HB 832 revises North Carolina's school safety grant program to expand eligible uses of funds for training aimed at improving student well-being and safety. It allows public school units to fund evidence-based programs including suicide prevention training (CALM), trauma-focused therapies (like cognitive behavioral therapy), violence prevention, and peer mentoring facilitation. The bill specifically permits up to $350,000 in annual funding for these expanded services, directly affecting school staff, counselors, and students in North Carolina public schools. This change modifies existing grant rules without creating new funding or altering overall program structure.
SB 177 expands North Carolina's Medicaid Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program (HASP) to include qualifying freestanding psychiatric hospitals, allowing them to receive increased reimbursements for services. The bill creates a new assessment (a fee) on these hospitals, calculated as a percentage of their hospital costs, to fund the program. To implement this, the state must seek federal approval from CMS to include psychiatric hospitals in HASP. This change directly affects all Medicare-certified, state-licensed freestanding psychiatric hospitals in North Carolina, requiring them to pay the new assessment while gaining eligibility for enhanced Medicaid payments.
This bill directs the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor to conduct a performance audit of the Ferry Division within the Department of Transportation. The audit will examine financial spending, operational efficiency, and the current route system to identify ways to reduce costs and increase revenue. Additionally, the review will explore options for diversifying funding sources to support capital projects and cover operating expenses. The State Auditor must submit a final report detailing these findings to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee and the Fiscal Research Division by October 1, 2026.
HB 920, the NC Digital Asset Freedom Act, allows North Carolina residents and businesses to use qualifying digital assets for everyday transactions and tax payments. To qualify, digital assets must meet strict criteria including 10 years of security, $750 billion market capitalization, decentralized governance, proof-of-work security, and U.S. regulatory classification as a non-security. The bill recognizes these assets as legally valid payment methods (preventing denial of enforceability) and permits tax payments to the state using them, requiring reporting of U.S. dollar equivalents at transaction time. It also mandates privacy protections for users and imposes a $2,000 daily transaction limit for new users of digital asset kiosks to prevent fraud.
SB 474, the DAVE Act, creates a new Division of Accountability, Value, and Efficiency within North Carolina's State Auditor's office. It requires all state agencies to report by October 2025 on how they spend public funds and list vacant positions held for six months or longer, including reasons for vacancies. The Division will assess whether agencies or specific positions remain necessary, using AI tools to analyze spending effectiveness, duplication, and budget use. By December 2025, the Division must recommend to the legislature which agencies or positions should be eliminated based on this review.
SB 355 waives tuition at North Carolina public colleges for survivors of correctional officers, probation officers, or firefighters who died in the line of duty or became permanently disabled. It specifically covers spouses of disabled officers and children (ages 17-24) of disabled officers, with eligibility requiring service-connected death/disability and verification from relevant agencies. The waiver applies to both credit and noncredit programs, limiting bachelor’s degree support to 54 months. This policy directly affects families of these public safety workers by reducing education costs.
HB 747 updates North Carolina's wildlife laws with three key changes. It requires the Wildlife Resources Commission to keep personal information (like addresses and email) and details about rare species habitats confidential to prevent harm or theft. The bill also creates two new license plates - “Wildlife Resources” (requiring 300+ applications before development) and “Lifetime Conservationist” - with sales revenue funding conservation accounts. Additionally, it shortens the out-of-state boat number reciprocity period from 90 to 60 days and adds safety rules for personal watercraft, including mandatory Coast Guard-approved life jackets and restrictions on close following. These changes affect the Commission, vehicle owners, and boaters, effective October 1, 2025.
SB 257, the 2025 Appropriations Act, allocates funding for North Carolina's state agencies, departments, and institutions for the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium. It provides budget authority from the General Fund, Highway Fund, and Highway Trust Fund to cover current operations, maintenance, and specific programs like those managed by the Department of Transportation. The bill also includes federal block grant funding for health and human services (DHHS) and other designated programs. This funding measure directly affects all state entities receiving these appropriations and becomes effective July 1, 2025.
This bill restricts the City of Rocky Mount from using money earned by its electric utility to fund general city expenses beyond specific operational needs. It mandates that revenue from electric rates must primarily cover the costs of running the power system, paying off related debts, and keeping rates low for customers. The only exception allows the city to transfer a limited amount of surplus funds to other municipal accounts, capped at the greater of 3% of the system's assets or 5% of its annual revenue. Effective July 1, 2026, these rules apply exclusively to Rocky Mount, preventing the transfer of electric utility profits to the city's general fund for unrelated purposes.
HB 1040 updates the financial and operational rules for the Pitt County-City of Greenville Airport Authority by clarifying how the county and city fund airport operations and expansions. The bill allows the two governments to share costs for running the airport and building new facilities, using money from airport fees, land sales, or voter-approved taxes and bonds. It also confirms the authority's power to manage the property, enforce safety zoning rules, and issue debt for improvements if voters agree. This legislation primarily affects the local county and city officials who oversee the airport's budget and development plans.
