Rep. Keith Kidwell

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 272, known as "The Sergeant Mickey Hutchens Act," allows certain law enforcement, probation/parole, and correctional officers in North Carolina to purchase additional retirement service credit. Officers who hold an advanced law enforcement or corrections certificate and have at least five years of membership service can buy up to four years of creditable service. This purchase applies to members of the Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System or the Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System. To do so, they must pay a lump sum covering the full cost of the increased retirement system liability and an administrative fee, with the option for their employer to contribute to this cost.

Maddy summaryHB 833, "The FRESH Act," directs the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to expand its existing Home Processor Program. This expansion will allow individuals participating in the program to produce and sell refrigerated or frozen food items, as well as bakery products containing cream or cream cheese fillings, including cheesecakes. The Department is authorized to adopt temporary rules to implement these changes. All activities under the expanded program will remain subject to applicable food safety laws and inspections.

Maddy summaryHB 246, also known as "Liam's Law," increases penalties for specific driving offenses. The bill elevates reckless driving that causes serious bodily injury to a Class I felony. For street racing, it establishes new felony classifications for causing serious injury (Class F felony) or death (Class B2 felony), and mandates longer driver's license revocations, including permanent revocation for fatalities. Additionally, the bill increases the penalty for hit-and-run offenses that result in death to a Class D felony. These provisions directly affect drivers involved in such incidents.

Maddy summaryHB 640 requires North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services to regularly verify eligibility for public assistance programs like Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. It mandates monthly or quarterly data sharing with state agencies (e.g., Vital Records, Labor, Lottery Commission) and federal databases (e.g., Social Security, National Directory of New Hires) to check income, employment, residency, and other factors affecting benefits. The bill also requires the department to publicly post nonconfidential, aggregated data on fraud investigations and improper payments quarterly. This directly affects individuals enrolled in health and housing assistance programs by strengthening how their eligibility is reviewed.

Maddy summaryHB 929 bans adding fluoride to public water systems in North Carolina, effective January 1, 2026. It directly affects municipal water utilities that currently add fluoride for dental health purposes. The bill includes exceptions for naturally occurring fluoride in water sources and industrial uses unrelated to water treatment. It does not apply to private wells, bottled water, or water systems using naturally present fluoride.

Maddy summaryHB 899 repeals laws that made North Carolina's Office of State Fire Marshal an independent agency and transfers its oversight to the Commissioner of the Department of Insurance. The bill ensures current employees, fire department identification numbers, and existing rules will continue under the Commissioner's authority until amended by the Commissioner or changed by the General Assembly. These changes take effect on October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 967 clarifies that voting places during voting hours are explicitly included as "public buildings" under North Carolina's disorderly conduct law (G.S. 14-132). This means actions like making loud disturbances, vandalism, or creating nuisances at polling locations during voting hours would now be covered by the misdemeanor statute. The bill directly affects voters, election workers, and anyone engaging in conduct near polling sites during official voting hours. It expands existing disorderly conduct protections to specifically cover voting places, effective October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 964 allows individuals with a valid concealed handgun permit (or those exempt from needing one) to carry concealed non-handgun weapons like bowie knives, stun guns, or other deadly weapons described in existing law. It directly affects permit holders by expanding their permitted concealed carry to include specific weapons beyond handguns, provided they are not in locations where concealed handgun carry is prohibited. The bill amends North Carolina law to clarify that permit holders may carry these weapons concealed when permitted to carry handguns, without requiring additional permits. The law takes effect December 1, 2025, applying only to offenses committed after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 1006 proposes amending North Carolina's state constitution to require that all legislative bills address only one subject, with exceptions for general appropriations bills, tax bills, and technical corrections. If approved by voters in the 2026 election, this change would require lawmakers to draft bills with a single, clearly defined topic in their titles. The amendment must be ratified by a majority of voters in the November 2026 general election before taking effect. This is a procedural change affecting how bills are structured, not the content of legislation itself.

Maddy summaryHB 996 reduces North Carolina's state budget spending limit by lowering the cap on the General Fund operating budget from 7% to 6% of projected total state personal income each year. This directly affects the state government's annual budget planning, requiring it to spend less relative to the state's economic output. The bill maintains the existing process for exceeding the cap, which still requires a two-thirds vote in both legislative chambers. It takes effect July 1, 2025, for budgets adopted on or after that date.