Rep. Bill Ward

Maddy summaryHB 55 appropriates $250,000 annually from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services for the Autism Society of North Carolina's IGNITE Program. The funds will support activities and education groups designed to help young adults with autism develop independence and social skills during their transition to adulthood. This recurring funding applies to the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium and becomes effective July 1, 2025. The bill directly affects the Autism Society of North Carolina and the young adults with autism it serves through the IGNITE Program.

Maddy summaryHB 54 allocates $125,000 annually from the General Fund (2025-2027) to fund training programs developed by the NC Association of People Supporting Employment First (NC APSE). The training, delivered via online modules, will help employers, service providers, and other entities support individuals with serious mental illness, intellectual disabilities, or developmental disabilities in finding and keeping competitive jobs. It focuses on evidence-based supported employment practices to improve job placement and retention. The bill directly affects individuals with these disabilities and the organizations that serve them, with training available statewide starting July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 36 requires North Carolina's Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to improve maintenance at all four state veterans cemeteries, directly affecting veterans' families and cemetery operations. The bill mandates addressing specific issues like headstone installation delays, equipment damage to graves, drainage problems, debris, and poor grounds appearance, while allowing military groups to volunteer for upkeep. It also directs the department to review and adjust funeral service policies, including chapel-only options, service duration, attendee limits, and grave visitation rules during services. The department must submit a report on these changes to legislative committees by October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis resolution directs North Carolina's Secretary of State to formally request Congress to call a constitutional convention aimed at imposing term limits on members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The bill specifies that this application will be combined with similar requests from other states to reach the two-thirds threshold required to trigger the convention, while remaining separate from applications for other constitutional changes. It establishes this request as a continuing application that remains active until enough states have submitted identical petitions. Ultimately, the measure does not change any current laws but serves as an official step in the process of potentially amending the U.S. Constitution.

Maddy summaryThis amendment to House Bill 10 allocates $278,994 annually from the state's General Fund to hire two full-time jail inspectors for the 2023-2025 fiscal period. The funds are directed to the Department of Health and Human Services to support the Division of Health Services Regulation in its construction section. These positions become effective on July 1, 2023, and the amendment also updates the bill's title to reflect the addition of these inspector roles.

Maddy summaryThe Disaster Recovery Act of 2024 establishes two separate state funds to manage financial relief for damage caused by Hurricane Helene and Potential Tropical Cyclone #8. The first fund, for Hurricane Helene, is restricted to counties declared major disasters by the federal government plus Nash County, while the second fund is dedicated exclusively to Brunswick and New Hanover Counties. Both funds are administered by the Office of State Budget and Management and require state agencies to justify expenses based on demonstrated needs. Additionally, the bill extends the statewide state of emergency declaration until March 1, 2025, to support ongoing recovery efforts. Any unspent money in these funds must be returned to the state treasury by June 30, 2030, unless the General Assembly decides otherwise.

Maddy summaryThis law prohibits any North Carolina state agency or court from accepting payments made with central bank digital currency issued by the Federal Reserve. It also bars these government entities from participating in any testing programs for such digital currencies run by the Federal Reserve. The bill defines central bank digital currency as a digital form of money directly issued or validated by the Federal Reserve System or a federal agency. Although the Governor vetoed the measure, it became law over his objections and applies immediately to all state institutions.

Maddy summaryThis bill codifies North Carolina's laws regarding tenancy in common, which allows multiple people to own a property separately without the right of survivorship. It clarifies how such ownership is created, defines specific terms like "actual ouster," and sets rules for how married couples holding property as tenants in common are treated. The legislation also includes changes to notary public laws, prohibits local governments from banning landlords from refusing tenants based on federal housing assistance income, and adjusts procedures for small claims court and eviction cases.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows patients with life-threatening or severely debilitating conditions in North Carolina to access custom-made investigational drugs, biological products, or devices that are not yet approved by the federal government. To qualify, a patient must have a doctor confirm that standard FDA-approved treatments are unlikely to help and must provide written informed consent acknowledging the risks and potential costs. The law requires that the patient or their guardian understands they are personally responsible for any expenses related to the treatment unless a separate contract states otherwise. Additionally, the bill clarifies that using these individualized treatments may temporarily remove a patient's eligibility for hospice care, though that eligibility can be restored if the treatment stops.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates North Carolina's sex crime laws by creating new offenses for sexual extortion and refining definitions related to the sexual exploitation of minors. It specifically addresses the threat of sharing private images to force someone into acts, defining "private images" to include those created or modified by artificial intelligence, and establishes felony penalties for adults while imposing stricter penalties on repeat offenders. Additionally, the legislation clarifies what constitutes an "identifiable minor" in digital media and expands the scope of protected material to include computer-generated depictions, ensuring that laws cover images produced through modern technology.