SB 387 revises tax benefits for properties cleaned up under North Carolina's Brownfields Property Reuse Act. It establishes a 5-year tax exclusion schedule for qualifying improvements on brownfields sites: 90% exclusion in year one, decreasing to 10% in year five. This directly affects property owners who have entered brownfields agreements with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for contaminated land cleanup. The bill also adds new fees: a $2,000 application fee, a cost-recovery fee for DEQ services (paid in two installments), and penalties for non-compliance, all funding the Brownfields Implementation Account. The changes take effect for taxes in 2025 and later.
HB 149 creates a pilot program allowing eligible North Carolina school districts (those with at least 5,000 students and tax authority) to submit a Financial and Hiring Flexibility Plan (FHFP) to the State Board of Education. The plan permits districts to use state funds more flexibly and hire up to 50% unlicensed teachers (who must complete specific training in disability education, behavior management, and safety) while meeting defined academic goals by 2030-2031, such as 100% student career planning and 90% teacher retention. The State Board reviews plans annually and can terminate them if districts fail to meet goals, violate fiscal rules, or have low-performing schools. This program aims to give districts operational flexibility to improve student outcomes, subject to state oversight and performance metrics.
HB 671 establishes a four-year pilot program (2025-2026 through 2028-2029) that provides grants to North Carolina public high schools (grades 9-12) to form or support competitive speech and debate teams. Schools can receive up to $10,000 per team annually, covering coach stipends (capped at $2,500 for lead coaches and $1,500 for assistants) and competition expenses like travel and league fees. Participating schools must join the Tarheel Forensic League and National Speech and Debate Association, and the program allows students from schools without teams to join the nearest team (with students covering their own transportation). Funded by $500,000 yearly from the General Fund, the Department of Public Instruction will administer the program and report annually on grant usage and student academic outcomes.
HB 574 establishes a Workforce Development Pilot Project in North Carolina. This bill provides funds to the Office of State Budget and Management to be allocated to the North Carolina Workforce Development Coalition (NCWDC). The NCWDC will then provide grants to eligible North Carolina-based employers, with 20 to 1,500 employees, to support employer-sponsored training programs. These grants aim to increase job creation, reduce employee turnover, improve wages, and upgrade worker skills, especially in industries with identified training gaps. Employers can receive up to 50% of eligible training costs or $2,000 per trainee, with a maximum of $40,000 annually per employer.
SB 726 allocates $9.5 million in one-time Highway Fund money for the planning and design of the Westmoreland Road Interchange at Interstate 77 Exit 27 in Cornelius. This bill directly affects residents and commuters in Cornelius by funding the initial design phase of the interchange project. The funds are designated for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and become effective July 1, 2025. The bill does not cover construction costs, only the planning and design work for the interchange.
HB 393 appropriates $250,000 from the General Fund to The Arts Council, Inc. for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to support Winston-Salem's annual 1Love Festival. The festival, a three-day event celebrating diversity through music, arts, and entertainment, will receive this directed grant for operations. The funding is nonrecurring and becomes effective July 1, 2025. This bill directly affects The Arts Council, Inc. and the community hosting the festival.
SB 348, the "Home Comfort Act," provides $7 million annually for home modifications (like ramps, grab bars, and widened doorways) to help seniors aged 65+ with household incomes at or below 250% of the federal poverty level safely age in place. It also allocates $42.25 million yearly to expand in-home care services, including home health agency support and a $500 monthly stipend for family caregivers meeting income criteria. The bill funds a statewide resource guide and online portal to help seniors access aging-in-place programs, with priority given to rural communities. These provisions directly affect eligible seniors and their caregivers through concrete financial assistance and service expansions.
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HB 676 allocates $1,524,978 in one-time state funds to Haywood County Schools for specific facility improvements. The bill directs $998,538 for a turf field at Tuscola High School, $26,440 for a multipurpose locker room building at C.E. Weatherby Stadium, and $500,000 for stadium upgrades at Bethel Middle School. These funds are designated for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and must be used solely for the specified projects. The bill becomes effective July 1, 2025, and does not change existing school policies or programs.
HB 389 establishes a two-year pilot program to create free child care workforce academies across North Carolina, directly affecting individuals seeking careers in child care with no prior experience. The program provides free training, credentialing support (including health screenings and background checks), and stipends ($150 upon completion, $500 after one year of employment) to help participants become lead teachers in licensed child care centers. It allocates $738,000 annually from the General Fund for 2025-2027 to cover tuition and stipends, requiring local partnerships to contribute 25% match. The pilot will launch in Johnston and Wayne counties plus 10 additional regions, with progress reports due by 2026 to evaluate expansion potential. (Note: The bill title "Continuing Budget Operations Part III" appears inconsistent with the actual content; the text focuses on child care workforce training.)
SB 583, the Lead. Invest. Families/Foster Teen Act (LIFT), creates a program providing $1,000 monthly cash payments to four specific groups: homeless high school seniors (grade 12), expectant or new mothers with children under 18 months, natural disaster survivors qualifying for FEMA aid, and young adults exiting foster care (aged 16-27). Payments begin April 1, 2026, and continue until April 1, 2035, with disaster survivors receiving payments for 12 months post-disaster. The program is funded through a new LIFT Fund established within the Department of Health and Human Services, which receives state appropriations and other designated funds, and payments are exempt from state income tax and do not affect eligibility for other public benefits. The bill also modifies the corporate income tax rate to offset program costs, aligning the effective tax rate for corporations more closely with individual taxpayers.
