Rep. Zack Hawkins

Maddy summaryHB 788 ("Fix Our Democracy") proposes amending the North Carolina Constitution to establish a nonpartisan redistricting process for state legislative and U.S. House districts. It would require a constitutional amendment (voting required in 2026) to remove the General Assembly's role in drawing districts, mandating that districts be contiguous, avoid dividing counties where possible, and remain unchanged until the next census. The bill also includes related provisions like online voter registration, automatic registration, banning voter roll purging, and campaign finance transparency changes. This constitutional change would directly affect how electoral districts are created for state legislators and U.S. representatives in North Carolina.

Maddy summaryHB 816, the Voucher School Transparency Act, requires nonpublic schools receiving Opportunity Scholarship funds in North Carolina to meet new reporting and accountability standards. These schools must annually provide parents with student test scores, maintain criminal background checks for staff with decision-making authority, administer standardized tests for grades 3+, and submit financial audits to the state if enrolling 70+ scholarship students or receiving $100,000+ in funds. The bill also mandates detailed annual data submissions to the state Division, including enrollment, teacher licensing, facility safety, and disability support compliance. The State Auditor must annually review audits of at least three such schools to ensure accountability. This directly affects voucher-funded nonpublic schools and their reporting practices, not public schools or general education policies.

Maddy summaryHB 809 amends North Carolina law to include students enrolled in the state's NC Pre-K program within the average daily membership count for local school districts. Specifically, it requires school boards participating in NC Pre-K to count Pre-K students receiving instruction in school-owned buildings toward their district's daily membership calculation. This change directly affects school districts that operate or host NC Pre-K programs in their facilities, as it will increase their reported student count for state funding purposes. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025, altering how school funding is calculated for participating districts.

Maddy summaryHB 810, effective July 1, 2025, provides North Carolina state employees with paid bereavement leave: up to 40 hours for the death of an immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, sibling, or dependent living with them) and up to 8 hours for the death of a colleague. It applies to all state employees, public school staff, and community college workers, requiring documentation like a death certificate but allowing leave without exhausting sick or vacation time. Employees must use family leave within 180 days of the death and provide funeral attendance proof for colleague leave, with no annual limit on usage. The bill appropriates $2 million annually from the General Fund to cover these leave costs through the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium.

Maddy summaryHB 798 appropriates $1.72 million annually from the General Fund to create a Cold Weather Shelters Grant Program, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging. The program provides grants to municipalities and nonprofits to establish or expand temporary emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness during severe weather events. Grants are limited to $215,000 per recipient annually, with selection considering poverty rates in the service area and existing funding availability. Recipients must report annually on shelter usage, funds spent, and the number of people served, starting in 2027.

Maddy summaryHB 764 creates new criminal offenses for causing death or serious injury through reckless boating in North Carolina. It defines "Death by Reckless Boating" and "Serious Injury by Reckless Boating" as unintentionally harming others while operating a vessel recklessly (but not impaired), with "Aggravated" versions applying to those with prior reckless boating convictions within seven years. Penalties range from a Class A1 misdemeanor for basic death cases to a Class F felony for aggravated death incidents. The bill also prevents double prosecution for the same incident under both this law and manslaughter statutes. This directly affects boat operators whose reckless actions cause harm, establishing specific legal consequences for those offenses.

Maddy summaryHB 783 appropriates $100,000 from North Carolina's General Fund for Sidekicks Academy, Inc. to support its Durham Public Schools program. The funds will cover $90,000 for student training gear, safety equipment, tournaments, and staff salaries, plus $10,000 for field trips to Taekwondo tournaments, museums, and college events. The program directly serves marginalized students by combining martial arts training, character development, and community support to create a safe learning environment. This is a funding measure with no policy changes, solely providing financial support to an existing community program.

Maddy summaryHB 786, the "Working Families Act," reduces child care costs for low-income families by lowering parent copayments from 10% to 7% of income (effective 2025), reinstates a refundable state child tax credit with income-based payments (effective 2025), and phases up North Carolina’s minimum wage to $15/hour by 2030 with annual inflation adjustments. It also increases income limits for property tax relief, creates a homebuyers’ assistance program for public servants (like firefighters and EMTs) as first-time buyers, and establishes a paid family leave insurance program funded through an employer grant program. The bill directly affects working families, hourly workers, public-sector employees, and households using subsidized child care or property tax relief. Key mechanisms include phased wage increases, income-tiered tax credits, and targeted housing support, all designed to reduce financial strain on low-to-moderate-income households.

Maddy summaryHB 774 ("School Breakfast for All") mandates that all North Carolina public schools (pre-K through 12) provide free breakfast to every student, eliminating costs for families. It establishes a Farm-to-Table Initiative requiring schools to partner with local farmers for fresh, locally sourced ingredients in breakfast meals. The bill allocates $39 million in recurring state funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to cover program costs, while requiring annual reports on participation rates, costs, and impacts on student health and academic performance. This directly affects all public school students, school districts, and North Carolina agricultural producers.

Maddy summaryHB 785 requires North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction to study how local school districts can better use existing education funding by combining or transferring budget categories (like classroom materials or staff costs). The study will identify where more flexibility could help schools meet student and staff needs, with a report due to lawmakers by April 2026. The state will provide $50,000 in one-time funding for this research during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. This bill does not change current funding rules but sets up a review process to potentially recommend future adjustments.