Sen. Norman Sanderson

Maddy summarySB 320 creates an additional retirement allowance for North Carolina state and local law enforcement officers who retire after meeting specific service and age requirements. Eligible officers with at least 30 years of service (or 55+ with 5+ years) under age 62 can choose between two calculation methods for their annual allowance: one based on their current pay rate and service, or one based on their pay rate at 30 years of service. The allowance, paid monthly from state funds, stops upon the officer’s death, reaching age 62 (for the first method), or meeting a time-based condition (for the second method). This change supplements retirement income without affecting other retirement benefits or salary increases.

Maddy summaryNorth Carolina's SB 296 requires state and local governments to use iron and steel products manufactured in the United States for public works projects funded by state money. This applies to permanent materials like structural steel, pipes, and construction components, but includes exceptions when U.S. products are unavailable (e.g., insufficient supply, 20%+ cost increase), or when foreign materials cost less than 0.1% of the total project cost. The bill excludes electrical components (except poles) and does not apply to Department of Transportation projects already covered by federal Buy America rules. It takes effect July 1, 2026, for contracts awarded after that date.

Maddy summarySB 302, "The Sergeant Mickey Hutchens Act," allows law enforcement, probation/parole, and corrections officers in North Carolina who hold specific advanced certificates to purchase up to four years of retirement credit. It directly affects officers with an Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate (from NC Criminal Justice or Sheriffs' training commissions) or an Advanced Corrections Certificate (from NC Criminal Justice Commission), provided they have at least five years of existing retirement service. Officers can pay a lump sum to the retirement system’s Annuity Savings Fund to add this credit, calculated based on actuarial assumptions for the retirement system’s liability. The bill applies to both the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System and Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System, effective July 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 315 improves transparency and efficiency in insurance reviews of medical services by setting strict timeframes for insurers to make decisions. For urgent care, insurers must decide within 24 hours; for non-urgent care, within three business days after receiving all necessary information. The bill also requires insurers to clearly explain review processes in patient handbooks, on websites, and on membership cards, and to notify both patients and providers of outcomes. Additionally, it mandates that appeal reviews be conducted by qualified medical professionals without conflicts of interest, ensuring fairer assessments of coverage disputes.

Maddy summarySB 261, the Energy Security and Affordability Act, removes a mandated interim timeline for carbon reduction by North Carolina's major electric utilities (those serving 150,000+ customers) and introduces an alternative cost recovery method for ongoing construction of base load power plants. The bill requires these utilities to achieve a 70% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 (from 2005 levels) and carbon neutrality by 2050, with the Utilities Commission developing a Carbon Plan by 2026 for achieving these goals. It specifies that new solar energy must come from 45% third-party power purchase agreements for small solar facilities (80 MW or less) and 55% utility-owned or purchased sources, including for solar paired with storage. This bill directly affects North Carolina's largest electric utilities and the Utilities Commission, altering their regulatory framework for emissions and infrastructure costs.

Maddy summarySB 226 expands eligibility for death benefits under North Carolina's Public Safety Employees' Death Benefits Act to include firefighters who die from specific cancers. It adds any cancer diagnosed after January 1, 2022, that qualified a firefighter for benefits under the Firefighters' Cancer Insurance Program (or its predecessor, the Health Benefits Pilot Program) to the list of cancers presumed to be "killed in the line of duty." This means firefighters receiving cancer benefits under the program will automatically qualify for death benefits if they later die from that cancer. The bill also permanently establishes the Cancer Insurance Program as the successor to the pilot program and allocates $2 million annually for related death benefits starting July 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 290, the NC REINS Act, requires North Carolina's General Assembly to approve certain state agency regulations before they take effect. It directly affects state agencies creating rules with significant economic impact (over $1 million annually) and gives legislators a 30-day window to block such rules through a specific disapproval bill. The bill adds a legislative review period for all permanent rules and mandates that rules with substantial economic impact must be ratified by the legislature, effectively creating a veto power over those regulations. This changes current process by requiring explicit legislative action for high-impact rules instead of automatic implementation after agency approval.

Maddy summaryThis is a procedural resolution (not a policy bill) confirming the Governor's appointment of Eddie M. Buffaloe, Jr., as Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. It requires the Senate to formally consider his nomination, as mandated by North Carolina law (G.S. 143B-9(a) and the state constitution) for all heads of principal state departments. The resolution itself does not change any laws or policies but sets the process for the Senate to provide "advice and consent" on the appointment. It directly affects the Governor's nomination process and the Senate's confirmation authority for state department leaders.

Maddy summarySB 155 establishes the Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact to allow licensed social workers in North Carolina to practice in other participating states without obtaining separate licenses. It directly affects licensed social workers, particularly those serving military families or providing telehealth services, by removing barriers to cross-state practice. The bill creates a system where a "home state" license permits practice in all member states (called "remote states") through mutual recognition, reducing duplicate licensing requirements. Key provisions include standardized disciplinary information sharing between states and ensuring social workers comply with the laws of the state where the client is located during service.

Maddy summarySB 264 requires all North Carolina public schools - including traditional, charter, regional, and laboratory schools - to display the U.S. and North Carolina flags in every classroom and near each school's main entrance, while scheduling daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. The bill also mandates age-appropriate instruction about the flags' historical significance and the pledge's meaning. Schools may not compel students or staff to stand, salute, or recite the pledge. Funding of $1 million (one-time) and $100,000 annually is provided to purchase flags, with displays only required if flags are available through donations or purchase.