The bill is currently pending in the House Judiciary Committee.
HB 791, the Women's Safety and Protection Act, defines "biological sex" (based on physical characteristics at birth) and "gender" in North Carolina law and mandates that single/multiple occupancy restrooms, changing facilities, and sleeping quarters in state-funded facilities (including public schools, prisons, domestic violence centers, and juvenile facilities) be designated for use by one biological sex at a time. The bill requires facilities to have policies ensuring only one biological sex uses these spaces simultaneously, with exceptions for family use, maintenance, medical emergencies, or safety threats. It specifically prohibits students from sharing sleeping quarters with individuals of another biological sex in public schools unless family members or with parental permission. The law applies to all covered facilities receiving state funds, including public schools and domestic violence centers, and subjects its provisions to "intermediate scrutiny" under constitutional review.
HB 759 allocates $100,000 in nonrecurring state funds to Forsyth County for two specific programs. It will fund two mobile health and support units serving residents across seven counties (Forsyth, Davidson, Davie, Guilford, Randolph, Stokes, and Yadkin), providing essential health, social services, and nutrition. Additionally, it establishes a work-based learning program for adult parents to improve community engagement and economic mobility. The funding is effective July 1, 2025, and directly supports county-level initiatives rather than creating new statewide policies.
HB 770 establishes a new court process for handling complex family financial cases in North Carolina, directly affecting individuals involved in high-value divorce or separation disputes involving asset division, alimony, or child support. The bill creates specialized "complex family financial hearing officers" (qualified NC attorneys with 10+ years of experience) who will conduct hearings, make binding decisions (with the same legal force as district court judges), and issue orders on these cases statewide. Parties must formally request case classification through a "Notice of Designation," detailing why their case qualifies, and opposing parties can challenge this designation within 30 days. The law sets strict qualifications for hearing officers, including annual continuing legal education requirements and salary structures tied to judicial pay scales.
