Rep. Amanda Cook

Maddy summaryHB 1107 allocates $2 million in recurring state funds to support families who provide foster care in North Carolina. Beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, these funds will be distributed to county social services departments based on documented need to help with recruiting, training, and supporting foster families. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2026, and aims to assist the Division of Social Services in its efforts to maintain foster care placements.

Maddy summaryHB 1096, the First in Flight Act, allocates state funding to support North Carolina's aerospace industry and airport infrastructure. The bill creates a new aviation capital project account to provide grants to airports for modernization projects, provided those projects are linked to agreements with aerospace businesses. Additionally, it establishes an aerospace apprenticeship program and funds community college training initiatives to develop a skilled workforce in the sector. These measures aim to strengthen the state's economic position in aviation by improving facilities and expanding educational opportunities.

Maddy summaryHB 1130 aims to improve conditions for public school teachers and instructional staff in North Carolina by adjusting pay structures and offering financial incentives for advanced certification. The bill reinstates education-based salary supplements for the 2025-2026 school year and allocates funds to support these payments starting in 2026-2027. It also establishes a forgivable loan program to help teachers cover the costs of obtaining National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification, provided they achieve this credential within five years. Additionally, the legislation sets a new monthly salary schedule based on years of experience and grants a 12% monthly salary increase to teachers who hold NBPTS certification. Local school administrators will gain more flexibility in setting school calendars as part of the broader changes to teacher employment and quality of life.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates the Affordable Maternal Access and Cancer Care Act to improve health outcomes for marginalized groups in North Carolina by establishing two new programs. The first part sets up a grant program that provides funding to community-led organizations to address maternal mortality and severe illness among underserved populations, with a focus on supporting social needs like housing, nutrition, and transportation. The second part ensures that patients do not face higher costs for necessary breast imaging tests compared to standard screening mammograms. The legislation appropriates five million dollars for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to fund these initiatives and hire staff to manage the grants.

Maddy summaryThis bill allocates $7.5 million in state funds to help counties support people participating in local judicially managed accountability and recovery courts. The money will be given out through a competitive grant process to pay for job training, transportation, and other employment-related costs like tools or childcare. These services must be tailored to each participant's individual recovery and treatment plans and can be provided by community colleges, workforce boards, or other approved organizations. Counties are limited to receiving up to $150,000 per year unless they request an exception based on specific needs, and officials will report on how the funds are used and the results achieved.

Maddy summaryHB 1091, known as the DWI Modernization Act of 2026, updates North Carolina laws regarding impaired driving to improve enforcement, increase penalties, and provide clearer procedures for drivers. The bill requires magistrates to provide written explanations when dismissing DWI charges, ensuring officers must justify their probable cause decisions based on specific test results and observations. It also adjusts fees for license restoration, increases fines for repeat offenders, and mandates that transportation network drivers meet the same sobriety standards as commercial bus drivers. Additionally, the legislation makes it a felony for adults to help minors obtain alcohol if that minor causes serious injury, while also clarifying the immediate revocation process for drivers who refuse chemical tests.

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 strengthens the state's ability to handle complaints about cable service providers by allowing the Attorney General's office to seek financial penalties if a company repeatedly violates federal customer service rules or its own contract terms. It requires cable companies to print specific instructions on their bills guiding customers to contact the state agency for unresolved issues and clarifies that persistent violations are considered deceptive practices. The legislation also establishes a reporting requirement for the agency to track complaint statistics and excludes video streaming services from these regulations. To support these new enforcement powers, the bill appropriates funds to hire additional staff and cover implementation costs, with the measures taking effect in 2026 and 2027.

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 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.