Rep. William Brisson

Maddy summaryHB 275 increases penalties for drivers who fail to yield the right-of-way to blind or partially blind pedestrians using a white cane (white or red-tipped) or a guide dog. It requires drivers to come to a full stop, leave a clear path, and remain stopped until the pedestrian has crossed at both uncontrolled intersections and signal-controlled crossings where the pedestrian is already moving when lights change. This bill directly affects drivers operating vehicles in North Carolina and blind/partially blind pedestrians using visible signals. The penalty for violating this law becomes a Class 2 misdemeanor, effective December 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 184 allows small North Carolina sawmills (those milling under 1 million board feet annually) to sell ungraded lumber directly to homeowners for residential construction. The bill amends building codes to permit this ungraded "dimension lumber" in one- and two-family homes and certain small structures, provided mills meet specific requirements. These include operators holding state-approved lumber grading training certifications, marking lumber with detailed specifications (species, mill ID, PS20 compliance), and providing purchaser certificates. Code officials must review construction for safety compliance (excluding grade-stamp requirements) and are protected from liability for structural issues related to ungraded lumber use. The law aims to support local sawmills while maintaining safety standards through defined labeling, training, and oversight.

Maddy summaryHB 28, the "Gun Violence Prevention Act," creates a new criminal offense for individuals convicted of a felony who possess a firearm or "weapon of mass death and destruction" (as defined in state law) during the commission or attempt of another felony. It imposes stricter penalties: a Class C felony if the weapon is discharged, Class D for brandishing (displaying the weapon), and Class F for other violations. This law applies specifically to convicted felons who already face restrictions on firearm possession, treating this additional offense as separate from the underlying felony. The bill takes effect December 1, 2025, for offenses committed on or after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 237 updates North Carolina's child welfare laws to prioritize the best interests of juveniles in court decisions. It expands definitions of "abused" and "neglected" juveniles to include cases involving parental substance abuse (including exposure in utero) and clarifies that substance abuse alone cannot justify removing a child if parents are enrolled in treatment. The bill requires courts to first consider placing children with relatives before foster care, mandates social services to notify relatives about siblings in custody, and eliminates "reasonable efforts" for reunification when parents have chronic substance abuse issues affecting the child. These changes directly affect juvenile court cases, social services departments, and parents involved in child welfare proceedings.

Maddy summaryHB 182 creates two key policy changes: First, it allows judges to issue lifetime no-contact orders against defendants convicted of certain violent offenses (including sex offenses requiring registration), requiring a show-cause hearing to determine if the victim fears future contact. Second, it clarifies that caregivers of children under 16 who commit or allow sexual acts with the child face Class D felony charges, specifically expanding penalties for permitting such abuse. The law directly affects victims of violent crimes (through the no-contact protections) and caregivers of children under 16 (through updated felony charges for sexual abuse). These provisions apply to offenses committed on or after December 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 396 establishes a Nursing Fellows Program at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) to provide forgivable loans to nursing students. The program targets WSSU students pursuing Bachelor of Science in Nursing or Master of Science in Nursing Education degrees who commit to working as nurses or nursing instructors in North Carolina after graduation. Eligible students receive up to $5,000 per semester (or $2,500 per summer) to cover tuition, fees, and books, with loans forgiven upon meeting service requirements. Funds are managed through a dedicated Trust Fund, with specific allocations for administrative costs, mentoring, and program activities. This directly affects WSSU nursing students planning to work in North Carolina healthcare settings.

Maddy summaryHB 276 expands the definition of "killed in the line of duty" for firefighters to include deaths caused by specific cancers that previously qualified them for benefits under North Carolina's Firefighters' Cancer Insurance Program. The bill adds seven specific cancers (like mesothelioma and testicular cancer) to the list and includes any cancer diagnosis that already provided benefits under the existing program. It also formally links the Firefighters' Health Benefits Pilot Program to the Cancer Insurance Program, ensuring consistent coverage, and appropriates $2 million annually for related death benefits starting July 1, 2025. This change directly affects firefighters diagnosed with covered cancers and their families, who will now qualify for death benefits under the Public Safety Employees' Death Benefits Act.

Maddy summaryHB 242 adds freestanding psychiatric hospitals (licensed, Medicare-certified facilities primarily providing psychiatric care that are not state-owned) to North Carolina’s Medicaid Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program (HASP). This expands the existing program - which currently reimburses acute care hospitals - to include these psychiatric hospitals, providing them with increased Medicaid reimbursements. The funding will come from a new quarterly assessment levied on the psychiatric hospitals themselves, calculated as a percentage of their hospital costs. The bill does not change patient eligibility but alters how these specific hospitals receive Medicaid payments through the HASP program.

Maddy summaryHB 334 adopts the Uniform Community Property Disposition at Death Act for North Carolina, applying to property acquired during a marriage or domestic partnership. It automatically grants the surviving partner half of all community property (like homes, savings, or income earned together during the relationship) without needing a will, while the other half can be left to others via the decedent’s will. The law covers most property held as community property but excludes items already split or reclassified by the couple, or property transferred through trusts or survivorship rights. This replaces current rules to align with similar laws in other states, affecting married or domestic partner couples owning shared assets in North Carolina.

Maddy summaryHB 289 adds one new seat to North Carolina's Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission, specifically allowing the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association (PBA) to select a full-time sworn law enforcement officer to serve on the Commission. This amendment increases the Commission's membership from 35 to 36 members by adding the PBA representative to the existing list of appointed positions. The initial appointee selected by the PBA would serve a three-year term beginning July 1, 2025, with subsequent appointees serving three-year terms as determined by the PBA. The bill does not change training standards or requirements, only the composition of the Commission that oversees them.