Rep. Frances Jackson

Maddy summaryHB 986, "Support Our Teachers," prohibits North Carolina school districts from requiring teachers to post lesson plans or objectives and bans schools from assigning work during teachers' designated lunch breaks. It also mandates that school districts compensate teachers financially for time spent leading professional development sessions for colleagues. The bill directly affects public school teachers and administrators across North Carolina, taking effect for the 2025-2026 school year. These provisions aim to reduce administrative burdens and recognize teachers' time spent in professional roles.

Maddy summaryHB 993 requires homeowners' associations (HOAs) in North Carolina that collect assessments, impose fines, or enforce architectural guidelines to formally incorporate as corporations or LLCs and file annual reports with the Secretary of State. The report must include contact details for board members, management agents, registered office information, and a link to the property's recorded documents. Failure to submit the report by April 15 each year suspends the HOA’s ability to collect assessments or enforce fees until corrected. This applies to all HOAs managing condominiums or planned communities meeting the specified criteria, directly affecting their operational compliance and financial authority.

Maddy summaryHB 1001 requires nursing programs approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing to annually report specific data about graduates of their sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) training programs. These programs must submit on October 1 each year the total number of graduates, each graduate's county of employment, and their planned or current workplace location. The bill directly affects approved nursing education programs, not patients or healthcare providers. This data collection begins on August 1, 2025, to help the Board track SANE workforce distribution. The North Carolina Board of Nursing may create rules to implement these reporting requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 980 removes barriers to employment by ending North Carolina's practice of suspending driver's licenses for unpaid traffic-related fines, fees, or court appearances. It automatically reinstates licenses suspended under these rules without requiring action from the person, waives associated fees, and requires the DMV to notify affected individuals. The bill also mandates data collection on suspended licenses (disaggregated by race, gender, and zip code) and forgives fines for past "Driving While License Revoked" convictions tied to these suspensions. This directly affects North Carolinians whose licenses were suspended solely for unpaid traffic debts or non-appearance, restoring their ability to drive for work or daily needs.

Maddy summaryHB 846 provides tuition discounts for children of teachers with significant experience in North Carolina public schools. Specifically, it offers a 50% tuition discount for children of 12-year teachers, a 75% discount for children of 16-year teachers, and full tuition waivers for children of 20-year teachers (defined as teachers with 20+ years of service). The discounts apply to children aged 17-24 enrolled in college, limited to 54 months for bachelor's degrees or program completion. The bill appropriates $2 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to fund these waivers and requires a report on costs by February 2026. It does not address the broader "retention and recruitment" elements mentioned in the title, as the provided text focuses solely on tuition provisions.

Maddy summaryHB 842 clarifies that North Carolina public schools may conduct vision, hearing, dental, and developmental screenings for students without requiring parental consent, but must notify parents at the start of each school year about all screenings offered and provide results for their child. This bill directly affects parents of students in public schools across North Carolina, particularly for kindergarten through third grade as noted in the bill text. Key provisions require schools to provide written notice of screenings and results to parents (instead of seeking consent for each screening), while maintaining existing requirements for other health services that do require consent. The law updates school health screening procedures under North Carolina General Statutes § 115C-76.46.

Maddy summaryHB 882 requires packaging producers in North Carolina to reduce non-reusable packaging by 10% within two years and 40% by eight years, while ensuring 50% of packaging is recycled within five years and 90% by twelve years. It directly affects manufacturers and sellers of packaged goods sold in the state, mandating they join producer responsibility organizations to meet these targets. The bill also bans intentionally added PFAS (forever chemicals) in covered products and requires packaging to include a minimum amount of postconsumer recycled content. These requirements apply to all packaging used for products sold, offered for sale, or distributed in North Carolina, excluding medical packaging and long-term storage materials. The law aims to reduce plastic waste and toxic chemicals in the state's waste stream through measurable, time-bound producer obligations.

Maddy summaryHB 881 bans the manufacture, use, and distribution of PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) in North Carolina, directly affecting businesses that currently use these chemicals in products like firefighting foam, non-stick coatings, or food packaging. The law requires companies discharging wastewater to disclose PFAS and 1,4-dioxane levels and remove them if feasible, while public water systems must notify customers about PFAS detected in drinking water by June 2025. It establishes civil penalties of up to $25,000 for violations, with stricter fines for repeat offenses. The bill focuses on preventing contamination and protecting public health through these concrete regulatory changes.

Maddy summaryHB 871, the North Carolina Microplastics Study Act, directs the North Carolina Collaboratory at UNC Chapel Hill to study the impacts of microplastics (tiny plastic particles 1 nanometer to 5 millimeters in size) in the state’s waters. The bill requires the Collaboratory to identify microplastics, research their ecological and health effects, develop standardized testing methods, and create a risk assessment framework by collaborating with state agencies like the Department of Environmental Quality. The study must produce a comprehensive report with recommendations for reducing plastic pollution, including potential policy changes, by July 2026. The $150,000 allocated funds the research, public engagement, and report development, but the bill itself does not impose new regulations or directly affect businesses or residents.

Maddy summaryHB 835 requires North Carolina public schools to include age-appropriate lessons about Asian American and Pacific Islander contributions in all K-12 courses starting in the 2026-2027 school year. The bill mandates curriculum covering specific topics, including early immigrant labor (e.g., railroad construction), historical challenges faced by Asian communities, roles in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and contributions to government, arts, sciences, and North Carolina's development. It directly affects all students and educators in North Carolina's public school system by integrating these topics into standard coursework. The law specifies that lessons must be tailored to students' age levels and cover the listed historical and cultural elements.