HB 346 directs the State Board of Community Colleges to adjust how full-time equivalent (FTE) students are calculated for Central Carolina Community College's Harnett and Chatham main campuses. Specifically, it requires combining the FTE from each main campus with the FTE from its respective Health Sciences Center. This adjustment is made to help these campuses maintain their multicampus center status.
HB 121 provides local boards of education with additional flexibility in adopting their school calendars. It removes the current state-mandated earliest opening date for students (the Monday closest to August 26) and the latest closing date (the Friday closest to June 11). This change allows local boards to determine the specific opening and closing dates for public schools under their authority. The bill directly affects public schools and students in North Carolina and would apply starting with the 2025-2026 school year.
HB 772, titled the North Carolina Student Lifeline Act, requires public schools and community colleges in North Carolina to provide students with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline phone number. It mandates that institutions display the phrase "To reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 988 or text HOME to 741741." in several locations. These locations include new student identification cards issued to students in grades six through 12, the school website, and the home screen of any electronic device issued to students. The information must also appear on school agendas or calendars, documents used during suicide awareness activities, and registration documents. Additionally, schools are required to annually verify the accuracy of the Lifeline contact information.
This bill authorizes local governments to borrow money through "grant anticipation notes" to accelerate local transportation projects already identified for funding under the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). To utilize this, a local government must enter into an expedited project agreement with the Department of Transportation (DOT), outlining project details, costs, funding, and a repayment plan. These notes are special obligations, meaning they are repaid solely from the anticipated STIP funding, and the local government's general taxing power is not pledged. The DOT must ensure that any STIP changes do not delay the repayment of these notes, and both the DOT and the Department of the Treasurer are directed to establish rules for their implementation.
This bill establishes hospital police officers as a distinct category of company police officers in North Carolina, expanding their authority and operational capabilities. It extends their jurisdiction to public roads immediately adjoining hospital property and allows hospitals to enter into mutual aid agreements with local law enforcement. Certified hospital police agencies will gain access to the state's Criminal Justice Law Enforcement Automated Data System (CJLEADS), the Division of Criminal Information Network (DCIN), and the VIPER emergency communication system. Additionally, these agencies become eligible for tuition and registration fee waivers for specialized training courses at community colleges.
Senate Bill 513 modifies requirements for proposed wind energy facilities in North Carolina. The bill establishes enhanced public notice rules, requiring developers to directly notify property owners within 20 miles of a proposed facility and expanding public hearing notices to include adjacent counties. It also mandates that wind energy facilities install light-mitigating technology systems. Permit applicants must seek Federal Aviation Administration approval for these systems, and the state's Department cannot issue a final permit until the FAA's decision on the technology is received. These changes directly affect wind energy developers, adjacent property owners, and the state department responsible for permit approvals.
House Bill 515, the North Carolina Economic Abuse Prevention Act, creates a new legal framework to protect survivors of domestic violence and children in foster care from "coerced debt." It defines coerced debt as debt incurred through duress, intimidation, or undue influence and provides pathways for individuals to notify creditors of such debt using specific documentation. Upon receiving adequate documentation, creditors must pause collection efforts while reviewing the claim. The bill also establishes that a person who causes another to incur coerced debt is civilly liable to the claimant for the debt amount, attorney's fees, and costs.
House Bill 4, also known as "Sam's Law," aims to improve seizure preparedness and response in North Carolina schools. The bill requires public school units, charter schools, and other educational institutions to develop individualized Seizure Action Plans for students diagnosed with seizure disorders, in collaboration with their parents. It mandates annual seizure education programs for all K-12 school personnel and requires principals, school counselors, and teachers to complete an annual self-study on seizure disorders. Furthermore, the bill ensures at least one employee in each school is trained to administer seizure medication and requires the posting of seizure first aid information in visible areas. Various educational boards are tasked with adopting policies to implement these requirements, with $50,000 appropriated to the Department of Public Instruction for development costs.
House Bill 520 aims to protect North Carolina citizens and businesses from deceptive telemarketing practices, particularly those involving misleading caller ID. The bill establishes that a telephone number is the property of the subscriber and prohibits telephone solicitors from misrepresenting the origin of a call or transmitting misleading caller identification information. It also prevents telephone carriers from knowingly providing subscriber numbers to entities that will violate these provisions. Individuals who receive calls in violation of the misleading caller ID rules can sue for civil damages, including an additional $10,000 fine for each knowing violation. Knowing violations of the caller ID provision are also classified as a Class H felony.
HB 552 establishes the Agricultural Manufacturing Investment Grant Account within North Carolina's One North Carolina Fund, allocating up to $5 million for new economic development incentives. This account provides competitive grants to eligible agricultural manufacturers in the state. The Department of Commerce will administer these grants, prioritizing projects in less developed areas, those using advanced agricultural technologies, or those with significant research and development. To qualify, recipients must commit to investing at least $5 million of private funds, employ a minimum of 25 full-time employees, and meet specific wage requirements. Grants are capped at $100,000 annually per recipient for up to five years.
House Bill 618, the "Ivermectin Access Act," directs the State Health Director to issue a statewide standing order that allows licensed pharmacists to dispense ivermectin for human use. Under this order, pharmacists would be authorized to provide ivermectin without requiring a written prescription or consultation from a healthcare professional. The bill also grants immunity from civil or criminal liability to the State Health Director for issuing the order and to any pharmacist who dispenses ivermectin in accordance with it. The State Health Director is required to issue this statewide standing order by October 1, 2025.
Jesse's Law (HB 896) mandates specific training for professional personnel involved in child custody proceedings in North Carolina. It requires judges, magistrates, judicial officers, and court personnel, including guardian ad litems and mediators, to complete trauma-informed and culturally appropriate training. This training focuses on the dynamics, signs, and impact of domestic violence and child abuse, including child sexual abuse. Professionals must complete an initial 20 hours of training and 15 hours every five years, based on evidence-based research. The bill aims to improve the ability of these individuals to recognize and respond to abuse and trauma when making child custody decisions.
