North Carolina Bills

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 874: North Carolina Healthy Schools Act.

HB 874, the North Carolina Healthy Schools Act, prohibits public schools from serving or selling ultra-processed foods containing specific synthetic additives (like artificial dyes and preservatives such as Yellow Dye 5 or Potassium Bromate) during the school day. It directly affects all North Carolina public schools, including district, regional, and charter schools, requiring them to certify compliance with the ban through the Department of Public Instruction. Schools must submit certification forms, and the Department will publish a list of compliant schools online. The ban takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year, though parents may still provide such foods for their children.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 861: Taxpayer Accountability/Pregnancy Centers.

HB 861 requires pregnancy centers in North Carolina receiving state funds through the Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship (CPCF) to participate in a competitive grant process. It mandates detailed applications covering staff credentials, services offered (including medical testing and ultrasounds), equipment use, and advertising practices, along with annual reporting on client demographics (by age, race, income), services provided, and fund expenditures. The bill sets strict limits on administrative spending (10-15% of funds) and requires all grant funds to be used for nonsectarian purposes only. This directly affects nonprofit pregnancy centers receiving state funding under CPCF, requiring them to disclose operational details and report service outcomes to state agencies.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 835: Learning Asian American and Pacific Islander Contributions in Schools.

HB 835 requires North Carolina public schools to include age-appropriate lessons about Asian American and Pacific Islander contributions in all K-12 courses starting in the 2026-2027 school year. The bill mandates curriculum covering specific topics, including early immigrant labor (e.g., railroad construction), historical challenges faced by Asian communities, roles in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and contributions to government, arts, sciences, and North Carolina's development. It directly affects all students and educators in North Carolina's public school system by integrating these topics into standard coursework. The law specifies that lessons must be tailored to students' age levels and cover the listed historical and cultural elements.

Topics ✓ Education

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 839: Advanced Teaching Roles Updates.

HB 839 updates North Carolina's Advanced Teaching Roles (ATR) program for public schools. It requires classroom excellence teachers to serve 20% more students than prior years, allows ATR schools to exceed K-3 class size limits for up to three years with state funding, and increases salary supplements to $10,000 for adult leadership teachers (up to 25% of ATR school teachers) and $3,000 for classroom excellence teachers (up to 10% of ATR school teachers). The bill applies to participating ATR schools beginning the 2025-2026 school year.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 856: Clarify Deed Restrictions/Solar Collectors.

HB 856 clarifies that deed restrictions, covenants, or similar agreements cannot prohibit the installation of solar collectors (for water heating, space heating/cooling, or electricity) on residential properties. It specifically voids restrictions that prevent solar installations, while allowing reasonable rules about placement or screening if they reduce efficiency by 10% or less. This affects homeowners in single-family homes or similar residential properties (excluding certain condos in multi-story buildings) and their homeowners' associations. The law applies to agreements recorded after it takes effect, ensuring solar access without blocking reasonable maintenance or visibility rules.

Topics ✓ Energy ✓ Environment ✓ Housing ✓ Technology

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 883: Support Students with Disabilities Act.

HB 883 establishes a grant program for North Carolina school districts to cover extraordinary costs for students with disabilities, particularly for placements outside regular schools (like private special education programs or homebound settings). School districts can apply for 75% reimbursement of eligible costs - such as specialized staff salaries, materials, or private school tuition - provided these costs exceed four times the state average per-pupil expenditure for disabilities. The bill requires annual IEP reviews, mandates that districts maintain legal responsibility for students in private placements, and directs the Department of Public Instruction to report on placements and costs by March 2026. It appropriates $1 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to fund this program.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 872: School Employee Protections for Use of Force.

HB 872 protects school employees who use reasonable force to maintain safety in specific situations, such as stopping disturbances, preventing injury, or removing weapons. It creates a legal presumption that such force is reasonable in investigations or court, shifting the burden to prove otherwise to the claimant. The bill prohibits retaliation, dismissal, or license revocation against staff for using reasonable force in line with school policies, even if criminal allegations arise (as long as force was reasonable and no conviction occurs). This directly affects teachers, administrators, and other school personnel by reducing legal risks when responding to safety threats on school property.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 863: Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part 1(b).

HB 863 appropriates $582 million in state funds to address unmet recovery needs in Western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. It directly affects residents and businesses in the impacted area by funding affordable housing repairs, disaster-related home improvements, business grants, park restoration, flood protection, and emergency services. Key provisions include $105 million for local housing grants (covering repairs, homelessness assistance, and mortgage help), $75 million for stream restoration and food banks, and a $75,000 business grant program for eligible companies with sales tax declines. The funds are distributed across state agencies like Housing Finance, Agriculture, and Public Safety to support physical recovery and economic stabilization.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Housing

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 880: Aggie Academy Learning Lab/Funds.

HB 880 appropriates $1 million in recurring state funds from the General Fund to support the NC A&T Aggie Academy, a laboratory school at North Carolina A&T State University. This funding, effective July 1, 2025, provides additional resources for the school's operations as a University of North Carolina laboratory school. The bill directly affects the Aggie Academy's students, staff, and programs by securing ongoing financial support. It does not create new policies but allocates existing state funds for a specific educational institution.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 877: Childcare Pilot.

HB 877 establishes a pilot program to create affordable childcare facilities through public-private partnerships using state-owned property. It requires the Legislative Services Office to select a childcare operator by 2026 who must offer rates 25% below market (excluding land/building costs), pay staff 180% of federal minimum wage with health insurance, and reserve 80% of spots for state employees. The program leverages $5 million in state funds to cover facility upfitting and site costs, using state/university land leased at $500/month for 10+ years. This directly affects state employees seeking childcare and aims to lower costs for parents across all North Carolina counties through reduced capital expenses.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 838: DIT Agency Broadband Bill.

HB 838 creates a new satellite broadband grant program for the Department of Information Technology, prioritizing eligible entities (like state/local governments, nonprofits, and ISPs) in the 39 counties affected by Hurricane Helene to purchase satellite internet installation materials and service for their own use. It also repurposes up to $50 million from existing broadband funds to reimburse communications providers for repairing Hurricane Helene-damaged broadband infrastructure, with priority given to restoring service and limits on reimbursement. The bill updates the Broadband Pole Replacement Program to clarify reimbursement rules (50% of eligible costs, capped at $10,000 per pole), requires pole owners to provide timely cost estimates for infrastructure work, and mandates public reporting of program data. These changes aim to accelerate broadband deployment and recovery in underserved areas impacted by the hurricane.

Topics ✓ Technology

in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 865: Clarify Animal Welfare Statutes.

HB 865 clarifies North Carolina's dangerous dog laws by removing the automatic classification of any dog trained for dog fighting as "dangerous." Instead, it requires local animal control authorities to make individual case-by-case determinations about whether such dogs pose a threat. This change directly affects owners of dogs bred or trained for fighting, shifting oversight from a blanket rule to tailored assessments. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025, and does not alter existing definitions for dogs that have attacked people or caused severe injury.

Bill results