Rep. Donnie Loftis

Maddy summaryHB 96 creates a new process for property owners or their authorized representatives to quickly remove "unauthorized persons" (those occupying residential property without legal right, no rental agreement, and no rent paid) from their homes. To use this process, the property owner must complete a sworn affidavit at the courthouse ($25 fee) proving all legal conditions are met, then provide it to local law enforcement. Law enforcement must remove the person within 24 hours of receiving the affidavit. This applies only to residential property and excludes tenants who stayed past their lease term. The bill directly affects property owners, law enforcement agencies, and individuals occupying property without legal authorization.

Maddy summaryHB 328 bans delta-8, delta-9, and other hemp-derived consumables (including CBD products and vapor devices) on all North Carolina public school grounds, buildings, and school-sponsored events. It requires schools to adopt written policies prohibiting these products, including posting signs, notifying students/parents, and enforcing the ban, with definitions explicitly covering "delta-8," "delta-9," and vaping products. The policy applies to all students, staff, and visitors, though it allows hemp/tobacco use in supervised instructional or research settings without ingestion. The bill takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year and aligns with existing tobacco product restrictions.

Maddy summaryHB 133, the NC Farmland and Military Protection Act, bans U.S.-designated adversarial foreign governments from buying, leasing, or holding interests in agricultural land or land within 75 miles of major military installations like Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune. It directly affects foreign governments identified by the U.S. State Department as adversaries under arms regulations, preventing them from acquiring land critical to food production or near military sites. The law excludes agricultural research leases under 250 acres and makes any violating land transfer legally void. This focuses on restricting foreign control of strategic land without altering existing domestic land transactions.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Information Technology, and the Administrative Office of the Courts to study the state's involuntary commitment process. The agencies must identify gaps in the current system and submit a report with recommendations by February 1, 2027. Key areas for improvement include ensuring judges receive timely clinical data, training legal officials on community-based treatment options, and updating electronic forms to capture consistent data. The legislation also aims to increase data sharing between health and court systems to support more effective legal and clinical outcomes.

Maddy summaryHB 162 requires North Carolina counties and cities to conduct criminal history background checks through the State Bureau of Investigation for all job applicants whose positions involve working with children in any capacity. This applies specifically to local government employment decisions, mandating checks for roles like childcare workers, school staff, or youth program coordinators, but not for general positions. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, and does not alter existing background check processes for non-child-related roles. It directly affects local government hiring practices by adding a mandatory screening requirement for child-impacting positions.

Maddy summaryHB 56 (incorrectly titled "UNC Enrollment" in the query; actual focus is school transparency) requires North Carolina local school boards to publicly post detailed compensation and position information for central office staff on their websites by August 15, 2025. It mandates publishing total compensation (salary, bonuses, travel reimbursements), position titles, department assignments, and creation dates for each role. The law applies directly to all central office employees, including administrators, finance staff, and third-party contractors working at school districts. This transparency measure aims to make school district spending and staffing more visible to the public, with records updated annually. The bill does not affect student enrollment or university operations (UNC system).

Maddy summaryHB 83 increases criminal penalties for adults who share inappropriate content with minors under 13 (Class G felony) or under 16 (Class H felony), and creates a new felony for habitual indecent exposure near minors (two prior convictions). It requires courts to consider sex offender registration for these offenses and prohibits transportation companies (like ride-share services) from serving unemancipated minors without parental consent. The bill directly affects adults sharing content with minors, individuals exposing themselves to minors, and transportation companies serving minors. It focuses on concrete policy changes to strengthen protections for minors through stricter penalties and registration requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a voluntary program allowing businesses in North Carolina to contribute to portable benefit accounts for their independent contractors. The plan enables hiring parties to fund benefits such as health insurance, retirement, and disability through a third-party administrator, which helps contractors maintain coverage when moving between jobs. To encourage participation, the legislation allows businesses to deduct contributions as business expenses and permits contractors to exclude those amounts from their taxable income. Additionally, the bill includes a $100,000 appropriation to fund public education about the program, which will take effect on July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 1213 removes tax exemptions for data centers in North Carolina, meaning these facilities will no longer be exempt from state sales and use taxes. The bill directly affects data center operators and the businesses that purchase equipment for them, requiring them to pay applicable taxes on new purchases starting July 1, 2026. By repealing specific sections of state tax law, the legislation ensures that data centers contribute to state revenue in the same way other commercial entities do.

Maddy summaryHB 34 creates a new criminal offense for stealing or misusing someone else's mail, directly affecting individuals who unlawfully take, control, or transfer mail intended for others. The bill defines "mail" broadly to include letters, packages, or valuable items sent to another person and prohibits two specific actions: stealing mail to deprive the owner, or transferring mail to benefit someone not entitled to it. Punishments range from a Class A1 misdemeanor for first-time, low-value thefts (under $200) to a Class D felony for repeat offenses or high-value thefts (over $2,000). This law, effective December 1, 2025, applies to offenses committed after that date.