HB 355 North Carolina House · 2025-2026 Session

Office of State Fire Marshal to Study Future of Rural Firefighting.

HB 355 directs North Carolina's Legislative Research Commission (LRC) to study challenges facing rural fire departments, focusing on volunteer recruitment, funding, equipment needs, interdepartmental cooperation, firefighter well-being, and public education. The LRC must examine specific issues like financial incentives for volunteers, equitable resource distribution, mutual aid agreements, and community fire safety programs. It requires regional public hearings and a 90-day comment period before submitting interim and final reports to the 2025 and 2027 General Assemblies. This bill does not change current law but sets up a review process to inform future legislative action.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2025

House Passage

Apr 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Mar 10, 2025 Last action Apr 3, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Edition 1 → Edition 2 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to change the agency responsible for conducting the rural firefighting study from the Legislative Research Commission (LRC) to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. This shift moves the study from a legislative research function to an executive agency with operational firefighting expertise. The amendment also shortened the final report deadline from the 2027 General Assembly to March 1, 2027.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed by transferring responsibility for the study from a legislative research body to an executive agency (Office of the State Fire Marshal), which may affect the study's implementation and authority.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the agency responsible for conducting the study from the Legislative Research Commission to the Office of the State Fire Marshal throughout the bill text.

TIMELINE

Modified the final report deadline from submission to the 2027 General Assembly to a specific date of March 1, 2027.

TECHNICAL

Removed the list of bill sponsors and referred readers to the General Assembly website for complete sponsor information.

Changed the short title from 'LRC Study Future of Rural Firefighting' to 'OSFM to Study Future of Rural Firefighting' to reflect the new responsible agency.

Floor votes · House Apr 1, 2025

How they voted

117–0

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 121

Apr 1, 2025

D Democratic46

45 Yea 1

97% Yea

I Independent2

2 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican73

70 Yea 3

95% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 3, 2025

Committee

Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

upper

Apr 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed 3rd Reading

lower

Mar 31, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reptd Fav

lower

Mar 26, 2025

Committee

Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

lower

Mar 26, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reptd Fav Com Substitute

lower

Mar 12, 2025

Committee

Ref to the Com on Emergency Management and Disaster Recovery, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

lower

Mar 10, 2025

Introduced

Filed

lower

3 primary · 27 co-sponsors