Rep. Bill Ward

Maddy summaryHB 996 reduces North Carolina's state budget spending limit by lowering the cap on the General Fund operating budget from 7% to 6% of projected total state personal income each year. This directly affects the state government's annual budget planning, requiring it to spend less relative to the state's economic output. The bill maintains the existing process for exceeding the cap, which still requires a two-thirds vote in both legislative chambers. It takes effect July 1, 2025, for budgets adopted on or after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 991 establishes North Carolina's Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) within the Division of Emergency Management. The team, composed of licensed funeral directors, medical examiners, forensic specialists, and other trained professionals, will respond to disasters by identifying victims, managing remains, coordinating with families, and supporting local mortuaries during mass fatality incidents. It requires the Division to develop a response plan integrated into the state’s Emergency Operations Plan, fund training and equipment, and coordinate with agencies like the Board of Funeral Service. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025, creating a standardized state-level system for handling mortuary needs after disasters.

Maddy summaryHB 354 requires courts in North Carolina to block filings by individuals declared legally incompetent by a court unless submitted through their guardian or attorney. It mandates courts to strike non-compliant filings and issue "gatekeeper orders" to prevent unauthorized submissions. The bill also creates a centralized database for courts to quickly identify individuals with such court declarations. This applies to all civil cases filed or pending after December 1, 2025, directly affecting people declared legally incompetent and their legal representatives.

Maddy summaryHB 123 makes it a crime for health care providers to willfully destroy, alter, or falsify medical records to conceal medical errors causing patient harm, illegally obtain money, or hide facts related to potential legal claims. It creates specific criminal penalties: a serious felony for hiding errors that caused injury or death, a lesser felony for financial gain, and a misdemeanor for other concealment. The law applies to all health care providers and becomes effective December 1, 2025. It explicitly states this does not affect existing civil remedies available to patients.

Maddy summaryHB 397 allows schools in North Carolina to use epinephrine nasal spray as an emergency treatment option alongside traditional auto-injectors for students experiencing anaphylaxis. The bill amends school health policies to include nasal spray devices in the definition of "epinephrine auto-injector delivery systems," requiring all schools to maintain at least two emergency epinephrine supplies (now including nasal spray) in secure but accessible locations. Schools must train staff to recognize anaphylaxis symptoms, store devices properly, and follow emergency action plans developed with school nurses. This applies to public schools, charter schools, and regional schools starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The policy directly affects school staff, students with severe allergies, and school health protocols.

Maddy summaryHB 53 would increase property damage thresholds for classifying at-fault car accidents under North Carolina's Safe Driver Incentive Plan. It raises the "major" accident threshold from $3,850 to $5,975, the "intermediate" range from $2,300-$3,850 to $3,570-$5,975, and sets a new "minor" threshold at $3,570 or less. This change would reduce surcharges for drivers involved in property damage accidents below these higher thresholds. The bill would take effect October 1, 2025, if passed.

Maddy summaryHB 849 would require state, city, or public authorities to pay for relocating utility infrastructure (such as power lines, fiber optic cables, and wireless facilities) when relocation is mandated for federally funded highway projects. The state must cover these costs after deducting any increase in the facility's value or salvage value from the old infrastructure. The bill also mandates that cities reimburse utility companies for relocation expenses within their rights-of-way, though this requirement does not apply to cities with fewer than 5,000 residents unless the project is federally funded.

Maddy summaryHB 878 requires North Carolina public schools to post lesson plans and course materials online within 10 days of use. Schools must display links to instructional materials (like textbooks and digital resources), procedures for reviewing materials, and teacher training details on their websites, organized by subject and grade level. The law applies to all public schools except those with fewer than 30 students total, and teachers may request to use only their last initial for privacy. It does not require posting the actual materials themselves, only links and descriptions, and maintains the information online for two years. This policy directly affects parents, educators, and community members seeking transparency about classroom content.

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 883 establishes a grant program for North Carolina school districts to cover extraordinary costs for students with disabilities, particularly for placements outside regular schools (like private special education programs or homebound settings). School districts can apply for 75% reimbursement of eligible costs - such as specialized staff salaries, materials, or private school tuition - provided these costs exceed four times the state average per-pupil expenditure for disabilities. The bill requires annual IEP reviews, mandates that districts maintain legal responsibility for students in private placements, and directs the Department of Public Instruction to report on placements and costs by March 2026. It appropriates $1 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to fund this program.