HB 588 aims to improve the number and quality of school psychologists in North Carolina through multiple funding initiatives. It provides a $650 monthly salary boost and a 12% supplement for certified school psychologists (totaling $8.1 million), establishes a $5 million grant program to fund signing bonuses (up to $5,000) for recruiting new psychologists with a one-year commitment requirement, and creates a $5 million internship program offering stipends at starting salaries. Additionally, it allocates $5 million for a virtual training program at Appalachian State University and $1.6 million to expand school psychology programs at five UNC institutions to double graduate output. The bill also includes an interstate licensure compact to facilitate practice across state lines, with all programs requiring annual reporting to the legislature.
HB 591, the G.U.A.R.D. Act, allows residents of nursing homes and adult care facilities in North Carolina to install and use their own electronic monitoring devices (like cameras or audio recorders) in their rooms at their own expense. The bill requires facilities to provide power, mounting space, and not deny admission or discharge based on a resident's request for monitoring. Recordings from these devices can be used as evidence in court, and facilities face fines or jail time for violating the law. The act directly affects residents and their families by giving them greater control over monitoring their living environment while protecting facility obligations.
HB 571 appropriates $500,000 from the state General Fund to the Department of Public Safety for a grant program treating police officers diagnosed with PTSD. It directly affects North Carolina police officers who have received a clinical PTSD diagnosis. The key provision establishes a state-funded grant program to cover treatment costs, with funds allocated for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The program becomes effective July 1, 2025, and focuses solely on providing financial support for treatment, not on expanding eligibility or altering diagnosis standards.
SB 514, the "Social Media Algorithmic Control in Information Technology Act," requires social media platforms with over 1 million monthly U.S. users to obtain clear, separate consent from North Carolina minors (under 18) before using their personal data for advertising or algorithmic recommendations. The bill mandates accessible opt-in mechanisms - replacing default settings - to let users control how their data is processed, while banning the use of minors' data for targeted ads or content algorithms. It defines prohibited data uses broadly to include browsing history, location, and biometric information, and designates violations as unfair business practices under North Carolina law. The law directly affects major social media platforms operating in North Carolina, imposing new data privacy obligations without specifying enforcement details.
HR 563 adopts the permanent rules for the North Carolina House of Representatives during the 2025 Regular Session. These rules establish procedural guidelines including session hours (e.g., no Friday sessions in January and February, adjournment by 10:00 PM on Mondays and 9:00 PM on other days), quorum requirements, and the order of business for legislative proceedings.
HB 609 allows licensed farms in North Carolina to sell unpasteurized milk and raw milk products directly to consumers under strict safety conditions. It requires farms to obtain a Department of Agriculture license, pass annual inspections for disease (tuberculosis/brucellosis), meet water safety standards, and undergo regular testing for bacteria and pathogens in milk. Sales can only occur at the farm of origin or a small farm stand (max 1,000 sq ft), with mandatory labeling stating "Raw milk: not pasteurized and may contain organisms injurious to your health." The bill does not permit raw milk sales in restaurants or general retail settings, and all requirements must be met before the law takes effect on January 1, 2026.
This bill creates a $17 million annual Tobacco Use Prevention Fund within North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services, funded by a portion of the state's annual Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement payments. The fund directly targets youth (high and middle school students) by supporting community-based programs, evidence-based media campaigns, school initiatives, and tracking of e-cigarette use to prevent nicotine dependence. Key provisions include funding local health departments for youth education, launching health-risk media campaigns, supporting tobacco-free college campuses, and evaluating program effectiveness. The fund uses $17 million yearly from the $140 million settlement allocation, with up to 10% of funds allowed for administrative costs.
This bill's title ("Ensuring Patient Safety with Mail Order Medications") does not match its actual content. The bill, formally titled "AN ACT REVISING ABORTION-INDUCING DRUG LAWS," restricts the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs in North Carolina. It prohibits mailing such drugs to pregnant women unless a qualified physician provides in-person counseling 72 hours prior, all other informed consent requirements are met, and the drugs are FDA-approved. Violations carry $5,000 fines per offense or Class H felony charges, and the bill creates civil remedies allowing women, parents, or the Attorney General to sue for damages or injunctions. The bill is currently pending in committee (referred March 31, 2025) and would take effect December 1, 2025.
HB 554 makes technical adjustments to North Carolina's tax code to align with federal rules and expand tax parity for peer-to-peer car rentals. It modifies how S corporation losses are deducted, restricts certain net operating loss deductions (like capital gains carryforwards), and updates estate/trust tax calculations. The bill specifically adds peer-to-peer car rental services to the alternate highway use tax, requiring them to pay the same tax as traditional rental companies. These changes affect individual taxpayers, S corporations, estates, trusts, and peer-to-peer car rental businesses, with most provisions effective for tax years beginning in 2025.
HB 566 establishes a competitive grant program to support North Carolina's Principal Fellows Program, directly affecting school leader preparation programs and future principals. It provides forgivable scholarship loans to participants in these programs (repaid only if they don’t work in North Carolina schools) and grants to eligible entities to develop innovative principal training methods. The bill sets specific grant terms, including 2-6 year durations for loan programs and 1-year terms for innovation grants, with funding capped at $250,000 per recipient annually. Recipients must report on key metrics like program completers’ placement rates in high-need schools and their performance evaluations. The program also allocates funds for administrative costs and program monitoring, requiring public sharing of non-identifiable materials to promote best practices.
HB 556, the 2025 Charter Schools Review Board Omnibus, gives North Carolina's Charter Schools Review Board new authority over charter school regulations. The bill requires the Review Board to approve all state rules affecting charter schools, exempts them from listing class rank on student transcripts, and allows charter schools to use alternative teacher evaluations meeting state standards. Low-performing charter schools must submit improvement plans directly to the Review Board instead of the State Board of Education, and the Review Board gains power to review federal funding decisions for charter schools. The bill also creates an expedited process for remote charter academies enrolling 250+ students and grades them separately from traditional charter schools.
HB 545 bans the sale, possession, or transfer of "ghost guns" (unserialized firearms lacking a manufacturer's serial number) and "undetectable firearms" (like plastic or 3D-printed guns that evade metal detectors). It directly affects individuals and businesses that manufacture, sell, or possess these weapons, except for federally licensed firearm manufacturers under ATF rules. The law defines undetectable firearms as those failing airport-style metal detector scans or being made entirely of non-metal materials. Violations carry Class I felony penalties, and the bill takes effect December 1, 2025.
