Budget & Taxes

passed · North Carolina · House May 7, 2025

HB 283: Small Business Investment Grant Program.

House Bill 283 establishes the Small Business Investment Grant (SBIG) Program within the One North Carolina Fund, designed to provide financial assistance to eligible small businesses looking to establish or expand facilities in the state. The bill allocates up to $10 million from the Fund to this new account. Through the SBIG Program, competitive grants are offered to businesses meeting specific criteria, such as having 250 or fewer employees or less than $5 million in annual revenue, investing $10-$30 million, and creating new jobs with competitive wages. Grants are capped at $500,000 annually per recipient, up to $2.5 million total, over a maximum of five years. Additionally, the bill renames the "One North Carolina Small Business Account" to the "Small Business Research and Technology Account," which continues to support federal SBIR/STTR grant incentive and matching programs.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $10M from existing One NC Fund to create small business grants, advancing economic development through targeted fiscal spending within budget framework.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · North Carolina · House May 7, 2025

HB 94: Disabled Veteran Homestead Exclusion Prequalification.

HB 94 allows disabled veterans and their unremarried surviving spouses to prequalify for the disabled veteran property tax homestead exclusion. This means individuals can apply to determine their eligibility for the tax benefit before they purchase a permanent residence. Applicants submit a prequalification form with their disability certification, and the county assessor must notify them of their eligibility within 30 days. The bill aims to help taxpayers and lenders account for this tax relief when making home purchase decisions. After prequalification, a separate application for the exclusion is still required once a permanent residence is acquired.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesProvides property tax exemption for disabled veterans, reducing their tax burden and aligning with tax relief indicators for lower-income groups.95% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingProvides property tax exemption prequalification for disabled veterans purchasing homes, reducing housing costs and promoting affordability for a vulnerable group.95% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransBill enables disabled veterans to prequalify for property tax exclusion, removing barriers to accessing financial benefits through streamlined eligibility determination.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · North Carolina · House May 7, 2025

HB 909: State Infrastructure Bank Board.

This bill creates a new State Infrastructure Bank Board in North Carolina to manage federal, state, and private funding for transportation, water, and sewer infrastructure projects. The Board will be composed of six state officials including the Secretaries of Commerce, Transportation, and Environmental Quality, along with the State Treasurer, Auditor, and Budget Officer, and will operate independently within the Department of Commerce. It authorizes the Board to provide loans and financial assistance to local governments and toll authorities for infrastructure development, requiring repayment with interest and security based on project revenues or other assets. The legislation also establishes specific accounting procedures for the bank's funds, outlines rules for loan approval, and transfers existing infrastructure bank funds to this new Board, with an effective date of July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill creates infrastructure bank to manage funding for transportation, water, and sewer projects, advancing state budget management and fiscal investment in public infrastructure.85% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill creates State Infrastructure Bank Board to manage funding for transportation infrastructure projects, directly advancing transportation development.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · North Carolina · House May 7, 2025

HB 616: Megasites/Selectsites Program Revisions.

HB 616 modifies the North Carolina Selectsite Readiness Program by establishing a competitive grant program and creating the North Carolina Selectsite Fund. It appropriates $10 million for the 2024-2025 fiscal year and transfers unspent funds to this new fund. The program, administered by the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), provides grants to local governments or partnerships. These grants support the acquisition, due diligence, infrastructure development, and on-site preparation of industrial sites under 1,000 acres, aiming to attract major manufacturing opportunities to the state.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAppropriates $10M from state budget for new economic development fund, directly managing fiscal resources through program revisions and fund transfers.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · North Carolina · House May 5, 2025

HB 97: Support Firefighters Fighting Cancer.

HB 97 adds stomach cancer (gastric cancer) to the list of occupationally related cancers that qualify firefighters for "killed in the line of duty" benefits under North Carolina's Public Safety Employees' Death Benefits Act. This means firefighters who die from stomach cancer directly linked to their firefighting duties will automatically be eligible for death benefits, easing the process for families seeking compensation. The bill appropriates $500,000 annually from 2025-2027 to cover these benefits. It takes effect July 1, 2025, applying to qualifying deaths occurring on or after that date.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAppropriates $500k annually for firefighter cancer death benefits, directly funding a public safety program under budgeting provisions.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands death benefits for firefighters with job-related stomach cancer, strengthening workplace safety protections and worker benefits under Public Safety Employees' Death Benefits Act.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 28, 2025

HB 574: Workforce Development Pilot Project.

HB 574 establishes a Workforce Development Pilot Project in North Carolina. This bill provides funds to the Office of State Budget and Management to be allocated to the North Carolina Workforce Development Coalition (NCWDC). The NCWDC will then provide grants to eligible North Carolina-based employers, with 20 to 1,500 employees, to support employer-sponsored training programs. These grants aim to increase job creation, reduce employee turnover, improve wages, and upgrade worker skills, especially in industries with identified training gaps. Employers can receive up to 50% of eligible training costs or $2,000 per trainee, with a maximum of $40,000 annually per employer.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates state budget funds to workforce development grants, directly funding a program aligned with fiscal management and public investment per subjects list.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill funds employer training grants to improve wages, reduce turnover, and upgrade worker skills, directly advancing employment standards and worker benefits.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 28, 2025

HB 432: Property Tax Relief Study.

House Bill 432 aims to provide various forms of property tax relief to North Carolina homeowners. It increases the property tax exclusion amounts for qualifying elderly or disabled homeowners and expands the exclusion for disabled veterans, allowing more of their home's value to be exempt from taxation. The bill also establishes a new "Homeowner Advantage Property Tax Relief Program" designed to cap the annual increase in a permanent residence's taxable value, based on inflation and a cumulative limit. To qualify for this program, homeowners must have occupied their residence for at least two years. Additionally, the bill creates an "Elderly Property Tax Homestead Circuit Breaker Program" and exemptions from the forced sale of a homestead.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesProvides property tax relief via expanded exemptions for elderly/disabled homeowners and veterans, reducing their tax burden.95% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransExpands property tax exclusion for disabled veterans, increasing their tax relief and directly enhancing veteran benefits.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 149: School Financial Flexibility Pilot Program.

HB 149 creates a pilot program allowing eligible North Carolina school districts (those with at least 5,000 students and tax authority) to submit a Financial and Hiring Flexibility Plan (FHFP) to the State Board of Education. The plan permits districts to use state funds more flexibly and hire up to 50% unlicensed teachers (who must complete specific training in disability education, behavior management, and safety) while meeting defined academic goals by 2030-2031, such as 100% student career planning and 90% teacher retention. The State Board reviews plans annually and can terminate them if districts fail to meet goals, violate fiscal rules, or have low-performing schools. This program aims to give districts operational flexibility to improve student outcomes, subject to state oversight and performance metrics.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill enables flexible use of state funds for school districts, directly addressing budgeting (subject listed) and promoting fiscal management within existing appropriations.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationAllows flexible state fund use and mandates training for unlicensed teachers to meet academic goals, supporting district resource management and educator development.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 143: Maysville Occupancy Tax.

HB 143 authorizes the Town of Maysville to impose a 6% occupancy tax on rental income from hotels, motels, and similar accommodations already subject to North Carolina's sales tax. This tax applies to all qualifying accommodations within Maysville and is collected separately from state and local sales taxes. Revenue from the tax must be sent quarterly to the Maysville Tourism Development Authority, which is required to use at least two-thirds of the funds for tourism promotion (like advertising and marketing) and the remainder for tourism-related expenses such as facility improvements. The bill also creates the Tourism Development Authority, requiring at least one-third of its members to represent tax-collecting businesses and half to be active in tourism promotion.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates 6% occupancy tax to fund tourism promotion via dedicated revenue stream, strengthening local fiscal management for tourism development.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

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signed · North Carolina · House Mar 27, 2025

HB 58: Various Local Elections.

HB 58 modifies local election rules across North Carolina. It extends Kittrell's mayor and commissioners' terms from two to four years, changes Asheboro's school board to seven partisan-elected members (down from 11) with four-year staggered terms, and eliminates a mandatory school funding floor for Scotland County. The bill also establishes residency districts for Anson County commissioners, clarifies vacancy procedures for Caswell County, and allows Scotland County to set school budgets without state-mandated funding minimums. These changes directly affect local governments and school boards in multiple counties, altering election structures and budget authority.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesEliminates mandatory school funding floor in Scotland County, reducing guaranteed state education spending and defunding essential programs.85% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationEliminates mandatory school funding floor for Scotland County, reducing guaranteed education budget stability and removing financial safeguards.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes