Rep. Jake Johnson

Maddy summaryHB 611 requires North Carolina public schools to increase full-time assistant principal positions based on student enrollment, directly affecting all local school districts. It mandates funding to achieve specific student-to-assistant-principal ratios: 1:90 students in the 2025-2026 school year ($23.56 million) and 1:80 students starting in 2026-2027 ($57.57 million), with funds supplementing but not replacing existing budgets. The bill, effective July 2025, directs the Department of Public Instruction to allocate these funds through the school building administration allotment. This policy change aims to support school operations and develop future principals by expanding administrative staffing.

Maddy summaryHB 591, the G.U.A.R.D. Act, allows residents of nursing homes and adult care facilities in North Carolina to install and use their own electronic monitoring devices (like cameras or audio recorders) in their rooms at their own expense. The bill requires facilities to provide power, mounting space, and not deny admission or discharge based on a resident's request for monitoring. Recordings from these devices can be used as evidence in court, and facilities face fines or jail time for violating the law. The act directly affects residents and their families by giving them greater control over monitoring their living environment while protecting facility obligations.

Maddy summaryHB 571 appropriates $500,000 from the state General Fund to the Department of Public Safety for a grant program treating police officers diagnosed with PTSD. It directly affects North Carolina police officers who have received a clinical PTSD diagnosis. The key provision establishes a state-funded grant program to cover treatment costs, with funds allocated for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The program becomes effective July 1, 2025, and focuses solely on providing financial support for treatment, not on expanding eligibility or altering diagnosis standards.

Maddy summaryHB 609 allows licensed farms in North Carolina to sell unpasteurized milk and raw milk products directly to consumers under strict safety conditions. It requires farms to obtain a Department of Agriculture license, pass annual inspections for disease (tuberculosis/brucellosis), meet water safety standards, and undergo regular testing for bacteria and pathogens in milk. Sales can only occur at the farm of origin or a small farm stand (max 1,000 sq ft), with mandatory labeling stating "Raw milk: not pasteurized and may contain organisms injurious to your health." The bill does not permit raw milk sales in restaurants or general retail settings, and all requirements must be met before the law takes effect on January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 523 allows certified school social workers in North Carolina public schools to qualify for education-based salary supplements if they hold a master's degree (or higher), regardless of whether a master's degree is required for their state license. This directly affects school social workers who meet the degree requirement but previously might have been ineligible due to licensure rules. The bill amends state law to include them in the eligibility group for these supplements, which were previously limited to certain roles like school nurses or personnel where a master's degree was licensure-required. The law appropriates $500,000 for the 2025-2026 school year to fund this change and takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 540 allocates $2 million in recurring state funds from the General Fund to the UNC Board of Governors for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. This funding will be directed to the Patriot Foundation to support its existing North Carolina Patriot Star Family Scholarship Program. The bill specifically provides financial resources for the program's operation, without creating new eligibility rules or altering the scholarship's structure. It becomes effective July 1, 2025, and directly affects the scholarship program's budget for that fiscal year.

Maddy summaryHB 236 designates the Freedom Flag (created by the Freedom Flag Foundation) as North Carolina's official symbol for remembering the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It authorizes the display of this flag alongside the U.S. and North Carolina flags on all public buildings, institutions, and county courthouses every September 11. The bill does not create new government programs or costs but formally recognizes this flag for annual remembrance. It directly affects public spaces across the state by establishing a specific flag display protocol for a designated date. The measure is purely symbolic and procedural, with no substantive policy changes beyond the annual flag display.

Maddy summaryHB 16 requires the North Carolina General Assembly to display the national motto "In God We Trust" directly above and behind the dais for the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, aligning with the U.S. House of Representatives' display. The bill mandates the Legislative Services Officer to implement this, first using private gifts or donations for costs, and if none are provided within 90 days, using state funds. It becomes effective July 1, 2025. This is a procedural bill affecting legislative chamber decor, not a substantive policy change.

Maddy summaryHB 498 creates a retirement credit for North Carolina teachers who served in the military. It allows veterans to count up to four years of active duty service toward their state retirement system, provided they weren’t dishonorably discharged, served before becoming a teacher, and meet licensure requirements. The bill modifies the retirement system to include this credit, requiring employers to pay a lump sum covering the retirement system’s increased liability for the credited service. This directly affects military veterans transitioning to teaching careers in North Carolina, making their prior service count toward retirement benefits.

Maddy summaryHB 490 revises North Carolina's community college funding model to prioritize enrollment in workforce-focused programs. It requires the State Board of Community Colleges to allocate base funding plus additional funds based on full-time student enrollment in curriculum, workforce training, and Basic Skills courses, with weighted funding for high-demand fields. The bill also creates an "Enrollment Increase Reserve" to fund colleges with enrollment growth exceeding 5% in targeted programs and permits community colleges to add up to a 10% tuition surcharge for eligible courses, with funds restricted to instructional costs. These changes directly affect community colleges and students in workforce education, effective July 1, 2025.