Rep. Pricey Harrison

Maddy summaryHB 259 establishes a $127,500 pilot grant program for North Carolina public schools to support participation in Science Olympiad competitions during the 2025-2026 school year. The program provides funding to cover registration fees, materials, travel, and teacher stipends for schools that did not have a Science Olympiad team in the previous year, prioritizing these applicants. Public school units must apply by August 31, 2025, and funds must supplement - not replace - existing school budgets. The Department of Public Instruction will report participation data and unfunded applications to the legislature by May 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 103 exempts members of North Carolina-recognized tribes from needing hunting, trapping, or fishing licenses when hunting or fishing on tribal land (requiring ID verification) or off tribal land (requiring ID plus compliance with reporting, hunter education, and federal stamp rules). It directly affects tribal members recognized under Chapter 71A of North Carolina law, both on tribal property and in state waters/lands outside tribal areas. The bill amends licensing rules to remove fee requirements while maintaining other regulatory obligations like wildlife reporting and federal stamp purchases. It becomes effective October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 253 restores Henderson County's authority to implement down-zoning (reducing development density or permitted land uses) with a key exception: it requires written consent from all affected property owners unless the down-zoning serves farmland preservation in agricultural districts or floodplain mitigation in FEMA-designated flood areas. The bill directly affects Henderson County property owners and local government officials, limiting down-zoning actions without consent except for these two specific purposes. It applies only to Henderson County, including its municipalities, and takes effect retroactively to December 11, 2024, to revert zoning changes made after that date under previous law. The bill defines "down-zoning" as decreasing density, reducing permitted uses, or creating nonconformities on land.

Maddy summaryHB 255 allows Granville County Schools and Vance County Schools to set an earlier school start date (as early as the Monday closest to August 19) instead of the standard August 26 date, provided they meet specific emergency closure requirements. To qualify, a county must have experienced at least eight school closure days due to emergencies (like severe weather) in four of the last ten years. The bill maintains existing requirements for instructional days and closing dates, ensuring schools meet minimum educational time standards. This change applies only to these two counties and takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Maddy summaryHB 256 repeals North Carolina's current ban on public employee collective bargaining, allowing state and local government workers (like teachers, police, and administrative staff) to negotiate wages and working conditions with their employers. The bill removes existing legal restrictions (Article 12 of Chapter 95) and explicitly states that public employees' bargaining rights apply to all state and local government employers. It does not create new benefits or funding but aligns public sector bargaining rights with those already available to private sector employees. The bill’s key provision is the repeal of the prohibition, enabling public employees to collectively bargain under existing state law.

Maddy summaryHB 48 raises North Carolina's maximum weekly unemployment benefit from $350 to $400 for claimants filing on or after March 2, 2025, directly affecting unemployed workers. It also creates a 2025 tax credit for employers, allowing them to offset unemployment insurance taxes paid on 2024 fourth-quarter wages against their 2025 tax liability. The credit applies only to contributions remitted by January 31, 2025, and must be claimed via a specific report. The bill ratifies a governor's temporary disaster-related unemployment expansion but focuses on permanent changes to benefit levels and employer tax treatment.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands privacy protections for minors participating in certain local government or Partnership for Children-funded programs by restricting public access to their personal details. It prevents disclosure of identifying information like names, addresses, birth dates, parent/guardian details, and email addresses in public records, though county/town of residence remains public (with other details redacted). The law applies specifically to programs in Chatham County, Durham County, and several towns including Apex, Cary, Raleigh, and others. Scholarship names are explicitly excluded from these protections, and the bill clarifies the information is not confidential but simply not subject to public disclosure under this rule.

Maddy summaryHB 238 appropriates $300,000 from the General Fund to reimburse Buncombe County for costs incurred while conducting a required study on merging the Buncombe County and Asheville school districts. The bill directly affects Buncombe County, which conducted the study mandated by S.L. 2023-128. The funds are designated as nonrecurring for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and become effective July 1, 2025. This is a straightforward reimbursement measure with no new policy requirements beyond the specified funding.

Maddy summaryHB 225 restores local government authority to initiate down-zoning in Wake Forest and Rolesville without requiring written consent from all affected property owners. It reverses a 2024 law that had mandated such consent, allowing towns to adjust zoning to reduce development density or limit permitted land uses (like changing from mixed-use to single-family zones) without owner approval. The bill applies only to these two towns and takes effect retroactively to December 11, 2024, making any down-zoning ordinances adopted after that date valid as if the prior consent rule never existed. This change directly affects property owners in these towns whose land might be rezoned to less dense or restricted uses.

Maddy summaryHB 228 appropriates $25,000 in one-time state funds to the City of Asheville for a study on extending the city's water system to serve Pisgah View State Park. The study will assess the practicality, costs, and feasibility of building this water infrastructure extension. This bill directly affects Asheville and the new state park by funding preliminary analysis before any potential construction. The funds are allocated for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and require the city to conduct or facilitate the study by July 1, 2025.