Sen. Natalie Murdock

Maddy summarySB 279 establishes a Baby Bond Trust Fund that automatically deposits $2,000 into individual accounts for eligible North Carolina infants born on or after January 1, 2024. Eligibility requires parents to reside in North Carolina (or establish residency within six months of birth) and have household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Funds in these accounts cannot be accessed before age 18 (except for qualified education expenses), and after age 18, distributions may be used for postsecondary education, home purchases, business startup, or approved long-term investments. The State Treasurer administers the accounts with a Board of Trustees, ensuring funds remain protected from creditors and are managed solely for the account holder’s benefit.

Maddy summarySB 167 revises North Carolina's funding for schools supporting students with limited English proficiency (LEP), requiring new allocation rules and a state study. It appropriates $16.2 million annually for 2025-2026 to schools with at least 20 LEP students or 2.5% LEP enrollment, funding classroom staff, materials, and training. Schools must use these funds to supplement, not replace, existing local spending. The bill also mandates a 2025 study to evaluate funding adequacy and recommend improvements to bilingual education programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill (SB 232) changes how Central Carolina Community College calculates student enrollment for two campuses to maintain their "multicampus center" status. Specifically, it requires the State Board of Community Colleges to combine full-time equivalent (FTE) student counts from each campus's main location and its Health Sciences Center when determining if they meet the minimum enrollment threshold. It directly affects the Harnett and Chatham campuses of Central Carolina Community College. The bill ensures these campuses can maintain their multicampus center status by including Health Sciences Center enrollment in their total FTE calculation.

Maddy summarySB 233, titled "Make Corporations Pay What They Owe," would repeal a specific provision (Section 42.2) from a 2021 law (S.L. 2021-180) that was phasing out North Carolina's corporate income tax. This bill does not create new taxes but stops the planned reduction of corporate tax rates, meaning corporations would continue paying the current rate instead of a lower rate scheduled to take effect. It directly affects corporations subject to North Carolina's corporate income tax, as the repeal prevents the phaseout from proceeding. The bill is purely procedural, with no additional provisions or mechanisms beyond this repeal.

Maddy summarySB 247 redirects $6.25 million annually from crisis pregnancy centers to evidence-based maternal and infant health programs administered by North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services, starting July 2025. It requires the State Auditor to audit Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship by March 2026 and mandates detailed reporting from all crisis pregnancy centers receiving state funds. These centers must disclose service types, demographics of clients, funding sources, and whether they misrepresent as medical facilities. The bill aims to increase transparency and reallocate resources toward proven maternal health initiatives.

Maddy summarySB 210 appropriates $30 million in one-time state funds to Durham County for wastewater infrastructure upgrades in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area. The bill directly affects Durham County (as the grant recipient) and RTP businesses/developers (by improving infrastructure supporting growth). Key provisions include directing all funds specifically toward enhancing wastewater utility systems in RTP to enable economic development, with the grant effective July 1, 2025. This is a funding bill with no new regulations, solely allocating state resources for infrastructure modernization.

Maddy summarySB 208 provides Durham County Schools with flexibility to adjust their school calendar start and end dates. It allows the district to set an earlier opening date (around August 19 instead of August 26) if they meet the "good cause" standard (having averaged eight weather-related closures annually over the past decade). The bill also permits Durham to administer standardized assessments earlier if their calendar ends the fall semester before December 31. This law specifically applies only to Durham County Schools for the 2025-2026 school year and does not affect other districts.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $500,000 in one-time state funds to Durham County for repairing and improving "orphan roads" - roads in non-municipal areas that are not maintained by either the county or the state. The funds will allow Durham County to fix these roads, enabling the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to take over their maintenance as state roads. The bill directly affects Durham County residents living on these neglected roads by improving safety and upkeep, and it changes the responsibility for road maintenance from local to state oversight. The funding becomes effective July 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 209 expands data privacy protections for minors participating in local government programs or specific child-focused initiatives in North Carolina. It requires local governments in designated areas (including Chatham County, Durham County, Raleigh, and several towns like Apex and Cary) to redact minors' personal details - such as name, address, phone number, and parent information - from public records. The bill specifies that only a minor’s county, municipality, and zip code remain public (with other details redacted), while clarifying that the protected information is not considered confidential. This applies to programs funded by the North Carolina Partnership for Children or local partnerships, but does not affect scholarship award details. The bill is currently pending in the Senate after passing its first reading.

Maddy summarySB 175 (Durham City Council Vacancy Procedure) extends the deadline for Durham's City Council to appoint someone to fill an empty council seat or the mayor's position from 60 to 120 days after the vacancy occurs. It maintains the requirement that appointees for ward-specific seats must reside in that ward and specifies that if the council fails to appoint within the new timeframe, a special election must be held. The bill changes procedural timing under Durham's city charter without altering eligibility rules or election mechanics. This affects Durham residents whose council members or mayor leave office unexpectedly.