HB 601 appropriates $10 million annually from North Carolina's General Fund (2025-2027) to fund grants for Disabled American Veterans (DAV) chapters. The bill provides up to $1 million per chapter per year to renovate or expand facilities and offer additional resources directly to disabled veterans served by these nonprofit chapters. Grants must be distributed statewide, with unspent funds rolling over annually instead of returning to the state treasury. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs must report annually on grant recipients, amounts, and county distribution starting in 2026.
SB 305 allocates $3 million in recurring state funds to North Carolina's Department of Public Safety for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The bill directs the Division of Emergency Management to use these funds to expand CERT training and actively promote community participation through partnerships with local organizations. Key provisions include establishing new training sessions and developing outreach strategies to encourage broader community engagement in emergency preparedness. This funding directly supports residents and local groups participating in CERT programs, focusing on practical disaster response skills. The bill becomes effective July 1, 2025.
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Emergency Management
Public Safety
HB 154 requires NCInnovation, a state entity, to return all state funds and assets it acquired using state money to the North Carolina State Controller. The State Controller must then transfer these funds into the General Fund, where they remain unappropriated until the General Assembly votes to use them for specific purposes. This bill dissolves the financial relationship between the state and NCInnovation by repealing related statutes, effective 60 days after enactment. It directly affects NCInnovation’s financial obligations and the state’s treasury, with no new spending authorized by the transfer.
SB 281, the Essential Relief for Child Care Act, appropriates $50 million in nonrecurring state funds for the 2024-2025 fiscal year to continue compensation grants for child care providers. This funding directly supports licensed child care facilities across North Carolina, helping them cover operational costs and prevent closures. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to maintain these grants at current 2024-2025 funding levels through the fourth quarter. It aims to address ongoing financial pressures on providers, which the bill states could lead to 20% facility closures without continued support.
Tags
Children
HB 1012 redirects over $64 million in existing state funds to support communities affected by Hurricane Helene and wildfires in Western North Carolina. It transfers $25 million from the Environmental Quality budget for water infrastructure repairs, $12.5 million for school closures, $5 million for university facility repairs, and $2.25 million for election operations in impacted areas. The bill applies to counties designated under federal disaster declarations for Hurricane Helene (per Section 1.4) and addresses wildfire recovery efforts hampered by the storm (per Section 1.5). These funds are drawn from unspent allocations in existing state programs, not new taxes.
SB 522, the "Thrive at Midlife Act," requires all health insurance plans in North Carolina to cover specific healthcare services for women aged 40-65, including menopause care, bone density screenings, heart disease prevention, diabetes management, cancer screenings, mental health support, and telehealth. It also expands Medicaid coverage for these services and allocates $10 million annually (2025-2027) to fund grants for community health centers serving uninsured midlife women, prioritizing rural and underserved areas. The bill creates tax credits for individuals and businesses covering qualified midlife healthcare expenses like prescription medications, screenings, and mental health services. These provisions aim to improve access to preventive and specialized care for midlife women while requiring insurers to limit copays and deductibles for covered services to federal preventive care standards.
HB 484 authorizes North Carolina's African American Heritage Commission to study creating monuments and markers honoring the state's civil rights history, including sites related to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, sit-ins, and desegregation efforts. The bill directly affects the Commission, which must hold public hearings and report findings by May 2026, and North Carolinians by commemorating local contributions to the civil rights movement. Key provisions include appropriating $500,000 for the Commission to place markers along the state's Civil Rights Trail and conducting feasibility studies on permanent monuments. The bill becomes effective July 1, 2025, with funding allocated for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
HB 817 appropriates $14.5 million in nonrecurring state funds for specific grants benefiting the Triad region (Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point areas) during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The bill allocates funds to nine nonprofit organizations and local entities for targeted projects, including mobile medical clinics ($50,000), fire department equipment ($1.2 million), fertility assistance for low/middle-income families ($500,000), stadium improvements ($1.5 million), historic site repairs ($5.3 million), and gun violence prevention programs ($1.5 million). These grants directly support community services, economic development, and cultural events within the Triad region. The bill becomes effective July 1, 2025, and does not create new laws or regulations.
HB 130 establishes a $475 million program to provide financial assistance to North Carolina farmers who suffered crop losses from natural disasters in 2024. It directly affects farmers in counties designated by the USDA as disaster areas, requiring verified losses of eligible agricultural commodities (like crops, livestock, or specialty plants) planted but not harvested by January 1, 2024. The program uses county and state yield/price averages to calculate payments, mandates submission of USDA Form 578 or equivalent documentation within 30 days, and allocates funds from state reserves (Stabilization, IT, and Economic Development) to cover verified losses. Farmers must provide documentation for verification, and the Department of Agriculture may audit claims to ensure proper use of funds, with refunds required for inaccurate information.
HB 259 establishes a $127,500 pilot grant program for North Carolina public schools to support participation in Science Olympiad competitions during the 2025-2026 school year. The program provides funding to cover registration fees, materials, travel, and teacher stipends for schools that did not have a Science Olympiad team in the previous year, prioritizing these applicants. Public school units must apply by August 31, 2025, and funds must supplement - not replace - existing school budgets. The Department of Public Instruction will report participation data and unfunded applications to the legislature by May 1, 2026.
