HB 482 reauthorizes North Carolina's teacher bonus program for 2025-2027, expanding eligibility to include teachers who leave their school due to military orders. It allows qualifying teachers to receive bonuses based on student performance (e.g., AP/IB exam scores or industry certifications) even if they no longer teach at the same school, provided they submit a military transfer notice and updated address by January 1. The bill maintains existing bonus amounts ($50 for advanced courses, $25/$50 for CTE certifications) but adds this military exception to the eligibility criteria. This directly affects public school teachers who separate due to military service but meet other bonus qualifications.
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 523 establishes a pilot voucher program to expand mental health access for low-income North Carolinians. It allocates $25 million (from state, general, and federal funds) to provide up to 10 free annual therapy visits per year to residents earning under 250% of the federal poverty level, with priority for veterans, uninsured individuals, young adults (18-26), teachers, and law enforcement. The program will operate in five selected counties starting July 2025, covering therapy, psychiatric care, and telehealth services through certified providers. An independent commission will evaluate outcomes - including patient satisfaction and reduced hospitalizations - and recommend statewide expansion if the pilot proves effective within five years.
SB 593, the "Grant Our Kids Care Act," allocates $30 million annually (2025-2027) for a pilot program to help licensed child care providers in North Carolina. It provides grants covering 75% of child care tuition for full-time staff (earning ≤85% of state median income) who have children under age five, with providers covering the remaining 25%. The program aims to expand licensed child care capacity by helping staff afford care for their own children, prioritizing counties with high unmet demand. It requires participating programs to create new slots without displacing existing children and mandates annual progress reports to the legislature.
SB 239 increases the hourly wage for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) serving Medicaid beneficiaries under North Carolina's Innovations waiver program by $5 per hour for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and another $5 per hour for 2026-2027. The law requires providers receiving this funding to use at least 90% of the increased payments to raise DSP wages directly, with verification through payroll documentation. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHB) will adjust payments to managed care organizations (LME/MCOs), which must pass the increase to providers and report quarterly on DSP wage changes. This policy directly affects DSPs working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their employers under the waiver program.
HB 361 allocates $1.8 million for training county register of deeds employees, $500,000 for a public awareness campaign about real property fraud, and $30 million in grants to county offices for technology upgrades. The grants will fund digitizing records, purchasing scanning equipment, upgrading software, enhancing digital security, and improving network systems to prevent deed and title fraud. An additional $1 million is reserved for county offices without existing fraud detection systems. The bill becomes effective July 1, 2025, directly affecting county register of deeds offices and the public through reduced fraud risks.
SB 301 modifies North Carolina's Film and Entertainment Grant Fund to clarify eligibility and funding limits for film and TV productions. It sets minimum qualifying expenses (e.g., $1.5 million for theatrical films, $500,000 per TV episode) and caps grants at 35% (for rural areas) or 25% (for urban areas) of production costs, with maximums like $7 million for feature films. Priority is given to productions hiring North Carolina residents and featuring state landmarks to boost tourism. The bill directly affects film producers meeting these financial and geographic criteria who seek state funding.
HB 739 allocates $61.3 million in nonrecurring state funds for specific projects in Wilson and Nash counties, primarily benefiting Wilson County entities and two towns. The bill directs funds for water infrastructure in Lucama, sewer projects in Stantonsburg, volunteer fire departments, school construction, a new courthouse, sheriff's training, Narcan in schools/libraries, housing authority projects, a transit program, and a new police building in Sharpsburg. It becomes effective July 1, 2025, with all funding designated for immediate, concrete local needs without new policy requirements.
HB 232 appropriates $16.39 million from North Carolina's disaster relief fund to repair hurricane-damaged short-line railroads. The bill directly provides $14 million to Blue Ridge Southern Railroad for line restoration and $2.39 million to Great Smoky Mountains Railroad for track repairs, facility fixes, and lost revenue following Hurricane Helene. These funds are allocated through the Department of Transportation's Rail Division using the Freight Rail & Rail Safety Improvement Fund. The bill becomes effective July 1, 2025, and focuses solely on direct financial assistance for specific rail infrastructure recovery.
This bill permits the sale, possession, and use of specific consumer fireworks (like sparklers, party poppers, and novelty items) in North Carolina, while maintaining restrictions on most pyrotechnics. It directly affects consumers and retailers by allowing limited fireworks that comply with strict weight limits (e.g., no more than 16 milligrams for party poppers) and requires compliance with new regulations under Part 2 of Chapter 58. The bill establishes an excise tax on consumer fireworks sales and amends existing laws to define permitted items, such as wire sparklers (under 100 grams) and sparklers emitting showers of sparks. It does not change prohibitions on most fireworks, including indoor displays or sales to minors under 18.
