Sen. Jim Burgin

Maddy summarySB 389 expands North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program to include home-schooled students. The bill adds a new provision (Section 1(b)(2)) specifying that home-school students would receive up to 25% of the state's average per-pupil funding allocation annually, compared to 45-100% for private school students based on household income. It directly affects home-schooled students in North Carolina who have not yet earned a high school diploma and meet the program's income requirements. The bill defines "home school" as meeting state requirements under Part 3 of Article 39 and specifies that funds cover required educational costs (books, materials) but not tuition or transportation. This change modifies existing scholarship rules without altering income-based tiers for private school students.

Maddy summarySB 443 requires counties and cities in North Carolina to obtain annual compensation disclosures from providers of employee benefits, such as life insurance, health plans, or retirement benefits. These providers - including brokers, consultants, and insurance companies - must report all funds paid to them (like commissions, fees, or bonuses) and affirm that no compensation was given to county or city employees or officials. The bill directly affects local governments (as recipients of disclosures) and benefit providers (as submitters of reports), aiming to increase transparency in how public funds are spent on employee benefits. It applies to all benefits provided to current employees, their dependents, and retirees. The law would take effect upon enactment, though it is currently pending in the Senate Rules Committee.

Maddy summarySB 417 requires North Carolina state agencies, courts, and the legislature to publish monthly itemized lists of all purchases costing $1 or more for goods, services, or property on public websites. It applies directly to entities like the University of North Carolina, state departments, courts, and the General Assembly, mandating they compile and submit these reports to the Department of Administration or relevant officers. Within 10 days of receiving each report, the Department of Administration or Director must publish the data in an accessible online format, excluding confidential records protected by law. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, with the first public reports covering the 2025-2026 fiscal year starting October 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 465 requires North Carolina's Department of Administration to maintain detailed inventories of all state-owned land and buildings, including location, condition, costs, and vacancy status. It mandates the department to develop a comprehensive five-year facilities plan identifying needed space, analyzing current property utilization, and recommending disposal or consolidation of underused properties. The bill also establishes space planning standards for state agencies based on federal benchmarks, requiring annual audits to ensure compliance with utilization metrics. This directly affects all state agencies that own or lease buildings, aiming to reduce costs by optimizing existing property use rather than acquiring new facilities. The law focuses on administrative procedures for managing state real estate, not new funding or services.

Maddy summarySB 390 requires North Carolina's local governments and school districts to use competitive bidding annually for publishing legal notices in newspapers. It mandates selecting the lowest-cost bidder while considering newspaper quality, circulation reach, and compliance with existing rules. The bill also updates payment rules to ensure notices are paid at standard commercial rates, requiring newspapers to file current rate statements with courts. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes North Carolina's tax treatment for real estate investors using 1031 exchanges (where property is swapped to defer capital gains taxes). It allows investors to deduct, from their state taxable income, the amount of "non-like-kind" property (like cash or different property) received in such exchanges, but only up to the original cost basis of the property sold. This adjustment aligns North Carolina's tax code with federal rules for this specific portion of exchange gains. The change applies to taxable years beginning January 1, 2025, and directly affects real estate investors conducting 1031 exchanges in North Carolina.

Maddy summarySB 425 caps disciplinary fees for chiropractors at $2,000 per case, including all costs like attorney fees, investigative expenses, and meeting costs. It also requires the North Carolina Chiropractic Board to maintain detailed meeting minutes, recording speaker names, comments, and vote outcomes for public transparency. The bill applies to all disciplinary actions starting October 1, 2025, directly affecting chiropractors facing disciplinary proceedings and the Board's procedural practices.

Maddy summarySB 463 requires North Carolina Medicaid to cover doula services during pregnancy and the postpartum period, directly affecting Medicaid-enrolled pregnant and postpartum individuals and doulas seeking to provide these services under Medicaid. The bill mandates the state health department to develop coverage rules, including reimbursement rates and provider requirements focused on doula training in areas like childbirth education, lactation support, and cultural awareness. It appropriates $1 million annually from the state general fund (matching $1.8 million in federal funds) for Medicaid coverage changes and $550,000 annually for doula workforce support services. The coverage must be implemented upon federal CMS approval, with a report to lawmakers by March 1, 2026.

Maddy summarySB 393 requires North Carolina public schools to include instruction on the costs of gambling - including sports betting - and gambling addiction in all required personal financial literacy courses. This policy change directly affects all K-12 students in the state, as it amends existing curriculum standards to add this specific topic. The bill mandates that schools cover these topics alongside other financial literacy elements like credit costs, mortgages, and credit scoring. The requirement will take effect for the 2025-2026 school year. This is a concrete addition to the curriculum, not a procedural change.

Maddy summarySB 430 revises North Carolina's child passenger safety law to update requirements for restraining children in vehicles. It mandates that children under 8 years old or weighing less than 80 pounds and under 57 inches tall must use a weight- and height-appropriate car seat or booster seat, with newborns starting in rear-facing seats. Drivers must secure children under 5 years old in the rear seat unless the vehicle lacks a rear seat, lacks airbags, or the car seat is airbag-compatible. The law becomes effective December 1, 2025, and applies to all drivers transporting children meeting these criteria.