Rep. David Willis

Maddy summaryHB 165 establishes the Child and Family Welfare Ombudsman Office within North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services, directly serving foster parents, birth families, and resource parents navigating the state's child welfare system. The office will investigate complaints about foster care licensing, placement, and adoption processes; provide educational resources; mediate conflicts; and protect whistleblowers reporting violations. It requires confidentiality for all communications and mandates annual public reports on trends and complaints handled. Funded with $137,000 for 2025-2026 and $145,000 for 2026-2027, the office must begin operations by January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment that would require the North Carolina legislature to establish a statewide limit on how much local property tax levies can increase each year. The measure also mandates that any local government wanting to raise property taxes beyond this limit must first obtain approval from a majority of voters in that specific area. Because this change alters the state constitution, it will not take effect immediately but will instead be placed on the November 3, 2026, ballot for voters to decide whether to adopt. If approved by the public, the amendment would legally bind the General Assembly to create the specific tax increase caps mentioned in the text.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program to clarify how forgivable scholarship loans are administered and to set specific rules for grant funding. It designates the Authority to manage loan agreements and repayment monitoring while requiring the Commission to select up to eight grant recipients annually for principal preparation and two recipients for innovative training development. The legislation also establishes reporting requirements for grant recipients, mandating the collection of data on student achievement, job placement rates, and retention in high-need schools. Additionally, the bill allows the use of administrative funds from the Trust Fund to cover program operations, staff salaries, and evaluation costs, with limits set at the greater of two percent of appropriated funds or one hundred sixty thousand dollars per year.

Maddy summaryHB 144 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would change how North Carolina's State Board of Education is structured. It requires voters to elect all board members (except the Lieutenant Governor and Treasurer, who are Council of State members) from districts established by the General Assembly, with terms of four years. The Superintendent of Public Instruction would automatically serve as the board's chair (ex officio member) without needing separate election. This amendment must be approved by voters in the 2026 election and would take effect for terms beginning January 1, 2029. It does not change the current composition of the board but alters how members are selected and who serves as chair.

Maddy summaryHB 496 requires North Carolina public schools to prioritize access for youth groups designated as "patriotic societies" under federal law, specifically naming the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA as examples. The bill mandates that schools permit these groups to give brief (10-minute) presentations about membership and civic education during non-instructional school time, without counting toward required instructional hours. It applies to all public school types (including charter and regional schools) and requires schools to develop policies ensuring this access, while clarifying that it does not require equal access for non-patriotic groups. The policy aims to encourage civic education by facilitating student engagement with these organizations.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a pilot program to train new individuals with no prior experience as lead teachers in North Carolina's licensed child care centers. Funded by state money and requiring a local match, the program offers free, intensive training courses through community colleges in selected counties, with graduates receiving a state credential and potential stipends for completing the course and working for a year. The initiative aims to expand the child care workforce by establishing academies across the state, starting in Johnston and Wayne counties, and includes requirements for local partnerships to select additional sites. Additionally, the bill directs the North Carolina Partnership for Children to study the feasibility of liability insurance for providers and update bidding rules for child care grants.

Maddy summaryThis bill mandates that all school and activity buses purchased, leased, or rented by public schools, private schools, charter schools, and regional schools in North Carolina must be equipped with seat belts at every designated seating position. While the requirement applies to all new vehicles, the law allows for exceptions regarding integrated child safety restraint systems, students with disabilities, and other federally approved restraint methods. The legislation also updates existing state regulations to include specific equipment standards for diesel engines and warning devices alongside the new seat belt mandate.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a program to provide free hyperbaric oxygen therapy to North Carolina veterans diagnosed with traumatic brain injury or posttraumatic stress disorder. The legislation appropriates $3 million from the state General Fund to a nonprofit organization to deliver approximately 15,000 treatments to an estimated 350 eligible veterans over the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The program includes structured clinical care and requires the provider to submit a detailed report on outcomes and fund usage by June 2027.

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 creates a new program in North Carolina that requires individuals convicted of domestic violence to register on a public list if they have at least one prior domestic violence conviction. The State Bureau of Investigation will maintain this registry, which will include the offender's name, date of birth, conviction details, and a photograph, while keeping addresses and social security numbers private. Registration periods last two years for one prior offense, five years for two prior offenses, and ten years for three or more prior offenses, with fees of $150 paid by the offender to cover registry costs. The law takes effect on December 1, 2026, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date, though prior convictions do not need to have occurred by then.