SB 139 prevents the elimination of medical benefits for North Carolina state teachers and employees who first earned retirement service on or after January 1, 2021. It reverses a prior change that would have cut these benefits by repealing specific sections of law, effective retroactively to December 31, 2020. The bill appropriates $500,000 annually for 2025-2026 and $2 million annually for 2026-2027 to cover increased costs for the state health plan. This restores medical coverage for affected retirees under several retirement systems, effective July 1, 2025.
SB 157 allocates $100,000 from North Carolina's General Fund to Johnson C. Smith University for its Inclusive Tech-Innovation Pilot Project. The funds will support creating a community hub that uses broadband technology to foster economic growth and collaboration in the local area. The bill directs a nonrecurring grant specifically for this pilot program, which aims to connect the university with surrounding neighborhoods. It becomes effective July 1, 2025, and does not change existing laws or regulations.
SB 278, the Smart Heart Act, requires all North Carolina public schools to create cardiac emergency response plans (CERPs) and install at least one AED per school. The plan must include trained response teams, annual drills, staff CPR/AED training (for nurses and athletic supervisors), and integration with local emergency services. Schools must place AEDs in unlocked, visible locations accessible within three minutes, with maintenance and training protocols set by the State Board of Education. The bill allocates $2 million for school AED purchases and plan development, effective for the 2025-2026 school year.
HB 989 creates a statewide grant program to improve school safety in North Carolina public schools. It provides funding for three specific purposes: (1) crisis services for students (like therapy and family support), (2) evidence-based training for staff on trauma response and suicide prevention, and (3) safety equipment purchases (such as bullet-resistant glass, alarms, and security systems). Grants must supplement, not replace, existing school safety funding, and charter schools can now receive equipment grants. The program limits annual spending to $350,000 per grant category and prioritizes equipment like exterior door locks and active shooter alarms.
SB 174 authorizes Rutherford County to build community college facilities on Isothermal Community College's campuses within the county, overriding certain existing laws that would otherwise restrict such construction. The bill allows the county to finance these buildings through specific funding methods (like bonds under Chapter 159 of state law), temporarily transfer college property as security for financing, and then lease the completed buildings back to the college under agreed terms. This directly affects Rutherford County (as the builder) and Isothermal Community College (as the lessee and recipient of the facilities). The law requires the county to consult with the college board during planning and comply with specific state statutes regarding construction and financing.
HB 962 allocates $25 million in one-time funds to East Carolina University's College of Engineering and Technology for building improvements and equipment upgrades, and $4 million annually during the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to expand faculty positions. The bill directly affects ECU's engineering programs by providing resources to modernize facilities and hire additional staff. These funds are designated for specific uses - infrastructure and equipment for the first allocation, and personnel expansion for the second - without specifying outcomes. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025, and is currently pending in the House Appropriations Committee.
HB 739 allocates $61.3 million in nonrecurring state funds for specific projects in Wilson and Nash counties, primarily benefiting Wilson County entities and two towns. The bill directs funds for water infrastructure in Lucama, sewer projects in Stantonsburg, volunteer fire departments, school construction, a new courthouse, sheriff's training, Narcan in schools/libraries, housing authority projects, a transit program, and a new police building in Sharpsburg. It becomes effective July 1, 2025, with all funding designated for immediate, concrete local needs without new policy requirements.
SB 585 creates a tuition and registration fee waiver for mental health clinicians and peer support specialists working in municipal or county emergency medical services (EMS), rescue, or lifesaving departments. It specifically applies to professionals embedded in 911 call centers to direct mental health resources or paired with first responders during emergency calls. The bill amends North Carolina's community college tuition waiver rules to add these departments as eligible entities, allowing their employees to take approved community college courses without tuition costs. This policy directly affects local government emergency response teams and their mental health staff, effective July 1, 2025. The waiver covers standard tuition and registration fees for relevant training programs.
HB 766 appropriates $1.87 million to fund expanded Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) training for North Carolina high school students in grades 9-12 (ages 14-18). The bill directly affects students by providing evidence-based training to help them recognize, understand, and respond to peers' mental health and substance use challenges. Key provisions include funding for the Department of Health and Human Services to scale up tMHFA programs statewide, building on a pilot that trained 1,519 teens and showed a 50% increase in teens' willingness to seek adult support. The training focuses on connecting peers to trusted adults during crises, addressing high rates of unmet mental health needs among teens (64% don’t seek help, per the bill’s rationale).
SB 259, the School Psychologist Omnibus, aims to improve the number and quality of school psychologists in North Carolina public schools. It provides $8.1 million for 2025-2026 to increase school psychologists' salaries by $650 monthly plus 12% for those with NCSP credentials, and allocates $5 million for a grant program offering signing bonuses (up to $5,000) to recruit psychologists, requiring a one-year commitment. Another $5 million funds an internship program with stipends for psychology students and supervisor bonuses, while $5 million supports a virtual training program at Appalachian State University. These provisions directly affect school psychologists, school districts, and psychology training programs across North Carolina.
