Sen. Jim Burgin

Maddy summarySB 95 allows small North Carolina sawmills (producing under 1 million board feet annually) to sell ungraded lumber for use in one- and two-family homes and certain residential structures, directly affecting small sawmill operators and homebuilders. The bill requires sawmill operators to complete state-approved training, mark lumber with specific details (species, mill ID, PS20 compliance), and provide buyers with a compliance certificate. It modifies building codes to permit this ungraded lumber use while mandating code officials review structures for safety but absolving them of liability for failures related to the lumber type. The policy change aims to support small sawmills by expanding their market access under defined safety and transparency conditions.

Maddy summarySB 92 allows North Carolina public school students to leave class during the school day for religious moral instruction courses, with parental consent required. The bill permits up to five hours per week for these courses, prohibits public funds from covering course costs (beyond minimal administrative fees), and requires religious organizations to provide transportation and maintain attendance records. Students may earn up to two elective credits for successful completion, but courses must be evaluated using secular criteria (like class hours and syllabus) without considering religious content. The law applies to all public school units starting in the 2025-2026 school year and prohibits holding such courses on school property unless under a neutral equal-access policy.

Maddy summarySB 86 increases North Carolina firefighters' monthly pension payments from $175 to $180 starting January 1, 2025, for eligible members who reach age 55 with 20 years of service. It updates disability benefit rules, clarifies death benefits for firefighters killed on duty (including monthly payments to surviving spouses or beneficiaries), and adds protections for members displaced by city annexations or department takeovers. These changes directly affect current and future firefighters, rescue squad workers, their families, and members whose departments are absorbed by municipalities. The bill modifies existing pension fund statutes without creating new programs or altering contribution requirements.

Maddy summarySB 71 creates a new process for North Carolina property owners or their authorized representatives to expedite the removal of unauthorized occupants from residential properties. To use this process, the property owner must file a sworn affidavit (with a $25 fee) with a court clerk or magistrate, confirming the occupant meets strict criteria like having no lease, no rent paid, and the owner having previously requested their departure. Law enforcement must remove the occupant within 24 hours of receiving the affidavit, and the bill grants immunity to law enforcement and property owners acting in good faith. It also allows civil lawsuits against property owners for wrongful removal, with potential damages including triple the fair market rent.

Maddy summarySB 83 extends the North Carolina Primary Care Payment Reform Task Force's deadline for completing its work from May 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026. The bill does not create new policy but continues the task force's existing mandate to study primary care payment systems across Medicaid, state health plans, and commercial insurance. Key provisions include requiring the task force to define primary care, analyze current spending, study other states' approaches, and develop data collection methods - all while ensuring HIPAA-compliant data handling. The extension allows more time for the task force to gather data and submit recommendations to legislative committees by the new deadline. This is a procedural extension of an existing legislative task force, not a substantive policy change.

Maddy summarySB 82 establishes a multi-state compact (the "Solemn Covenant of States") to create a commission that awards prizes for scientifically validated disease cures. It would require at least six states to join before forming the commission, which would review and fund cures, then make them widely available at prices covering only manufacturing and distribution costs. Non-participating states would pay royalties based on estimated public health savings, with funds used to cover prize costs and refunded to joining states. The bill directly affects participating states' taxpayers through public health expense calculations and the commission's pricing rules.

Maddy summarySB 81 designates North Carolina's standard time as the time set by the U.S. Department of Transportation (currently Eastern Time) and establishes a process for the state to observe Daylight Saving Time year-round *if* Congress authorizes such a change. The bill requires the Commissioner of Agriculture to notify the Governor within 60 days of congressional authorization, triggering implementation via executive order. This bill directly affects all of North Carolina and its local governments, but only if Congress passes legislation allowing year-round DST. The measure itself does not change current time practices; it prepares the state to adopt year-round DST if federal law permits.

Maddy summarySB 51 requires North Carolina's Department of Insurance (DOI) to implement group capital calculation and liquidity stress test requirements for most insurance holding companies operating in the state. It mandates annual filings of group capital reports from parent companies of insurers (with specific exemptions for small, single-insurer, or federally-regulated groups), aiming to align state oversight with national NAIC standards. This bill directly affects insurance holding companies with operations in North Carolina, requiring them to report capital and liquidity data to maintain the state's NAIC accreditation. The policy change ensures consistent regulatory oversight without imposing new requirements on exempted entities like small domestic insurers or those already covered by federal regulators.

Maddy summarySB 31, "The Wells Act," requires North Carolina's Legislative Library to request documentation (like membership lists, meeting minutes, and bylaws) from state boards, committees, and commissions that haven't met in the past year or failed to respond within 120 days. If inactive, these bodies are added to a list for the Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee, which must recommend their repeal in the 2026 legislative session. The bill directly affects inactive state advisory bodies, aiming to eliminate those not functioning as intended. It creates a formal process to identify and eliminate redundant government structures without altering their operational rules.

Maddy summarySB 62 exempts eligible nonprofits in North Carolina from sales tax on physical items, digital property, and services used for their core activities, including fundraising events. It specifically covers 501(c)(3) organizations (excluding certain classifications), volunteer fire departments, and qualifying single-member LLCs owned by 501(c)(3) groups. The exemption includes purchases for fundraising events but has a $31.7 million annual cap per nonprofit. Nonprofits must obtain a special exemption number to qualify, and the bill adds new rules for applying and tracking these exemptions.