HB 509, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, codifies the constitutional protections for abortion access established in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey by prohibiting North Carolina from imposing restrictions that create an undue burden before fetal viability. The bill allows state restrictions only after fetal viability to preserve life or health and defines "undue burden" as any substantial obstacle to accessing abortion care. It removes barriers such as unnecessary parental consent requirements for minors and expands the scope of healthcare providers (including nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives) who can perform or assist with abortion care. Additionally, the bill requires health insurance plans to cover abortion services and related complications, ensuring broader access for insured individuals.
SB 746 establishes a 11-member Study Committee on Automation and the Workforce to examine how automation impacts North Carolina's labor market, with specific focus on low-income and minority workers. The committee will review effects of AI, robotics, self-service technologies, and software on jobs, analyze education gaps and systemic barriers, and recommend strategies to support affected workers through retraining and new economic opportunities. It must submit its first report to the Governor by the 2027 General Assembly, including specific policy proposals for mitigating negative impacts. This bill creates a study mechanism, not new laws or programs, to inform future state action.
SB 738 establishes North Carolina's Digital Content Provenance Initiative to combat misinformation from AI-generated content. It requires state agencies to implement cryptographic verification (like digital watermarks) for all official communications, create a public registry tracking content origins, and develop public education tools to help residents identify synthetic media. The $500,000 allocated for Phase I (effective July 2025) will fund technical standards, partnerships with tech companies, and election-related safeguards. This directly affects state agencies creating digital content and aims to protect residents' ability to verify information during elections and public discourse.
SB 530 creates the Agricultural Manufacturing Investment Grant Account (AMIG) within North Carolina's One North Carolina Fund to provide competitive grants to agricultural manufacturers. The bill authorizes grants of up to $500,000 total per company, requiring recipients to invest at least $5 million in private funds within two years, maintain 25+ full-time employees with wages at 110% of the county average, and meet performance targets. Grants prioritize projects in designated development areas, those using advanced technologies like AI or biotech, or those with significant R&D spending. Recipients must repay grants if they fail to meet employment, investment, or wage requirements over the grant term.
SB 483, "The Children First Act," expands affordable child care access for North Carolina families by increasing financial assistance eligibility to 85% of the state median income and raising subsidy rates to match 2023 market costs. It allocates $50 million annually for subsidies and $15 million for grants to establish new child care facilities in rural or underserved areas, targeting "child care deserts." The bill also creates an employer child care credit and includes workforce licensing reforms to address staffing shortages. These provisions directly affect low-to-moderate-income families, child care providers, and employers seeking to support working parents.
HB 507, "The Children First Act," expands affordable child care access for North Carolina families by increasing subsidy eligibility to 85% of state median income and raising subsidy rates to cover actual care costs. It allocates $50 million annually for subsidies and $15 million for grants to establish new child care facilities in rural or underserved areas, targeting "child care deserts." The bill also creates an employer-provided child care credit to incentivize workplace child care programs. These provisions directly affect low-to-moderate-income families, child care providers, and employers seeking to support working parents.
This bill requires judges to find probable cause that giving notice would endanger lives before issuing no-knock search warrants. It also mandates officers to wait after announcing their presence for occupants to respond or for officers to verify if forced entry is necessary. These changes apply to all law enforcement executing search warrants in North Carolina, directly affecting how officers enter homes during searches. The bill amends North Carolina General Statutes §§ 15A-244(b) and 15A-249(b) to clarify these procedures.
SB 692 reduces the copayment rate for subsidized child care in North Carolina from 10% to 5% of a family's gross income. This directly affects low-income families who qualify for state-subsidized child care services. The bill amends existing law to lower the percentage parents pay for care, while maintaining the same blended and part-time care calculations (83% and 75% of full-time copayments, respectively). The change takes effect on July 1, 2025.
SB 656 exempts natural hair care services, blow-dry styling, and makeup artistry from mandatory licensing under North Carolina's Cosmetic Art Board. It converts the existing mandatory natural hair care specialist license into a voluntary certificate and expands where these services can be offered. The bill specifically defines "natural hair care" as tension-based techniques (like twisting or wrapping hair) without chemical treatments, "blow-dry styling" as using mechanical devices without chemicals or haircutting, and "makeup artistry" as cosmetic application without other licensed services. These changes directly affect service providers and businesses offering these specific cosmetic services, reducing regulatory barriers.
SB 691 would allow certain non-citizens, including those without lawful immigration status, to pay in-state tuition at UNC constituent institutions and North Carolina community colleges. To qualify, students must have graduated from a North Carolina high school or earned a high school equivalency diploma in the state, attended North Carolina schools for two consecutive years before high school, and (if undocumented) submit an affidavit about applying for legal status. The bill requires colleges to use a centralized process for residency determination and ensures all applicant information remains confidential. It takes effect July 1, 2025, applying to the 2025-2026 academic year.
SB 689 requires North Carolina's Charter Schools Review Board to approve all state rules affecting charter schools, shifting this authority from the State Board of Education. The bill exempts charter schools from reporting class rank on student transcripts and permits them to use alternative teacher evaluations aligned with state teaching standards. Low-performing charter schools must now submit improvement plans directly to the Review Board (instead of the State Board of Education), and the Board gains authority to review federal funding decisions for charter schools. Additionally, the Review Board may hire legal counsel without needing prior approval.
SB 657, the "Keeping Our Coaches Act," allocates $11 million annually from sports betting tax revenue to provide salary supplements for athletic coaches in North Carolina public schools. It directly affects eligible public school athletic coaches who currently receive non-state funds totaling less than $3,000 per year for coaching duties. The bill requires school units to maintain prior non-state funding levels for coaches, prohibits using state funds to replace those non-state contributions, and directs unspent funds to YMCA youth sports programs. This policy change becomes effective for the 2025-2026 school year.
