Rep. Renée Price

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the property tax exemption for disabled veterans and their surviving spouses in North Carolina by increasing the excluded home value from $45,000 to the entire appraised value of the primary residence. To offset the resulting loss in local tax revenue, the state will reimburse counties and cities for the taxes they no longer collect from these exempt properties. The legislation also allocates $100,000 to cover administrative costs and sets the changes to take effect for tax years beginning on or after July 1, 2027.

Maddy summaryHB 1129 allows residential customers in North Carolina to install and operate small, portable solar panels up to 1.2 kilowatts without needing approval or paying extra fees from their electric power supplier. The bill requires these devices to be safety-certified, comply with electrical codes, and include a feature that stops them from sending power to the grid during an outage, while also exempting them from standard net metering rules. Additionally, the law prevents landlords of larger rental properties from blocking tenants from placing these devices on their units, provided the installation does not block emergency exits or cause property damage.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a two-year pilot program to test hovercraft ferries on the Hatteras-Ocracoke route, aiming to improve travel times and reduce the need for expensive channel dredging. The North Carolina Department of Transportation will issue a request for proposals to lease or buy suitable hovercrafts and implement a fare system that is free for island residents but charges a fee for visitors. A feasibility study will evaluate the long-term benefits of replacing the current diesel fleet, including environmental impacts and financial viability, with reports due in early 2027. To fund this initiative, the state will allocate $25 million from the General Fund for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, effective July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill strengthens traffic safety and law enforcement in Mecklenburg County by funding 12 new State Trooper positions and five additional magistrates, effective in 2026. It increases fines for failing to stop for school buses and expands the use of vehicle registration records as initial proof of driver responsibility in such cases. The legislation also restricts public access to video footage from highway cameras, allowing disclosure only to specific individuals involved in the recorded incident or their legal representatives. Furthermore, the bill raises penalties for moving over violations and street takeover incidents, establishes reckless boating as a criminal offense, and increases fines for assaulting public transit workers.

Maddy summaryHB 1116 modifies the North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant Fund to increase financial support for local productions. The bill raises the minimum qualifying expenses required for grants, adjusts the maximum percentage of funding available based on where filming occurs, and increases the overall dollar caps for feature films, television series, and commercials. Additionally, it updates the definition of a highly compensated individual to reflect higher salary thresholds and adjusts how qualifying expenses are calculated by excluding excessive compensation paid to those individuals.

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill appropriates $11.5 million for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to improve state government services and workforce programs. The Department of Information Technology will receive $11.5 million to create an artificial intelligence assistant that helps users navigate state agency websites and connects them with local workforce resources. Additionally, the Department of Commerce will get $20 million to fund local boards in designing job training programs specifically for veterans and individuals reentering society after incarceration. A separate $1.5 million allocation supports career planning tools for working adults. The legislation takes effect on July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes constitutional changes to North Carolina property tax laws, with a primary focus on allowing the state to use area median income as a standard for granting tax relief. It also modifies the existing homestead circuit breaker to adjust income eligibility limits and expands funding for property reappraisals. Because the core amendment requires voter approval, the bill currently sets up a referendum to be voted on by the public in November 2026. If approved, the change would enable the General Assembly to create property tax exemptions based on local income levels across the state. Additionally, the legislation updates rules for nonprofit housing exemptions and directs grant money to county commissioners to support more frequent property valuations.

Maddy summaryHB 662 provides $40.48 million over two years for salary increases to North Carolina State Highway Patrol officers based on experience and rank, with starting pay at $56,000 and top ranks reaching $224,612 annually. It requires the Patrol to create policies allowing officers to take secondary jobs (e.g., security work) without conflicts of interest or performance issues, effective July 2025. The bill also allocates $3.25 million for bulletproof glass on all Highway Patrol and Capitol Police vehicles and $643,150 for infrastructure at the Huntersville station. These changes directly affect current and retired Highway Patrol members, aiming to improve recruitment, retention, and officer safety through concrete funding and policy adjustments.

Maddy summaryHB 1066, the Child Care Stabilization and Affordability Act, aims to address North Carolina's child care shortages by redirecting funds from the Opportunity Scholarship Program to support child care services. The bill reduces scholarship funding for private school vouchers, with the savings used to expand child care subsidies, stabilize existing programs, and improve early childhood educator pay and benefits. It also streamlines administrative rules for child care providers and clarifies regulations for religious programs. These changes directly affect families seeking child care subsidies, private school scholarship recipients, and child care providers across the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new loan program in North Carolina to help nonprofit organizations prepare land for affordable housing by offering below-market interest rate loans. The funds, totaling $50 million for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, can only be used for site-related expenses like land acquisition, utility installation, and environmental testing, but not for building the actual homes. To qualify, borrowers must be experienced nonprofits that provide zero-interest mortgages to buyers and ensure at least 40% of units in mixed-income projects are reserved for low- and moderate-income families. The program is designed to support the development of housing for households earning up to 80% of the local area median income.