Sen. Sophia Chitlik

Maddy summarySB 691 would allow certain non-citizens, including those without lawful immigration status, to pay in-state tuition at UNC constituent institutions and North Carolina community colleges. To qualify, students must have graduated from a North Carolina high school or earned a high school equivalency diploma in the state, attended North Carolina schools for two consecutive years before high school, and (if undocumented) submit an affidavit about applying for legal status. The bill requires colleges to use a centralized process for residency determination and ensures all applicant information remains confidential. It takes effect July 1, 2025, applying to the 2025-2026 academic year.

Maddy summarySB 657, the "Keeping Our Coaches Act," allocates $11 million annually from sports betting tax revenue to provide salary supplements for athletic coaches in North Carolina public schools. It directly affects eligible public school athletic coaches who currently receive non-state funds totaling less than $3,000 per year for coaching duties. The bill requires school units to maintain prior non-state funding levels for coaches, prohibits using state funds to replace those non-state contributions, and directs unspent funds to YMCA youth sports programs. This policy change becomes effective for the 2025-2026 school year.

Maddy summarySB 659, the "Investing in North Carolina Act," raises salaries for public school teachers and state employees for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It establishes a new monthly salary schedule for teachers based on experience (ranging from $4,600 for 0 years to $6,370 for 29+ years), adds specific supplements for certified teachers, nurses, counselors, and specialists, and provides cost-of-living increases for retirees. The bill also expands the Wage$ program statewide and creates a tax credit for qualifying employers equal to 5% of wages paid or $10,000, whichever is lower. Directly affecting teachers, state employees, community college staff, UNC employees, retirees, and participating employers, it focuses on concrete pay adjustments through funding appropriations.

Maddy summarySB 606 requires North Carolina state services to be accessible in 25 additional languages, including Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, and Cherokee, by mandating translations for driver's license materials, tests, and traffic signs. It also mandates that public schools translate parent documents - such as enrollment forms, consent forms, and disciplinary notices - into those 25 languages. Additionally, the bill encourages schools to grant excused absences for religious observances and allocates $1 million to cover substitute teacher costs when educators take leave for such holidays. These provisions aim to improve access to essential services and education for non-English speaking residents while respecting cultural traditions.

Maddy summarySB 397 allocates a one-time $4.5 million state funding to Durham County for capital improvements and repairs to public school buildings, athletic fields, and other school facilities. The funds target deferred maintenance needs specifically for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. This bill directly benefits Durham County public schools by providing resources for infrastructure upgrades. It becomes effective July 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 465 requires North Carolina's Department of Administration to maintain detailed inventories of all state-owned land and buildings, including location, condition, costs, and vacancy status. It mandates the department to develop a comprehensive five-year facilities plan identifying needed space, analyzing current property utilization, and recommending disposal or consolidation of underused properties. The bill also establishes space planning standards for state agencies based on federal benchmarks, requiring annual audits to ensure compliance with utilization metrics. This directly affects all state agencies that own or lease buildings, aiming to reduce costs by optimizing existing property use rather than acquiring new facilities. The law focuses on administrative procedures for managing state real estate, not new funding or services.

Maddy summarySB 463 requires North Carolina Medicaid to cover doula services during pregnancy and the postpartum period, directly affecting Medicaid-enrolled pregnant and postpartum individuals and doulas seeking to provide these services under Medicaid. The bill mandates the state health department to develop coverage rules, including reimbursement rates and provider requirements focused on doula training in areas like childbirth education, lactation support, and cultural awareness. It appropriates $1 million annually from the state general fund (matching $1.8 million in federal funds) for Medicaid coverage changes and $550,000 annually for doula workforce support services. The coverage must be implemented upon federal CMS approval, with a report to lawmakers by March 1, 2026.

Maddy summarySB 440, the "Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2025," allocates base budget funding for North Carolina's state departments, agencies, and universities for the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium. It specifies exact funding amounts for all state operations, including $12.94 billion for public instruction, $8.83 billion for health and human services, and $4.24 billion for the University of North Carolina system. The bill directs all state entities to spend within these allocated amounts, with unused funds reverting to the appropriate fund at year-end. As a routine budget measure, it does not create new policies or affect specific groups beyond funding existing state services.

Maddy summarySB 438, titled "NC Adopt ERA," is a bill to formally ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution. The ERA, proposed by Congress in 1972, was ratified by 38 states (including Virginia in 2020), meeting the constitutional requirement for three-fourths of states. This bill directs North Carolina to send a certified copy of its ratification to the U.S. Archivist and Congress, completing the state's role in the federal amendment process. If enacted, North Carolina would join the 38 states that have ratified the ERA, which the bill states is now the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Maddy summarySB 413, titled "Right to Use Contraception," declares that North Carolina has no legitimate interest in limiting access to contraception for pregnancy prevention. It directly affects all residents by affirming their right to use contraception without state interference, adding a new legislative declaration to the state statutes. The bill’s key mechanism is a policy statement in Chapter 90 of North Carolina’s General Statutes, explicitly stating that preventing pregnancy through contraception is protected. It does not change existing laws or create new regulations but formally codifies this policy position. The measure is currently in early committee review after its initial filing and first reading.