Rep. Mary Belk

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 146 amends North Carolina's driver's license renewal process. It allows active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces, or reserve components serving on active duty and stationed outside North Carolina, to renew their driver's licenses remotely multiple times in a row. Currently, a remote renewal requires the previous renewal to have been done in person, but this bill removes that restriction for eligible military personnel. This change aims to make it easier for these individuals to maintain their licenses while serving away from the state. The act becomes effective October 1, 2025, applying to licenses renewed on or after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 254 designates the fourth Thursday of March each year as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day in North Carolina. This officially recognizes and honors the legacy of the African-American pilots, navigators, bombardiers, instructors, and support staff who trained at Tuskegee Institute from 1941 to 1949.

Maddy summaryHB 649 directs the North Carolina Collaboratory to study the state's county tier designation system. The study will examine potential changes to the criteria used for ranking counties, how tier designations are assigned, and the ranking timeframe. It will evaluate the impact of these changes on all 100 counties, programs that use the tier system, and the ease of doing business in the state. The Collaboratory is required to submit a preliminary report by December 2025 and a final report by December 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 570, the "Responsible Firefighting Foam Management Act," restricts the use of firefighting foams containing PFAS chemicals for training and testing. It prohibits any person, local government, or state agency from discharging Class B firefighting foam with intentionally added PFAS for training or practice purposes. For testing, these foams are also prohibited unless required by law or an authority, and the testing facility has implemented measures to prevent environmental releases. The bill mandates the use of non-fluorinated alternatives for training and is set to become effective on December 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 110 establishes the National Guard Student Loan Repayment Program in North Carolina. This program provides student loan repayment awards to active members of the North Carolina National Guard, incentivizing them to begin or complete a term of service of at least three years. Awards cannot exceed the recipient's total student loan debt or $50,000 for a three-year service term, with potential for additional funds for longer service. Recipients must sign an agreement to repay a portion of the award if they voluntarily terminate their service early. The bill appropriates over $25.5 million to a new fund for the program for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Maddy summaryHB 956 aims to enhance financial protections for disabled adults and North Carolina residents aged 65 or older. It requires financial institutions and electronic fund transfer entities to report to county social services if they observe a pattern of financially harmful behavior or a six-month cessation of communication from these adults. During the period from when such issues are first noted (or a cognitive impairment diagnosis is made) until the report is submitted, these entities are prohibited from charging late fees, other penalties, or interest on loans to the affected adult. This bill amends existing law to ensure late payment charges are subject to these new protections, becoming effective October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 462, titled the "Personal Data Privacy/Social Media Safety Act," aims to protect North Carolinians by enacting two main components: the Personal Data Privacy Act and the Social Media Safety Act. The provided text details the "North Carolina Personal Data Privacy Act," which is set to take effect on January 1, 2026. This act establishes definitions for key terms such as "personal data," "biometric data," "precise geolocation data," and "consent," affecting North Carolina residents as "consumers" and entities that process their data as "controllers." It also outlines the framework for consumer rights regarding their personal data.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 592, known as the Toxic-Free Medical Devices Act of 2025, aims to prohibit the use of a chemical called DEHP in certain medical devices within North Carolina. Specifically, it bans the manufacturing, selling, and distributing of intravenous solution containers and intravenous tubing that are intentionally made with DEHP. The prohibition for IV solution containers takes effect on January 1, 2030, and for IV tubing on January 1, 2035. The bill also prevents replacing DEHP with other similar chemicals in these devices and sets limits for unintentionally present DEHP, while exempting certain blood-related products. Violations of these provisions could lead to administrative penalties.

Maddy summaryHouse Bill 635 requires certain large group health benefit plans to provide coverage for fertility diagnostic care, treatment, and preservation services. This bill directly affects individuals covered by these plans, aiming to increase their access to fertility-related medical care. Key provisions include mandatory coverage for at least three in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles per insured, provided procedures follow American Society of Reproductive Medicine guidelines and are performed at licensed facilities. However, the requirements do not apply to plans offered by religious institutions or self-insured group health plans, and explicitly exclude experimental procedures or nonmedical costs for donor gametes or surrogacy.

Maddy summaryHB 824 aims to expand access to treatment for opioid use disorder and overdose for individuals covered by health benefit plans. It requires health insurers to cover specific healthcare services provided by pharmacists, such as testing and medication administration, if those services are within a pharmacist's scope of practice. The bill also mandates coverage for all FDA-approved prescription drugs for opioid disorder and overdose, prohibiting prior authorization for these medications. Additionally, it updates state laws to ensure mental health benefits in health plans are no less favorable than physical health benefits, aligning with federal requirements.