Rep. Robert Reives

Maddy summaryHB 346 directs the State Board of Community Colleges to adjust how full-time equivalent (FTE) students are calculated for Central Carolina Community College's Harnett and Chatham main campuses. Specifically, it requires combining the FTE from each main campus with the FTE from its respective Health Sciences Center. This adjustment is made to help these campuses maintain their multicampus center status.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 515, the North Carolina Economic Abuse Prevention Act, creates a new legal framework to protect survivors of domestic violence and children in foster care from "coerced debt." It defines coerced debt as debt incurred through duress, intimidation, or undue influence and provides pathways for individuals to notify creditors of such debt using specific documentation. Upon receiving adequate documentation, creditors must pause collection efforts while reviewing the claim. The bill also establishes that a person who causes another to incur coerced debt is civilly liable to the claimant for the debt amount, attorney's fees, and costs.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 520 aims to protect North Carolina citizens and businesses from deceptive telemarketing practices, particularly those involving misleading caller ID. The bill establishes that a telephone number is the property of the subscriber and prohibits telephone solicitors from misrepresenting the origin of a call or transmitting misleading caller identification information. It also prevents telephone carriers from knowingly providing subscriber numbers to entities that will violate these provisions. Individuals who receive calls in violation of the misleading caller ID rules can sue for civil damages, including an additional $10,000 fine for each knowing violation. Knowing violations of the caller ID provision are also classified as a Class H felony.

Maddy summaryHB 552 establishes the Agricultural Manufacturing Investment Grant Account within North Carolina's One North Carolina Fund, allocating up to $5 million for new economic development incentives. This account provides competitive grants to eligible agricultural manufacturers in the state. The Department of Commerce will administer these grants, prioritizing projects in less developed areas, those using advanced agricultural technologies, or those with significant research and development. To qualify, recipients must commit to investing at least $5 million of private funds, employ a minimum of 25 full-time employees, and meet specific wage requirements. Grants are capped at $100,000 annually per recipient for up to five years.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 283 establishes the Small Business Investment Grant (SBIG) Program within the One North Carolina Fund, designed to provide financial assistance to eligible small businesses looking to establish or expand facilities in the state. The bill allocates up to $10 million from the Fund to this new account. Through the SBIG Program, competitive grants are offered to businesses meeting specific criteria, such as having 250 or fewer employees or less than $5 million in annual revenue, investing $10-$30 million, and creating new jobs with competitive wages. Grants are capped at $500,000 annually per recipient, up to $2.5 million total, over a maximum of five years. Additionally, the bill renames the "One North Carolina Small Business Account" to the "Small Business Research and Technology Account," which continues to support federal SBIR/STTR grant incentive and matching programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new State Infrastructure Bank Board in North Carolina to manage federal, state, and private funding for transportation, water, and sewer infrastructure projects. The Board will be composed of six state officials including the Secretaries of Commerce, Transportation, and Environmental Quality, along with the State Treasurer, Auditor, and Budget Officer, and will operate independently within the Department of Commerce. It authorizes the Board to provide loans and financial assistance to local governments and toll authorities for infrastructure development, requiring repayment with interest and security based on project revenues or other assets. The legislation also establishes specific accounting procedures for the bank's funds, outlines rules for loan approval, and transfers existing infrastructure bank funds to this new Board, with an effective date of July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 976 enacts the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act, establishing specific procedures for dividing or selling real property commonly owned by relatives, referred to as "heirs property." This bill affects cotenants involved in partition proceedings for such property. It requires courts to first determine if the property qualifies as heirs property and then mandates a fair market value appraisal. A key provision allows cotenants who wish to retain the property to buy out the interests of those who requested a sale, based on the determined value.

Maddy summaryHB 97 adds stomach cancer (gastric cancer) to the list of occupationally related cancers that qualify firefighters for "killed in the line of duty" benefits under North Carolina's Public Safety Employees' Death Benefits Act. This means firefighters who die from stomach cancer directly linked to their firefighting duties will automatically be eligible for death benefits, easing the process for families seeking compensation. The bill appropriates $500,000 annually from 2025-2027 to cover these benefits. It takes effect July 1, 2025, applying to qualifying deaths occurring on or after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 512 creates an exemption to the practice of veterinary medicine for emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. This allows EMS personnel, excluding dispatchers, to provide emergency medical transport and services to injured K-9 police animals or certified search and rescue dogs at an emergency scene. The bill also grants limited immunity from prosecution for EMS personnel who act in good faith when providing such care. However, this immunity does not extend to gross negligence, wanton conduct, or intentional wrongdoing.

Maddy summaryHB 254 designates the fourth Thursday of March each year as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day in North Carolina. This officially recognizes and honors the legacy of the African-American pilots, navigators, bombardiers, instructors, and support staff who trained at Tuskegee Institute from 1941 to 1949.