Rep. Larry Potts

Maddy summaryThis bill reduces the cost for North Carolina public school teachers to purchase credit for their military service. Under the new provision, eligible veterans would only need to pay 25% of the usual cost, while the state would cover the remaining 75% through general appropriations. The law applies to full-time employees of the Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and allows them to buy up to four years of service credit. These changes would take effect on July 1, 2027, for any service credit purchases made on or after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 696, the Health Care Practitioner Transparency Act, requires health care providers in North Carolina to clearly state their license type, certification, or registration in all advertisements and public representations. It prohibits deceptive claims about qualifications and bans unlicensed individuals from using medical titles like "doctor," "surgeon," or specialty terms (e.g., "cardiologist") to mislead patients. The law applies to licensed professionals (doctors, nurses, dentists, etc.) who advertise services, but exempts those in non-patient settings without direct care interactions. Violations could lead to disciplinary action by their licensing board, with daily noncompliance treated as separate offenses. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1078 is an omnibus appropriations bill that provides funding to the Department of Commerce and the Department of Health and Human Services in North Carolina. The legislation allocates $10 million to the One North Carolina Small Business Account and $2 million to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to support life science companies, university research, workforce development, and economic programs. Additionally, the bill transfers the Advisory Council on Rare Diseases from the Department of Commerce to the Department of Health and Human Services and establishes a new Life Science and Biomanufacturing Technologies Reserve Fund. The bill also details the composition, membership, and administrative structure of the rare diseases council, which includes physicians, researchers, patient representatives, and industry experts.

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.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Curriculum Honesty, Compliance, and Child Safety Act, establishes new rules for North Carolina public schools regarding parental rights and curriculum content. It requires schools to obtain parental consent before changing a student's name or gender designation in records and mandates that parents be notified before their child receives counseling related to sexuality or gender identity. Additionally, the legislation prohibits any instruction on gender identity or sexual activity in grades kindergarten through fourth grade, with exceptions only for answering student-initiated questions. The bill also creates mechanisms for enforcement, allowing parents to sue schools for violations and authorizing state auditors to investigate noncompliance.

Maddy summaryHB 434, titled "Lower Healthcare Costs," is a procedural bill focused on updating definitions related to health insurance utilization review in North Carolina. It rewrites statutory definitions (e.g., "medical necessity," "clinical peer," "closely related service") within existing insurance regulations but does not introduce new cost-saving mechanisms or policy changes. The bill directly affects insurers, healthcare providers, and covered individuals by standardizing terminology used in prior authorization processes. As a definition-only update, it has no concrete policy impact on healthcare costs or patient access, and the title does not align with its actual scope.

Maddy summaryThis bill revises North Carolina's burglary and breaking-and-entering laws to increase penalties when a firearm or deadly weapon is used. It raises the felony classification by one level for offenses like burglary (first/second degree), breaking out of a dwelling at night, or entering a building with intent to commit a felony or terrorize occupants, if a weapon was present during the crime. The law directly affects individuals convicted of these specific offenses when a firearm was involved, not the general public. It does not change sentencing for weapon-free offenses or address police pay, despite the title "Back the Blue Pay Act" suggesting otherwise. The changes take effect December 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 402 requires North Carolina state agencies to assess the financial impact of proposed permanent rules. If a rule would cost affected individuals or businesses $20 million or more over five years, it must be approved by the General Assembly before taking effect. For rules with a $1 million or more annual cost impact, agencies must prepare a fiscal note for review by the Office of State Budget and Management. The bill also mandates a two-thirds vote by agency boards to adopt rules exceeding the $1 million cost threshold. This directly affects state agencies creating regulations and the businesses or residents who would bear the costs of those rules.

Maddy summaryHB 318 requires North Carolina county jails and detention facilities to check the immigration status of individuals charged with specific offenses (including certain felonies, misdemeanors, and impaired driving) and to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if a detainer is issued. If ICE issues a detainer, facilities must hold the person for up to 48 hours (or until ICE takes custody) and notify ICE 2 hours before the person would otherwise be released. For pretrial defendants facing similar charges, the bill mandates a two-hour hold to allow ICE to issue a detainer; if none is received, the defendant must be released. The law also shields state officials from liability when following these procedures.

Maddy summaryHB 546 modernizes North Carolina's Medicaid program by requiring the state to develop team-based care coordination for individuals with alcohol and opioid use disorders, including screening, medication, and recovery support. The bill also allows telehealth-only providers to enroll in Medicaid without needing a physical office in the state and mandates a statewide specialty plan for children in foster care or receiving adoption assistance, to be implemented by December 2025. These changes directly affect Medicaid beneficiaries with substance use disorders, telehealth providers, and eligible children and families. The Department of Health and Human Services must report on the implementation of the substance use care and telehealth provisions by October 1, 2025.