Rep. Pricey Harrison

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 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 redirects $6.75 million in state funding from the Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship to evidence-based maternal and infant health programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services. It requires crisis pregnancy centers receiving state funds to submit detailed annual reports on their finances, staffing, and client services, while also mandating that these centers provide free copies of client records upon request. The legislation defines crisis pregnancy centers as nonprofit organizations offering pregnancy care and counseling but excludes facilities that perform abortions. These changes are designed to increase transparency and shift financial support toward specific public health initiatives starting in the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

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 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.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 24-hour toll-free helpline and online portal within the North Carolina Department of Justice to assist individuals harmed by federal troop deployments, federal law enforcement actions, or immigration enforcement in the state. The Attorney General is required to maintain a secure database of complaints, investigate reported violations, and publish annual public reports detailing the number of reports, arrest statistics, and observed patterns of misconduct while keeping individual identities confidential. To ensure accessibility, the helpline must offer voicemail, translation services, and disability accommodations, along with resources connecting victims to legal, social, and school support programs. The legislation also mandates that the Attorney General hold at least one public hearing each year to present aggregate data and findings from the annual reports. Implementation of the helpline must begin within 60 days of the bill's effective date, with an initial report due one year after launch, and the program is funded with $3 million starting in the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill proposes exempting menstrual products from state sales tax. It defines the exempted items to include tampons, panty liners, menstrual cups, and sanitary napkins. The legislation amends existing tax codes to remove these items from taxable retail sales and use tax. The tax exemption will take effect on October 1, 2026, applying to purchases made on or after that date.