Rep. Maria Cervania

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 820 requires health benefit plans in North Carolina to provide coverage for early refills of prescription eye drops. This means insurers cannot deny a refill for a 30-day supply if at least 21 days have passed since the last fill, or if the patient has used 70% of the medication according to their healthcare provider's instructions. The bill also specifies that the requested refill must not exceed the total number of refills indicated on the original prescription. These requirements apply to all health benefit plans, including the State Health Plan, with an effective date of October 1, 2025, or the subsequent plan year.

Maddy summaryHB 218 requires the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to include a request for emergency contact information on applications for drivers' licenses, learners' permits, and identification cards. This applies to both new applications and renewal applications. Providing this emergency contact information will be optional for the applicant. The act is set to become effective on October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 114 (Employment Preference for Military Personnel) updates North Carolina's state employment policy to expand eligibility for hiring preference. It removes the requirement that military service must have occurred during a "period of war" and now includes active-duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and their spouses/dependents in the preference program. The bill ensures state departments, agencies, and institutions must grant hiring preference to qualifying individuals (including active-duty personnel during service) for all employment events like initial hires, promotions, and transfers. This change directly affects military service members, their families, and North Carolina state employers by broadening who qualifies for employment preference without wartime service restrictions.

Maddy summaryHB 671 establishes a four-year pilot program (2025-2026 through 2028-2029) that provides grants to North Carolina public high schools (grades 9-12) to form or support competitive speech and debate teams. Schools can receive up to $10,000 per team annually, covering coach stipends (capped at $2,500 for lead coaches and $1,500 for assistants) and competition expenses like travel and league fees. Participating schools must join the Tarheel Forensic League and National Speech and Debate Association, and the program allows students from schools without teams to join the nearest team (with students covering their own transportation). Funded by $500,000 yearly from the General Fund, the Department of Public Instruction will administer the program and report annually on grant usage and student academic outcomes.

Maddy summaryHB 699 would have prohibited North Carolina sheriffs from firing deputy sheriffs or other employees in their office for failing to make campaign contributions to the sheriff or the sheriff's campaign committee. This directly affects sheriff's office employees who could previously face employment consequences based on political donations. The bill's key provision would have made it illegal for sheriffs to use campaign contributions as a factor in hiring, firing, or disciplinary decisions. It represents a policy change to prevent coercion of employees through campaign donation requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 951 requires North Carolina to use state-owned property for childcare, directly affecting state employees, first responders, and community college staff/students. It mandates that new or renovated state buildings costing over $5 million include childcare or adult care centers if serving 250+ people, and creates a $5 million pilot program to establish three state employee childcare centers on unused state property. The bill also allocates $6 million for county grants to fund third-shift childcare for first responders in unused county buildings and requires feasibility studies for childcare at all community colleges and UNC campuses. These provisions include specific funding, reporting deadlines, and requirements for apprenticeship programs linking childcare centers with educational institutions.

Maddy summaryHB 885 revises North Carolina public school discipline policies to limit suspensions, prohibit corporal punishment, and improve parental notification. It defines suspension lengths (short-term up to 20 days, long-term over 43 days), bans corporal punishment entirely, and requires schools to make documented, multi-channel attempts to contact parents within one hour of disciplinary actions. The bill mandates schools to collect and publicly report demographic data (race, gender, disability status, etc.) on all suspensions, expulsions, and disciplinary actions. These changes directly affect all public school students in North Carolina, with specific restrictions on suspending kindergarten through third graders and requiring in-school suspension to not exceed 40 cumulative days per year.

Maddy summaryHB 938, the Right to Repair Digital Electronics Act, requires manufacturers of digital electronics sold or used in North Carolina to provide independent repair shops and product owners with free access to diagnostic tools, repair information, and service parts at fair and reasonable prices. It mandates that manufacturers make available the same diagnostic software, firmware updates, and repair documentation they provide to their own authorized repair networks. The law prohibits manufacturers from forcing authorized repair providers to use proprietary formats if standardized alternatives exist, while protecting trade secrets and existing repair agreements. This directly affects independent repair businesses, owners of digital devices (like smartphones and computers), and manufacturers selling such products in the state.

Maddy summaryHB 937 allocates $11 million annually from North Carolina's sports betting tax revenue to provide salary supplements for public school athletic coaches. It requires eligible public school units to ensure each full-time coach receives a combined total of at least $3,000 per year in state and local funds, with schools maintaining prior non-state funding levels for coaches. Schools that replace state funds with local money forfeit future state allocations, and unspent funds flow to the North Carolina YMCA Alliance for youth sports programs. The bill applies to all public school athletic coaches meeting specific eligibility criteria and takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Maddy summaryHB 952 establishes the North Carolina Child Care Finance Agency to provide loans and bonds for constructing or rehabilitating childcare facilities. The agency will prioritize small providers (under 10 locations), high-quality licensed centers, faith-based organizations, and businesses offering on-site childcare for employees. It directly affects childcare providers, employers with childcare programs, and families seeking affordable, accessible care by financing facility development. This policy change creates a dedicated state mechanism to address North Carolina’s childcare shortage through targeted infrastructure investment.