Sen. Sophia Chitlik

Maddy summarySB 568 establishes the North Carolina Mental Health and Psychedelic Medicine Task Force to study the potential use of psychedelic medicine for treating mental health conditions. The task force, composed of 12 state agency representatives, mental health advocates, medical experts, and legislative appointees, will assess barriers to access, recommend licensing and insurance requirements, and explore legal pathways - should federal regulations change. It must submit a final report with recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2026. The bill does not legalize psychedelic medicine but prepares for potential future policy changes based on the task force’s findings.

Maddy summarySB 572 requires health benefit plans that cover fertility treatment to remove annual or lifetime limits on ovulation medications and ovulation induction cycles, treating these medications the same as other prescription drugs. It applies to both private health plans (effective October 2025) and North Carolina’s State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees (effective January 2026), which must eliminate such limits for in-network services. The bill does not mandate fertility treatment coverage but ensures existing coverage for ovulation medications faces no stricter restrictions than standard prescriptions. State funding of $300,000 (2025-26) and $600,000 (2026-27) will cover increased costs for the state health plan.

Maddy summarySB 578 establishes the North Carolina CARDINAL Corps Program to place recent high school graduates (within two years of graduation or GED) and veterans (within two years of military deployment) into paid fellowships in critical sectors like disaster relief, education, public safety, farming, and military family support. Organizations such as schools, local governments, and nonprofits can host fellows, receiving reimbursement of up to $30,200 per fellow annually for salary, training, and program costs, with a 1:1 matching fund requirement from the host. Fellows serve nine-month terms with a $5,000 completion award, and the program requires annual reports on fund usage and participant outcomes. The bill appropriates $1.485 million for implementation starting July 1, 2025, aiming to grow to 1,000 annual participants.

Maddy summarySB 569, the Eviction Record Expunction Act, automatically seals certain eviction court records after three years from judgment entry, for dismissed cases, tenant-victory cases, and cases involving minors under 18. It directly affects tenants with past eviction history and landlords who may otherwise deny rental applications based on those sealed records. The bill makes it illegal to deny housing based on sealed eviction records, treating such denial as unlawful discrimination under North Carolina's Fair Housing Act. This policy change applies to new eviction cases filed on or after October 1, 2025, and does not affect monetary judgments from eviction cases.

Maddy summarySB 482, the "Don't Tread on Me: An Individual Freedoms Act," creates new legal protections for North Carolinians by limiting state agency actions across multiple areas. It directly affects all residents by prohibiting warrantless government surveillance, requiring agencies to stop demanding private medical, religious, or political information for services, banning ideological restrictions on reproductive care, and protecting parental rights in education and healthcare decisions. Key provisions mandate that schools provide fact-based education without political manipulation, prevent discrimination in employment or housing based on private beliefs, and ensure government benefits are not denied due to personal health choices or political views. The bill establishes these rights as enforceable standards for all state agencies, requiring actions to be "narrowly tailored" to a compelling state interest.

Maddy summarySB 566 updates North Carolina's health insurance laws to require equal coverage for substance use disorder treatment as for physical health conditions. It replaces outdated terms like "chemical dependency" with "substance use disorder" in state statutes and mandates that medical necessity determinations for addiction treatment must use the same clinical criteria applied to physical health conditions. This directly affects health insurers offering group plans and patients seeking addiction treatment, ensuring they face no stricter coverage limits than for other medical issues. The bill aligns North Carolina's requirements with federal mental health parity law (the Paul Wellstone Act) by explicitly including substance use disorders under coverage parity rules.

Maddy summarySB 594, the Care Center Cost Support Act, increases child care subsidy rates for licensed centers and homes rated 3-5 stars to the 75th percentile of North Carolina's 2023 market study, effective October 2025. It establishes a minimum rate floor for providers and allows counties with very small child populations to use local rates if statewide rates would hinder access. The bill appropriates $110 million annually from 2025-2027 to fund these rate increases, directly supporting low-income families using subsidized care and child care providers serving them. The changes aim to align subsidies with current market costs while ensuring access in all counties.

Maddy summarySB 510 exempts menstrual products like tampons, sanitary napkins, panty liners, and menstrual cups from North Carolina's sales tax. The bill amends state tax law (G.S. 105-164.13) to specifically include these products in the list of tax-exempt items, effective October 1, 2025. It directly affects all consumers purchasing these products in North Carolina, removing a sales tax burden. The change applies to all retailers selling these items in the state, with no additional requirements or mechanisms beyond the tax code update. This is a straightforward policy change focusing on reducing costs for menstrual product buyers.

Maddy summarySB 486 appropriates $30,000 annually from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Aging for the North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislature program during the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium. This funding directly supports the program, which engages older adults in state legislative processes. The bill provides recurring annual funding without changing program eligibility or services. It becomes effective July 1, 2025. (This is a procedural funding bill, not a policy change.)

Maddy summarySB 544 requires the North Carolina State Auditor to conduct regular audits of crisis pregnancy centers that receive state funding. This directly affects crisis pregnancy centers (which typically offer pregnancy-related support services but do not provide abortion care) that accept state money. The bill amends state law to add this audit responsibility to the Auditor’s duties, ensuring financial oversight of these centers. The law would take effect upon enactment but is still pending in the legislative process.