North Carolina General Assembly · 2025–2026 session
Showing 1465–1488 of 2,329 bills
Introduced by Jim Burgin
This bill raises the minimum age to purchase tobacco and vapor products (including smart vapes) from 18 to 21 years old, expands licensing requirements for vapor product retailers, and increases funding for gambling addiction education and treatment programs from $2 million to $12 million annually using lottery revenues.
Introduced by Caleb Theodros
This bill establishes the Community Safety Partnership Act, which creates a grant program for community safety projects, offers tax credits and bonuses to residents and police officers who participate in neighborhood watch programs, and sets up a state tracking system to monitor attendance at approved community safety meetings.
Introduced by Keith Kidwell
This bill requires North Carolina's Legislative Services Officer to display the national motto 'In God We Trust' above and behind the speaker's dais in both the House and Senate chambers, matching a similar display in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill prioritizes using private donations to cover costs, with state funds available if needed after 90 days.
Introduced by Lisa Grafstein
The Children First Act is a comprehensive bill that expands child care affordability through increased subsidies and facility grants, establishes tax credits for employer-provided child care, strengthens child health and safety protections (including regulations on social media, tobacco, vaping, cannabis, and firearms), creates a statewide fetal and infant mortality review team, and funds workforce development programs for child care workers. The bill appropriates over $150 million in funding across multiple initiatives.
Introduced by Michael Lazzara
This bill exempts sign manufacturers who are UL (Underwriters Laboratories) certified from needing a general contractor license in North Carolina. It also requires applicants claiming this exemption to submit documentation proving their UL certification and a verified affidavit to local building inspectors, who must verify the exemption claim with the state licensing board.
Introduced by Monika Johnson-Hostler
This bill modifies North Carolina's domestic violence protection order law to ensure that same-sex couples can obtain protective orders. Currently, the law limits dating relationship protections to 'persons of the opposite sex,' which excludes same-sex couples from this category of protection.
Introduced by Sophia Chitlik
This bill would require employers in North Carolina to provide employees with paid sick days that accrue at one hour per 30 hours worked, with annual limits of 32 hours for small businesses (10 or fewer employees) and 56 hours for larger employers. Employees could use paid sick time for their own illness, family care, medical appointments, and situations involving domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The law would take effect January 1, 2026.
Introduced by Laura Budd
This bill creates a paid family and medical leave insurance program in North Carolina, funded by employer contributions starting January 1, 2026, with benefits paid to eligible workers beginning January 1, 2027. Eligible individuals can receive between 12-26 weeks of partial wage replacement (typically 90% of wages up to the state average) to take leave for reasons including childbirth, adoption, personal serious health conditions, caring for family members with serious health conditions, and qualifying military family situations.
Introduced by Paul Lowe
This bill restores a sales and use tax holiday for school supplies in North Carolina. The holiday would take effect on July 1, 2025, and would exempt school supplies from state sales tax during a specified period.
Introduced by Woodson Bradley
This bill appropriates $10.4 million for fiscal year 2025-2026 and $14.1 million for fiscal year 2026-2027 to increase salaries for juvenile justice staff in North Carolina, including Youth Counselor Technicians, Youth Services Behavioral Specialists, Youth Counselors, and Juvenile Court Counselors. The bill also allocates $3.9 million to address salary compression among these employees.
Introduced by Terence Everitt
This bill requires the State Auditor to conduct periodic audits of crisis pregnancy centers that receive state funding. The bill adds this auditing responsibility to the State Auditor's duties under state law.
Introduced by Benton Sawrey
This bill establishes two requirements for North Carolina hospitals and other entities participating in the federal 340B drug pricing program. First, it prohibits these covered entities from charging patients more than their actual acquisition cost when dispensing drugs purchased at 340B discounted prices. Second, it requires covered entities to annually report detailed information about their 340B drug purchases, pricing, patient assistance programs, and third-party payments to the state Department of Health and Human Services, with reports made public online.
Introduced by Jarrod Lowery
Kayla's Act makes three main changes to North Carolina domestic violence law: it allows courts to admit statements from witnesses who are unavailable because a defendant caused that unavailability; it extends the statute of limitations for certain domestic violence misdemeanors to 10 years; and it permits domestic violence victims to testify remotely (outside the defendant's physical presence) in criminal proceedings if the defendant doesn't object or if the court finds the victim would suffer serious emotional distress from testifying in person.
Introduced by Robert Reives
This bill creates an 'Individual Freedoms Act' that establishes legal protections against state surveillance, requires medical and political privacy in government dealings, protects parental authority, ensures education is fact-based and non-ideological, and prohibits employment and housing discrimination based on political beliefs or medical history. The bill applies a 'compelling state interest' standard, meaning the government can only restrict these rights if it has a strong reason and uses the narrowest possible means to achieve it.
The Family Empowerment Act expands child care assistance to families earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level, caps child care costs at 7% of household income, and establishes tax incentives for businesses offering paid family leave. The bill also funds home-visiting programs, financial counseling services, flexible workplace policies, and creates an oversight board to monitor program effectiveness, with $75 million in state appropriations for fiscal years 2025-2027.
This bill adds a new responsibility to the State Auditor's duties, requiring the auditor to periodically audit the General Assembly (the North Carolina legislature). The bill does not specify the frequency, scope, or details of these audits.
This bill removes state licensing requirements for natural hair care services, blow-dry styling, and makeup artistry, allowing people to provide these services after completing a one-time four-hour sanitation course instead. It converts the mandatory natural hair care specialist license into a voluntary certification that is no longer required to practice. The bill also expands where these services can be provided, including in barbershops and other venues beyond traditional cosmetology shops.
This bill creates a new parole pathway for inmates serving life sentences without parole in North Carolina. Eligible inmates must serve at least 20 years, complete education and vocational training, and maintain work requirements through a 15-year Mutual Agreement Parole Program contract. If successful, they can be released on parole for 5 years, though violation returns them to prison with a 5-year parole ineligibility period.
Introduced by Graig Meyer
This bill increases North Carolina's Medicaid reimbursement rates for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services and establishes coverage for three new treatment service levels. The state will spend $15 million annually (matched with $27.4 million in federal funds) to fund these rate increases and new services, effective July 1, 2025.
This bill allows North Carolina drivers with non-REAL ID compliant licenses to renew remotely twice in a row, instead of requiring an in-person renewal after the first remote renewal. REAL ID compliant licenses would continue to follow the existing rule allowing only one remote renewal before requiring an in-person renewal. The change takes effect January 1, 2026.
Introduced by Mujtaba Mohammed
This bill reduces the parent copayment requirement for subsidized child care in North Carolina from 10% to 5% of gross family income. The change takes effect July 1, 2025.
Introduced by Bobby Hanig
This bill increases funding for North Carolina's Small County School System Supplemental Allotment by raising the dollar amounts that eligible small county school districts receive based on their student enrollment (ADM). The bill appropriates $20,961,180 in recurring state funds to support these increased payments, effective July 1, 2025.
This bill creates two programs to support public servants in North Carolina. Part I establishes a homebuyers' assistance program through the NC Housing Finance Agency that provides up to $25,000 in down payment and mortgage insurance assistance to first-time homebuyers who work full-time as teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, active duty military members, or veterans. Part II creates an income tax credit of up to $5,000 for unpaid volunteer firefighters and rescue squad workers to cover unreimbursed work-related expenses.
Introduced by Thomas McInnis
This bill prohibits foreign governments designated as adversarial by the U.S. State Department from purchasing, leasing, or holding interests in North Carolina agricultural land and land within a 75-mile radius of military installations. Any such transactions would be declared void under the law.