Rep. Jake Johnson

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Mike Clampitt 1st Responder Tax Fairness Act, aims to expand tax exemptions for volunteer fire departments and rescue squads in North Carolina. Specifically, it allows these independent groups, which have two or fewer paid employees and are already exempt from state income tax, to avoid paying a highway use tax on specific emergency vehicles like fire trucks, forest firefighting units, and other emergency service vehicles. The change applies to vehicles when a certificate of title is issued on or after July 1, 2026, ensuring these organizations can acquire necessary equipment without incurring this particular tax. By broadening the existing exemption, the legislation directly benefits volunteer responders who operate outside of local government units.

Maddy summaryThis bill allocates $6 million in state funds to expand two food assistance programs in North Carolina for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The first $4 million supports FarmSHARE, which provides grants to buy locally grown food and distribute it for free to food-insecure individuals and households. The second $2 million funds the Double Up Food Bucks Program, allowing people receiving nutrition assistance to use their benefits to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets and other local retailers. Both programs require the state department to submit annual reports detailing participation numbers, distribution metrics, and financial data to legislative oversight committees. The legislation takes effect on July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis House resolution encourages Congress to allow states like North Carolina to regulate artificial intelligence for consumer protection purposes. It asserts that state governments should retain the authority to investigate and enforce laws against unfair or deceptive practices involving AI systems. The bill opposes any federal restrictions that would prevent states from applying their existing consumer protection rules to new technologies. Ultimately, it aims to ensure that local laws remain effective in addressing commercial abuses regardless of whether artificial intelligence is used.

Maddy summaryThis bill, titled the Workforce Act of 2026, provides funding and policy changes to expand workforce development programs in North Carolina. It allocates $3.1 million to the Community Colleges System Office to support the ApprenticeshipNC program, which helps connect employers with learners through work-based training. The legislation also directs the Department of Commerce to maintain a list of industry-valued credentials and collect data on wages and job outcomes to better align education with labor market needs. Additionally, it increases financial aid for short-term workforce development grants to help students pursue credentials that are not eligible for federal funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a program to provide free hyperbaric oxygen therapy to North Carolina veterans diagnosed with traumatic brain injury or posttraumatic stress disorder. The legislation appropriates $3 million from the state General Fund to a nonprofit organization to deliver approximately 15,000 treatments to an estimated 350 eligible veterans over the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The program includes structured clinical care and requires the provider to submit a detailed report on outcomes and fund usage by June 2027.

Maddy summaryHB 1116 modifies the North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant Fund to increase financial support for local productions. The bill raises the minimum qualifying expenses required for grants, adjusts the maximum percentage of funding available based on where filming occurs, and increases the overall dollar caps for feature films, television series, and commercials. Additionally, it updates the definition of a highly compensated individual to reflect higher salary thresholds and adjusts how qualifying expenses are calculated by excluding excessive compensation paid to those individuals.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Curriculum Honesty, Compliance, and Child Safety Act, establishes new rules for North Carolina public schools regarding parental rights and curriculum content. It requires schools to obtain parental consent before changing a student's name or gender designation in records and mandates that parents be notified before their child receives counseling related to sexuality or gender identity. Additionally, the legislation prohibits any instruction on gender identity or sexual activity in grades kindergarten through fourth grade, with exceptions only for answering student-initiated questions. The bill also creates mechanisms for enforcement, allowing parents to sue schools for violations and authorizing state auditors to investigate noncompliance.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows parents of students in private schools to use their education savings accounts to pay for one-on-one classroom aides, provided the aide is not a family member or school employee. It also updates the rules for these accounts by clarifying which specific services and expenses are eligible for funding and which are not. The legislation further allocates state funds to increase scholarship amounts for children of wartime veterans and to create new scholarships for them starting in the 2026-2027 school year. These changes apply to the North Carolina Personal Education Student Account program and the Children of Wartime Veterans Scholarship Program.

Maddy summaryHB 434, titled "Lower Healthcare Costs," is a procedural bill focused on updating definitions related to health insurance utilization review in North Carolina. It rewrites statutory definitions (e.g., "medical necessity," "clinical peer," "closely related service") within existing insurance regulations but does not introduce new cost-saving mechanisms or policy changes. The bill directly affects insurers, healthcare providers, and covered individuals by standardizing terminology used in prior authorization processes. As a definition-only update, it has no concrete policy impact on healthcare costs or patient access, and the title does not align with its actual scope.

Maddy summaryHB 491 prepares North Carolina's Medicaid program to implement work requirements if authorized by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It requires the state's Division of Health Benefits to negotiate with CMS, notify oversight committees within 30 days of starting talks, and submit detailed reports after CMS approves any work requirements plan. The bill does not enact work requirements itself but establishes procedures for future implementation, including timelines for reporting funding needs. This would directly affect current Medicaid recipients if CMS approves work requirements, though the bill is procedural and conditional on federal approval. The legislation is currently in committee review and has not yet become law.