Maddy summaryHB 1042 establishes a reimbursement program in North Carolina to help cover veterinary expenses for retired law enforcement and correctional dogs. To qualify, the dogs must have served in official capacities such as detection, apprehension, or search and rescue and hold certification from a national organization. Owners can apply for up to $1,500 annually for essential care like check-ups, vaccinations, emergency surgeries, and euthanasia, but not for elective procedures. The Department of Public Safety will manage a dedicated fund, initially seeded with $300,000, to process these claims and maintain records. The law applies to dogs retiring on or after July 1, 2024, and allows owners to participate voluntarily without affecting any other existing benefits.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryHB 1029 allows patients with life-threatening or severely debilitating illnesses to access custom-made investigational drugs, biological products, or devices that are tailored to their specific genetic profiles. To qualify, a patient must consult with a treating physician, confirm that standard FDA-approved treatments are unlikely to help, and provide written informed consent acknowledging the risks and potential costs. The bill permits manufacturers to offer these treatments for free or at the patient's expense while explicitly stating that health insurance plans are not required to cover these costs. Additionally, the legislation protects doctors from disciplinary action for recommending such treatments and ensures that a patient's heirs are not held financially responsible for any outstanding debts related to the therapy if the patient passes away.
Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill requires health insurance plans sold in the state to cover transcranial magnetic stimulation services without denying, reducing, or limiting reimbursement for properly submitted claims. It specifically protects licensed healthcare providers from being penalized based on their medical specialty when submitting these claims. To support this change, the state will allocate one million dollars to the North Carolina State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees to ensure compliance. The law takes effect on October 1, 2024, for new, renewed, or amended insurance contracts.
Maddy summaryThis bill directs the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory to conduct a study on how proposed changes to the county tier designation system would affect the state's 100 counties. The study will examine potential adjustments to the criteria for ranking counties, the method used to assign tiers, and the timeline for these rankings. It will also assess how these changes impact state programs, business operations, and the accuracy of identifying distressed areas using current data. Funded with $100,000, the Collaboratory must submit a preliminary report by December 31, 2024, and a final report by December 1, 2025, to legislative oversight committees.
Maddy summaryThis bill addresses vacancies on the Town Council of Stanley, North Carolina, by clarifying that any empty seats should be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term. It achieves this by updating a local ordinance to explicitly state that remaining council members must appoint individuals to these vacant positions. The law applies to any vacancies that occur on or after the date it becomes effective.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires University of North Carolina schools with large enrollments to play football and basketball games against each other and against smaller UNC schools. It mandates that big schools play at least one game per year against other large UNC schools and every six years against smaller ones, alternating home and away matchups. The legislation also provides $1 million in funding to inform the public about these new competition rules, which would begin applying to the 2025-2026 academic year.
Maddy summaryHB 935 reorganizes the Advisory Council on Rare Diseases in North Carolina by moving it from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill establishes a 19-member council composed of physicians, researchers, patient advocates, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to advise state leaders on rare disease research, diagnosis, treatment, and education. Key provisions include setting specific term lengths for members, providing administrative support and funding for the council's operations, and requiring annual reports on council activities and recommendations.
Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment to North Carolina that would restrict voting rights exclusively to United States citizens who are at least 18 years old. The legislation does not change the current law immediately but instead places the amendment on the ballot for the November 5, 2024, general election for voters to decide. If approved by a majority of voters, the change would permanently update the state constitution to ensure only citizens can vote in any election. If voters reject the proposal, the amendment will not take effect and the current voting rules will remain unchanged.