Rep. Brandon Lofton

Maddy summaryHB 944 appropriates $1.5 million from the state General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services for a directed grant to Care Ring, Inc., a nonprofit community health clinic in Mecklenburg County. The funding supports the clinic’s operations to provide primary care services to medically vulnerable residents facing geographic, economic, or other barriers to care. This grant specifically targets patients who would otherwise be unable to access necessary primary care due to these challenges. The bill directs all funds to be used for the clinic’s core operations during the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Maddy summaryHB 960 would temporarily increase North Carolina's unemployment insurance weekly benefits to $600 during declared disasters, directly affecting unemployed workers in areas impacted by disaster declarations under state emergency management law. It requires the state to set aside specific funds in the unemployment insurance fund for these enhanced benefits and mandates certification that sufficient funds are available before implementation. The benefit increase applies only for the duration of an official disaster declaration and ends when the declaration expires. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 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.

Maddy summaryHB 840 modifies North Carolina's school grading system to provide separate "achievement" and "growth" scores for all public schools, replacing a single combined score. Achievement grades reflect current student performance (based on test scores, graduation rates, and proficiency), while growth grades measure how much students improved over time using the EVAAS system. Schools earn an overall performance grade combining 80% achievement and 20% growth scores, displayed on school websites and report cards. This affects all North Carolina public schools (K-12), their administrators, and parents, who will receive detailed grade breakdowns for each school annually. The bill does not create new funding rewards but changes how school performance is measured and reported.

Maddy summaryHB 160 requires North Carolina's University of North Carolina School of Medicine Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) to create and share evidence-based information about sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) with all healthcare practitioners in the state. This includes current risk factors, conditions, and contact details for epilepsy support organizations, available on NC AHEC's website. Healthcare providers treating epilepsy patients will directly receive this standardized resource, which must be compiled by consulting medical boards and professional societies. NC AHEC must report the completed resource to the legislature by September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 807 raises teacher salaries for the 2025-2026 school year with new pay scales based on experience and adds supplements for certified teachers, school nurses, counselors, and specialists. It allocates $89.4 million annually and $109.2 million as a one-time fund to provide weighted, per-child funding for children with disabilities based on the cost of services provided. The bill also mandates free breakfast and lunch for all public school students, funded through state appropriations tied to school food authority evaluations, and includes funding for a one-to-one device refresh in public schools.

Maddy summaryHB 786, the "Working Families Act," reduces child care costs for low-income families by lowering parent copayments from 10% to 7% of income (effective 2025), reinstates a refundable state child tax credit with income-based payments (effective 2025), and phases up North Carolina’s minimum wage to $15/hour by 2030 with annual inflation adjustments. It also increases income limits for property tax relief, creates a homebuyers’ assistance program for public servants (like firefighters and EMTs) as first-time buyers, and establishes a paid family leave insurance program funded through an employer grant program. The bill directly affects working families, hourly workers, public-sector employees, and households using subsidized child care or property tax relief. Key mechanisms include phased wage increases, income-tiered tax credits, and targeted housing support, all designed to reduce financial strain on low-to-moderate-income households.

Maddy summaryHB 785 requires North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction to study how local school districts can better use existing education funding by combining or transferring budget categories (like classroom materials or staff costs). The study will identify where more flexibility could help schools meet student and staff needs, with a report due to lawmakers by April 2026. The state will provide $50,000 in one-time funding for this research during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. This bill does not change current funding rules but sets up a review process to potentially recommend future adjustments.

Maddy summaryHB 766 appropriates $1.87 million to fund expanded Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) training for North Carolina high school students in grades 9-12 (ages 14-18). The bill directly affects students by providing evidence-based training to help them recognize, understand, and respond to peers' mental health and substance use challenges. Key provisions include funding for the Department of Health and Human Services to scale up tMHFA programs statewide, building on a pilot that trained 1,519 teens and showed a 50% increase in teens' willingness to seek adult support. The training focuses on connecting peers to trusted adults during crises, addressing high rates of unmet mental health needs among teens (64% don’t seek help, per the bill’s rationale).

Maddy summaryHB 755 provides a sales tax exemption for qualifying North Carolina nonprofits, including hospitals, federally tax-exempt community organizations, volunteer fire departments, and university-affiliated groups. To qualify, nonprofits must obtain a state sales tax exemption number, with annual limits of $31.7 million for state tax and $13.3 million for local tax. The exemption covers most goods and services purchased for nonprofit activities but excludes electricity, telecommunications, alcohol, and certain other items. Real property contractors must provide documentation to retailers when buying materials for nonprofit projects to ensure proper tax treatment.