Rep. Jake Johnson

Maddy summaryHB 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.

Maddy summaryHB 966, the College Cost Reduction Act, prohibits all University of North Carolina (UNC) schools from requiring students to pay extra for mandatory course software (Learning Management Systems or LMS). It directly affects UNC students by banning any requirement for paid LMS access beyond existing, approved student fees. The bill mandates the UNC Board of Governors to create a policy ensuring professors or courses cannot force students to pay for LMS services - only free or fee-covered options may be required. The rule takes effect for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Maddy summaryHB 1000 establishes legal restrictions on gender transition care for minors in North Carolina while creating pathways for detransition. It prohibits medical professionals from performing surgical gender transitions, prescribing puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones, or conducting detransition procedures on minors without parental consent (with detransition procedures specifically permitted under parental consent). The bill imposes penalties including license revocation for violations and mandates civil liability for medical providers who provide transition care to minors, requiring them to cover harms like physical, psychological, or emotional injuries. It also requires gender clinics to report detailed statistics on transition procedures to the state health department. This bill directly affects minors seeking gender-affirming care, their parents/guardians, and medical providers operating gender clinics in North Carolina.

Maddy summaryHB 354 requires courts in North Carolina to block filings by individuals declared legally incompetent by a court unless submitted through their guardian or attorney. It mandates courts to strike non-compliant filings and issue "gatekeeper orders" to prevent unauthorized submissions. The bill also creates a centralized database for courts to quickly identify individuals with such court declarations. This applies to all civil cases filed or pending after December 1, 2025, directly affecting people declared legally incompetent and their legal representatives.

Maddy summaryHB 878 requires North Carolina public schools to post lesson plans and course materials online within 10 days of use. Schools must display links to instructional materials (like textbooks and digital resources), procedures for reviewing materials, and teacher training details on their websites, organized by subject and grade level. The law applies to all public schools except those with fewer than 30 students total, and teachers may request to use only their last initial for privacy. It does not require posting the actual materials themselves, only links and descriptions, and maintains the information online for two years. This policy directly affects parents, educators, and community members seeking transparency about classroom content.

Maddy summaryHB 872 protects school employees who use reasonable force to maintain safety in specific situations, such as stopping disturbances, preventing injury, or removing weapons. It creates a legal presumption that such force is reasonable in investigations or court, shifting the burden to prove otherwise to the claimant. The bill prohibits retaliation, dismissal, or license revocation against staff for using reasonable force in line with school policies, even if criminal allegations arise (as long as force was reasonable and no conviction occurs). This directly affects teachers, administrators, and other school personnel by reducing legal risks when responding to safety threats on school property.

Maddy summaryHB 838 creates a new satellite broadband grant program for the Department of Information Technology, prioritizing eligible entities (like state/local governments, nonprofits, and ISPs) in the 39 counties affected by Hurricane Helene to purchase satellite internet installation materials and service for their own use. It also repurposes up to $50 million from existing broadband funds to reimburse communications providers for repairing Hurricane Helene-damaged broadband infrastructure, with priority given to restoring service and limits on reimbursement. The bill updates the Broadband Pole Replacement Program to clarify reimbursement rules (50% of eligible costs, capped at $10,000 per pole), requires pole owners to provide timely cost estimates for infrastructure work, and mandates public reporting of program data. These changes aim to accelerate broadband deployment and recovery in underserved areas impacted by the hurricane.

Maddy summaryHB 487 shortens the required separation period for retired assistant district attorneys and assistant public defenders before they can return to state employment. The bill changes North Carolina's retirement rules to allow these professionals to rejoin state work after 30 days instead of the standard six-month waiting period. This adjustment applies specifically to retired assistant district attorneys and public defenders who wish to return to state service. The policy change directly affects these two groups of retired state employees by providing greater flexibility for reemployment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires North Carolina state agencies and local governments to only purchase U.S. and North Carolina flags made entirely in the United States using domestically grown or produced materials. It prohibits using public funds for any U.S. or state flags not 100% manufactured in America from domestic materials. The rule applies to all new flag purchases starting October 1, 2025. It directly affects all government offices responsible for buying flags with public money.

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.