Sen. Natalie Murdock

Maddy summarySB 340 appropriates $10 million in nonrecurring state funds for the Town of Pittsboro to enhance its emergency fire services during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The funds are specifically allocated to construct a new fire station ($7 million), purchase a new ladder truck ($1.8 million), and acquire a new fire engine ($1.2 million). This bill directly affects Pittsboro residents and its fire department by providing capital funding for critical infrastructure and equipment upgrades. The funding becomes effective July 1, 2025, and is structured as a directed grant through the Office of State Budget and Management.

Maddy summarySB 341 appropriates $2.45 million from the state General Fund to Siler City for its downtown streetscape project, directly affecting residents and businesses in Siler City's downtown area. The funds will be used in two phases: $2 million for underground power lines and wider sidewalks along Chatham Avenue (Phase 1), and $450,000 for design work and hiring a main street coordinator (Phase 2). The bill specifies these funds are nonrecurring and must be used for the stated project components, with the project starting in the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The act becomes effective July 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 379, the Senior Care Assurance Act, expands healthcare access for North Carolina seniors (65+) by enhancing Medicaid coverage for preventive screenings and chronic care services. It creates two new programs: a $2.5 million annual grant program to fund free health screenings and geriatric care for low-income seniors (at or below the federal poverty level), prioritizing rural and underserved areas, and a $2 million annual program to help seniors purchase telehealth equipment and internet access, with priority for rural seniors. The bill also updates telehealth infrastructure funding to support rural healthcare providers in establishing telehealth services. These provisions directly benefit seniors facing financial or geographic barriers to care, focusing on preventive health and independent aging.

Maddy summarySB 381 expands North Carolina's anti-discrimination protections to cover housing and employment. It adds sexual orientation, gender identity, military/veteran status, and genetic information to the list of protected characteristics in housing (e.g., rentals, sales, loans) and employment (for employers with 15+ staff). The bill prohibits specific discriminatory actions like refusing housing based on protected status, denying employment opportunities, or making biased land-use decisions. It directly affects residents, renters, job seekers, and businesses operating in these sectors across the state.

Maddy summarySB 358, the "Hate Crimes Prevention Act," expands North Carolina's hate crime laws by increasing penalties for offenses motivated by the victim's actual or perceived race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or gender expression. It upgrades certain misdemeanors to higher classifications (like Class H felonies) and adds civil remedies for victims, including compensation for emotional distress and attorney fees. The bill also mandates the State Bureau of Investigation to create a hate crimes database, requires law enforcement officers to receive specialized training on identifying and reporting hate crimes, and directs prosecutors to develop hate crime prosecution training. These changes directly affect victims of hate crimes, law enforcement agencies, and prosecutors by strengthening legal responses and data collection.

Maddy summarySB 384 requires North Carolina's Commission for Public Health to establish safe limits for specific toxic chemicals in drinking water by October 2025. It targets chemicals like PFAS, PFOA, PFOS, hexavalent chromium, and 1,4-Dioxane - known or suspected carcinogens - mandating limits based on scientific evidence and ensuring they do not exceed federal EPA standards. The law also requires annual reviews of new research to update these limits as needed. This directly affects all North Carolina residents who rely on public water systems, with special consideration for children, infants, and pregnant people.

Maddy summarySB 360 requires every public school in North Carolina (including traditional, charter, regional, and laboratory schools) to have at least one full-time, permanent school nurse starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The bill appropriates $95 million in recurring state funds to the Department of Public Instruction to cover the cost of adding these nurse positions, ensuring funding supplements existing resources without replacing them. This policy directly affects all K-12 public schools across the state by mandating nurse staffing levels and providing dedicated funding to meet that requirement. The law becomes effective July 1, 2025, with implementation beginning for the 2025-2026 school year.

Maddy summarySB 382 prohibits licensed mental health professionals from providing conversion therapy to minors or adults with disabilities. The bill bans attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. It directly affects vulnerable individuals, including minors and adults with disabilities, who might otherwise be subjected to these practices. The law aligns with medical consensus from major health organizations stating such therapies are ineffective and harmful. Licensed practitioners would be barred from offering these services under this legislation.

Maddy summarySB 383, titled "Right to IVF," protects patients' access to assisted reproductive technology (ART) like in vitro fertilization (IVF), gamete intrafallopian transfer, and zygote intrafallopian transfer. It prohibits North Carolina or its subdivisions from restricting or interfering with patients' access to ART or healthcare providers' ability to offer or perform these services. The bill also clarifies that fertilized eggs or embryos outside the uterus are not legally considered "human beings" under state law. Additionally, it allocates $500,000 annually from 2025-2027 to expand Medicaid maternal support services (the Baby Love Program), matching federal funds for this purpose. The bill directly affects patients seeking ART and healthcare providers offering these services in North Carolina.

Maddy summarySB 371 would require North Carolina charter schools with four consecutive years of low academic performance (grades D/F with insufficient growth) to have their charters revoked. It directly affects charter schools identified as "continually low-performing," including the 14,400 students currently enrolled in such schools, and restricts their enrollment expansion until performance improves. Key provisions include mandating that charter schools display their annual performance grade on enrollment applications, limiting remote charter academies to three-year terms, and requiring the state board to identify consistently failing schools annually. The bill aims to address chronically underperforming schools by creating a clear pathway for charter cancellation while allowing limited exceptions for schools showing improvement. It takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year.