Sen. Gale Adcock

Maddy summarySB 198 restores local government authority to initiate "down-zoning" in Chatham, Durham, and Wake Counties without requiring written consent from all affected property owners. The bill amends state law to allow counties to reduce development density (e.g., fewer homes per acre) or limit permitted land uses (e.g., banning commercial buildings) through zoning changes, reversing a prior requirement for owner consent. This directly affects property owners and developers in those three counties by changing how zoning regulations can be updated. The law applies retroactively to December 11, 2024, and only covers the specified counties and their municipalities. It does not create new zoning rules but restores the pre-2024-57 process for local governments to adjust zoning maps.

Maddy summarySB 199 prohibits business entities (like corporations or rental companies) from owning 100 or more single-family homes in qualifying North Carolina counties (population >150,000) for rental purposes. It targets large-scale investors whose buying practices may reduce home availability and increase prices for owner-occupants. Violators face daily fines up to $100 per home and potential civil lawsuits with damages, including up to $50,000 in penalties. The law specifically applies to rental properties, not owner-occupied homes, and excludes government entities.

Maddy summarySB 218 requires insurers in North Carolina to provide stop loss, catastrophic, and reinsurance coverage to small employers (those with fewer than 12 eligible employees) that meet specific minimum standards. It mandates that policies must have a per-individual claim attachment point of at least $20,000 (adjusted annually using medical inflation rates) and an aggregate attachment point of at least $20,000 or 120% of expected claims, whichever is higher. These requirements apply to all new or renewed policies issued on or after October 1, 2025, ensuring small employers receive standardized coverage thresholds. The bill does not restrict insurers from offering additional wellness-focused benefits but sets baseline protections for coverage affordability.

Maddy summarySB 200 allocates $150 million in one-time state funds to the North Carolina Housing Trust Fund specifically for housing relief in counties affected by Hurricane Helene. This funding will support housing assistance for residents displaced or damaged by the hurricane in areas designated under a federal major disaster declaration. The bill directs the funds to be administered through existing housing program rules (Chapter 122E of state law) for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It directly benefits hurricane-impacted homeowners, renters, and communities in designated counties. The bill becomes effective July 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 156 allows Wake County Schools to align its academic calendar with the schedule of local community colleges, specifically addressing scheduling conflicts between high schools and nearby colleges. This change directly affects Wake County students, staff, and schools by permitting them to match community college terms (e.g., semester start/end dates) without violating state calendar rules. The bill amends North Carolina law to explicitly permit this alignment for Wake County, overriding the standard August 26 school start and June 11 end dates. It applies only to Wake County Schools and takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases North Carolina's income limit for the property tax homestead exclusion for elderly or disabled homeowners from $25,000 to $48,000, effective for taxes due in 2025. It applies to qualifying homeowners whose income would otherwise disqualify them from the exclusion. The new limit will automatically adjust annually based on Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, rounded to the nearest $100. This change directly affects low-to-moderate-income elderly or disabled homeowners seeking property tax relief.

Maddy summarySB 128, the Heroes Homestead Act, increases the property tax exemption for disabled veterans in North Carolina from $45,000 to $76,500 of a home's appraised value. This change directly affects qualifying disabled veterans who own and occupy their primary residence, providing greater tax relief on their homes. The bill amends North Carolina's property tax law to set the new exclusion amount, effective for taxes due on or after July 1, 2026. It does not apply to other property tax relief programs.

Maddy summarySB 107 reestablishes nonpartisan elections for North Carolina's appellate, superior, and district court judges, directly affecting candidates running for these judicial positions. The bill mandates that candidates run without party labels on ballots, requires a primary to narrow candidates to two when more file, and sets specific filing deadlines (December 1-17) for notices of candidacy. It also requires candidates to be registered voters in their county and prohibits filing for multiple judicial offices simultaneously. The law aims to restore public confidence in an independent judiciary, as stated in the bill's preamble honoring Judge Joe John's advocacy for nonpartisan judicial elections.

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 57 amends North Carolina's workers' compensation law to expand coverage for eyeglasses and hearing aids damaged during work-related injuries. It requires that repair or replacement of these devices only occurs if the damage happens incidentally to a compensable injury (e.g., glasses breaking during a workplace fall). Workers will not receive coverage for routine damage or loss unrelated to a covered injury. The change applies to all claims arising on or after the bill's effective date.