Sen. Ted Alexander

Maddy summarySB 344 ensures that North Carolina seniors aged 65+ who transfer funds into qualifying pooled special needs trusts (meeting federal standards) won't lose Medicaid or State-County Special Assistance eligibility. The bill requires the state health department to update eligibility rules so these transfers are treated as "fair market value" transactions - meaning the funds aren't counted against benefit eligibility if the trust uses the money to provide goods/services equal to the transfer value within the senior's life expectancy. It directly affects seniors using these trusts to manage assets while maintaining public benefits. The law amends state rules to align with federal guidelines (42 U.S.C. § 1396p(d)(4)(C)) and takes effect upon enactment.

Maddy summarySB 771 proposes a constitutional amendment to allow North Carolina to provide state funds for restoring privately-owned business buildings damaged by federally declared natural disasters. Currently, the state constitution prohibits such payments under its "emoluments" clause, but this bill would create an exception specifically for disaster recovery. If approved by voters in March 2026, the amendment would permit the state to use funds for rebuilding private structures after events like hurricanes or floods officially labeled major disasters by the federal government. This change directly affects businesses that own property damaged in these events, removing a legal barrier to receiving state disaster relief.

Maddy summarySB 79, titled "Boiling Springs Charter Revisions," is a procedural bill that solely references North Carolina's 44th Senatorial District without proposing any substantive policy changes or affecting residents. The bill text states it relates only to the district and specifies it becomes effective upon enactment, but contains no details about charter revisions or mechanisms. Recent actions show it was withdrawn from committee in April 2025 after initial referral, indicating it did not advance beyond procedural steps. This is a non-substantive, administrative bill with no concrete policy impact.

Maddy summarySB 639, the North Carolina Farm Act of 2025, updates agricultural water planning, addresses feral swine damage, and strengthens farm conservation protections. It requires the Department of Agriculture to revise the state’s agricultural water plan by 2026, including funding for water infrastructure, conservation practices, and flood mitigation. The bill creates a Feral Swine Working Group with industry and agency representatives to develop control strategies and report annually, while also mandating 100-foot vegetative buffers around protected farm tracts in new subdivisions. Local governments gain authority to deny development permits that would negatively impact agricultural production, directly affecting farmers, landowners, and municipal planning decisions.

Maddy summarySB 329 authorizes the South Fork Passage Trail to become a state-designated trail within North Carolina's State Parks System. The 60-mile hiking and paddling trail will run from Jacob Fork Park in Catawba County to Lake Wylie on the South Carolina border, connecting existing parks and recreational areas across Catawba, Lincoln, and Gaston Counties. The bill permits using existing state funds from designated trust accounts (like the Land and Water Fund) for trail development without requiring new appropriations. This designation directly expands public recreational access for the 2.7 million residents in the surrounding Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Maddy summarySB 697 establishes the Lake Norman Marine Commission to oversee recreational and environmental management of Lake Norman. The bill would create a formal body responsible for coordinating activities related to the lake's waterways, boating access, and conservation efforts. Currently, the bill is pending in the State and Local Government committee after being withdrawn from Rules and Operations. It has passed its first reading but has not advanced further in the legislative process.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides local boards of education with a new alternative for setting their school calendars, directly affecting public schools and students. It allows schools to start as early as the Monday closest to August 19, provided fall and spring semesters have an equal number of instructional days, and end no later than the Friday before the last Monday in May. The bill also establishes stricter enforcement mechanisms, enabling the State Board of Education to investigate non-compliance and withhold central office administration funds from local boards that fail to follow calendar requirements. Additionally, it permits residents or businesses to file civil actions against non-compliant local boards, potentially leading to court-ordered remedies, attorney's fees, and civil penalties.

Maddy summarySB 361, the "Protecting First Responders Act," increases criminal penalties for assaulting or exposing emergency medical technicians, firefighters, and other first responders to fentanyl or harmful substances. It criminalizes intentionally exposing these responders to fentanyl (a Class H felony) or causing serious injury through such exposure (Class G felony), and imposes a Class I felony for failing to warn responders about fentanyl at a scene. The bill appropriates $10.35 million in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to provide bulletproof vests ($8.1 million) and bulletproof backpack plates ($2.25 million) to paramedics and EMTs through grants. These provisions apply to first responders registered with North Carolina’s Office of Emergency Medical Services, with funding effective July 1, 2025, and criminal provisions effective December 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 359 reorganizes and standardizes death benefit rules across North Carolina's retirement systems for teachers, state employees, local government workers, judicial staff, and legislators. It updates the structure of survivor benefits, including the "survivor's alternate benefit," and ensures funding for line-of-duty death benefits (deaths occurring during official duties). The bill primarily affects beneficiaries - like spouses or dependents - of deceased members in these retirement systems by clarifying how death benefits are calculated and paid. It makes technical adjustments to existing laws without creating new benefits or changing eligibility rules.

Maddy summarySB 97 adds stomach cancer (gastric cancer) to the list of cancers presumed to be work-related for firefighters under North Carolina's Public Safety Employees' Death Benefits Act. This means firefighters who die from stomach cancer will automatically qualify for line-of-duty death benefits without needing to prove occupational connection. The bill appropriates $500,000 annually from 2025-2027 to cover these new benefits. It takes effect July 1, 2025, applying to qualifying deaths occurring on or after that date.