Rep. Julie von Haefen

Maddy summaryHB 423, the "Skip the Stuff Act," requires restaurants and third-party food delivery platforms in North Carolina to stop automatically providing single-use foodware (like utensils, napkins, and condiment packets) with orders. Instead, customers must actively request these items for take-out, delivery, or dine-in service. The bill exempts delivery-specific safety items (e.g., cup lids) and allows refillable condiment dispensers. It directly affects food establishments and delivery platforms, aiming to reduce unnecessary waste and costs associated with disposable food service items.

Maddy summaryHB 420 allocates $4.3 million annually to fund teacher recruitment programs like "Grow-Your-Own" and "2+2" pathways in high-need schools, targeting efforts to recruit and prepare new educators. It requires the State Board of Education to develop a teacher licensure and compensation reform plan by March 2026, including pathways for new teachers and retention strategies. The bill also funds a study to expand educator preparation programs to graduate 5,000 in-state teachers annually, with a focus on increasing diversity among educators. These provisions directly affect public schools, teacher preparation programs, and prospective teachers through new funding streams and policy requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 403, the "Workers' Rights Act," fundamentally changes employment protections for all North Carolina workers. It abolishes at-will employment (meaning employers can only terminate workers for "just cause"), mandates paid 15-minute breaks for all employees working over 6 hours and a 60-minute paid meal break for longer shifts, and eliminates the subminimum wage for tipped workers by requiring employers to count tips only up to federal limits. The bill also prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who discuss wages or file complaints, and repeals the ban on public employee collective bargaining while creating an Ombuds Office to handle state employee workplace issues. These provisions directly affect every worker in North Carolina and state employees.

Maddy summaryHB 404, the Fair and Affordable Housing Act, requires the Legislative Research Commission to study affordable housing availability across North Carolina - including rural and urban areas - and report findings to the 2026 General Assembly. The bill prohibits housing discrimination based on "source of income" (such as government housing vouchers, disability benefits, or rental assistance), making it illegal for landlords to refuse tenants using these payments. It also appropriates $45 million from the General Fund to the Housing Trust Fund for affordable housing development and bans credit reporting agencies from listing eviction lawsuits that don’t result in a landlord judgment. These changes directly affect renters (especially those using government assistance), landlords, housing providers, and credit agencies in North Carolina.

Maddy summaryHB 137, the "Gabe Torres Act," expands death benefits under North Carolina's Public Safety Employees' Death Benefits Act to include public safety workers (like police, fire, and emergency personnel) who are killed while traveling to or from work. The bill amends the law to define "official duties" to explicitly cover commuting between home and work, as well as travel for training or responding to emergencies. It also appropriates $300,000 in recurring funds for these expanded benefits, effective July 1, 2025. This change directly affects eligible families of covered public safety employees who die during work-related travel, ensuring they qualify for death benefits previously limited to on-duty incidents.

Maddy summaryHB 367 requires North Carolina's State Crime Laboratory to provide sexual assault victims with updates on the status of their examination kits. Victims will be notified if their kit cannot be tested, if testing is declined for reasons other than untestability, or if the kit is scheduled for destruction. The law mandates that the lab develop procedures for these notifications but specifies victims must provide and maintain current contact information. This law takes effect October 1, 2025, applying to all kits submitted before, on, or after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 366 revives North Carolina's pistol permit law and expands it to require permits for purchasing long guns (like shotguns and rifles), in addition to pistols. It directly affects anyone buying firearms within the state, requiring a sheriff-issued permit after a background check and verification of good moral character. The permit, valid for five years, must be presented during purchases and includes security features to prevent counterfeiting. Exemptions apply to antique firearms and historic edged weapons, but the law applies to all other pistol and long gun transactions starting December 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 371 requires North Carolina's Division of Motor Vehicles to provide driver's license handbooks and written tests in Khmer and any language spoken by at least 2% of the state's population. This directly affects applicants who speak these languages by offering materials in their preferred language during the licensing process. The key provision mandates the DMV to add these language options to its standard services, moving beyond English-only requirements. The law takes effect on January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 345 recognizes legal rights for the Dan and Haw River ecosystems in North Carolina, granting them the right to exist, flourish, and maintain natural functions like clean water and biodiversity. It directly affects these specific river watersheds - including all species, tributaries, and dependent ecosystems - and requires state environmental agencies (DEQ, DNR, Wildlife Commission) to protect these rights. The bill establishes that the rivers possess inherent rights to natural water flow, restoration, and freedom from pollution, shifting legal focus from merely regulating human activity to upholding the rivers' ecological health as a legal priority.

Maddy summaryHB 353, the Fair Minimum Wage Act, raises North Carolina's state minimum wage in staged increases, starting at $10 per hour on January 1, 2026, and reaching $18 per hour by January 1, 2030. After 2030, the wage will automatically adjust annually based on inflation using the Consumer Price Index. The bill directly affects hourly workers and employers across North Carolina, requiring higher pay for all covered employees. It also adds provisions allowing workers to recover unpaid wages plus interest, attorney fees, and court costs if employers fail to pay correctly.