Sen. Joyce Waddell

Maddy summarySB 719 creates the North Carolina Victims of Crime Assistance (NC VOCA) Fund and a competitive grant program to support victim services. It establishes a fund within the Department of Public Safety, administered by the Governor’s Crime Commission, to award grants (up to $1 million per organization annually) to public agencies or nonprofits providing direct assistance to crime victims. The grants must address victims’ emotional, physical, financial, or safety needs, with recipients required to report on fund usage and victims served. This program is funded partly by increased criminal court fees ($147.50 in district court, $154.50 in superior court), with $0.95 from each fee directed to the fund, directly benefiting victims of crime across North Carolina through eligible service providers.

Maddy summarySB 729 clarifies that North Carolina public schools may conduct routine health screenings (such as vision, hearing, dental, and developmental screenings) without parental consent. Schools must still notify parents at the start of each school year about which screenings will be offered and share the results with them. This applies to all public schools in North Carolina and affects parents of students in all grades. The bill specifically excludes these screenings from the parental consent requirement that applies to other health services, while maintaining notice requirements.

Maddy summarySB 712, the "Caring for Our Caregivers Act," provides two key benefits for specific frontline workers. First, it exempts income earned by qualifying workers (including firefighters, EMTs, law enforcement, child care staff, teachers, and corrections officers) from North Carolina's state income tax. Second, it allocates $165 million annually to fund subsidized child care for families where at least one parent works in one of these qualifying roles, with priority given to child care workers. These provisions apply to taxable years beginning January 1, 2025, and the child care program starts July 1, 2025, for workers earning under $125,000 annually and working at least 30 hours weekly. The bill targets direct financial relief for essential service workers facing high childcare costs.

Maddy summarySB 725 establishes the Foster Care and Education Council in North Carolina to improve educational outcomes for youth in foster care. The 27-member council, jointly led by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), includes representatives from child welfare agencies, foster care advocates, education stakeholders, and youth with lived experience. The council’s key duties include reviewing federal and state education laws, analyzing data on foster youth academic performance (including race/ethnicity breakdowns), and developing policy recommendations to address barriers like school instability, transportation access, and coordination gaps. It specifically aims to ensure foster youth can stay in their school of origin and resolve disputes over educational decisions without cost barriers. The bill does not create new funding but mandates coordination between existing state agencies to implement these recommendations.

Maddy summarySB 721 requires North Carolina judges to issue a criminal summons instead of an arrest warrant for criminal charges filed by non-law enforcement individuals (like regular citizens), unless the charge involves domestic violence. Exceptions allow warrants if police confirm the facts, if police investigation would burden the complainant, or if other specified conditions exist. This law directly affects citizens who file criminal charges and changes how such cases are processed. It takes effect October 1, 2025, for all charges filed on or after that date.

Maddy summarySB 715 appropriates $500,000 to create a grant program for North Carolina community colleges. The program provides up to $20,000 per college to upgrade equipment and facilities needed to produce student ID cards that meet state voting requirements (G.S. 163-166.16). It directly affects community colleges that lack voter-acceptable student IDs, removing financial barriers to providing these cards. Colleges must submit plans for fund use by August 15, 2025, and the State Board of Elections must approve the IDs before they can be used for voting.

Maddy summarySB 717 (North Carolina) increases penalties for assault by strangulation by creating three new felony classifications based on injury severity. It establishes a Class F felony for strangulation causing serious bodily injury (defined as risk of death, disfigurement, permanent impairment, or prolonged hospitalization), a Class H G felony for strangulation causing physical injury, and a Class H felony for strangulation without specified injury. The law directly affects individuals convicted of strangulation assaults in North Carolina, defining "strangulation" as pressure on the throat/neck or obstruction of nose/mouth. The bill takes effect June 1, 2025, applying to offenses committed on or after that date.

Maddy summarySB 720 revises definitions in North Carolina's public utility law to establish a Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (CEPS). It defines key terms like "clean energy facility," "renewable energy certificate," and "energy efficiency measure" to create a framework for utilities to meet clean energy and efficiency goals. The bill requires electric power suppliers to comply with these standards, protecting ratepayers (utility customers) from unjust or unreasonable fees. This directly affects public utilities, electric power suppliers, and their customers across North Carolina.

Maddy summarySB 718, the "Fair Procurement and Ownership Reform Act," requires North Carolina's major electric utilities to use competitive bidding for all renewable energy sources (including solar, wind, and storage) without mandating utility ownership percentages, affecting utilities, developers, and customers. It eliminates previous rules like the 55% utility ownership requirement for solar projects, allowing third-party developers to compete equally, and reallocates shared solar capacity to 45% for large commercial customers, 25% for small commercial, and 15% each for government and residential users. Utilities must conduct these all-source procurements every two years, using standardized criteria focused on cost, reliability, emissions goals, and transparency, with public reports on bids and outcomes. The bill aims to promote fair competition, faster renewable deployment, and equitable access for all customer types while removing ownership barriers.

Maddy summarySB 716, the Fair Competition Study Act, requires North Carolina's Public Utilities Commission to study whether reforms to the state's energy market could improve competition, meet climate goals, and benefit consumers. The study will evaluate current energy costs and benefits, assess options like a regional energy-sharing system (energy imbalance market) or grid management organization (regional transmission organization), and analyze impacts on rates, environmental quality, economic opportunity, and vulnerable communities. It does not change existing laws but will inform future policy decisions, with a one-year deadline for the Commission to submit findings. The $350,000 study is funded through the state budget and will examine both North Carolina's system and potential regional coordination with South Carolina and the Southeast.