HB 490 revises North Carolina's community college funding model to prioritize enrollment in workforce-focused programs. It requires the State Board of Community Colleges to allocate base funding plus additional funds based on full-time student enrollment in curriculum, workforce training, and Basic Skills courses, with weighted funding for high-demand fields. The bill also creates an "Enrollment Increase Reserve" to fund colleges with enrollment growth exceeding 5% in targeted programs and permits community colleges to add up to a 10% tuition surcharge for eligible courses, with funds restricted to instructional costs. These changes directly affect community colleges and students in workforce education, effective July 1, 2025.
HB 445 reinstates education-based salary supplements for teachers, instructional support staff (including school social workers), and requires school districts to publicly post minimum salary schedules for occupational and physical therapists. The bill allocates $8 million in recurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to fund these supplements, using a 2013 salary policy framework to determine eligibility based on academic degrees. School districts must publish therapist salary schedules online by October 15 each year, differentiating pay by experience in five-year intervals. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, directly affecting educators and therapists in North Carolina public schools.
HB 571 appropriates $500,000 from the state General Fund to the Department of Public Safety for a grant program treating police officers diagnosed with PTSD. It directly affects North Carolina police officers who have received a clinical PTSD diagnosis. The key provision establishes a state-funded grant program to cover treatment costs, with funds allocated for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The program becomes effective July 1, 2025, and focuses solely on providing financial support for treatment, not on expanding eligibility or altering diagnosis standards.
HB 80 prohibits North Carolina law enforcement agencies and officers from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with immigration enforcement at farms or construction sites. The bill specifically bans police and sheriffs from helping ICE arrest individuals or serve removal warrants on agricultural land (including farming, livestock processing) or on permitted construction sites with valid permits. It also voids any existing agreements between local law enforcement and ICE that would violate this rule, and officers who violate it risk losing their certification. The law does not prevent local police from enforcing state laws but explicitly separates immigration enforcement from agricultural and construction site operations.
HB 420 allocates $4.3 million annually to fund teacher recruitment programs like "Grow-Your-Own" and "2+2" pathways in high-need schools, targeting efforts to recruit and prepare new educators. It requires the State Board of Education to develop a teacher licensure and compensation reform plan by March 2026, including pathways for new teachers and retention strategies. The bill also funds a study to expand educator preparation programs to graduate 5,000 in-state teachers annually, with a focus on increasing diversity among educators. These provisions directly affect public schools, teacher preparation programs, and prospective teachers through new funding streams and policy requirements.
SB 226 expands eligibility for death benefits under North Carolina's Public Safety Employees' Death Benefits Act to include firefighters who die from specific cancers. It adds any cancer diagnosed after January 1, 2022, that qualified a firefighter for benefits under the Firefighters' Cancer Insurance Program (or its predecessor, the Health Benefits Pilot Program) to the list of cancers presumed to be "killed in the line of duty." This means firefighters receiving cancer benefits under the program will automatically qualify for death benefits if they later die from that cancer. The bill also permanently establishes the Cancer Insurance Program as the successor to the pilot program and allocates $2 million annually for related death benefits starting July 1, 2025.
HB 181 reinstates North Carolina's Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for working families with children, providing a state tax credit equal to 5% of the federal EITC amount. The credit is refundable, meaning eligible families receive cash payments even if they owe no state tax, directly benefiting low-to-moderate income households struggling with housing, childcare, and basic living costs. It applies to taxable years beginning January 1, 2025, and aligns with federal EITC eligibility criteria. The bill reenacts the credit after its prior expiration, creating a concrete policy change to supplement family income.
SB 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.
SB 712, the "Caring for Our Caregivers Act," provides two key benefits for specific frontline workers. First, it exempts income earned by qualifying workers (including firefighters, EMTs, law enforcement, child care staff, teachers, and corrections officers) from North Carolina's state income tax. Second, it allocates $165 million annually to fund subsidized child care for families where at least one parent works in one of these qualifying roles, with priority given to child care workers. These provisions apply to taxable years beginning January 1, 2025, and the child care program starts July 1, 2025, for workers earning under $125,000 annually and working at least 30 hours weekly. The bill targets direct financial relief for essential service workers facing high childcare costs.
SB 448 removes two key barriers to Medicaid eligibility for North Carolina workers with disabilities under the "Health Coverage for Workers with Disabilities" program. It eliminates the federal limits on unearned income (like Social Security benefits) and countable assets (savings) that previously disqualified people from maintaining Medicaid coverage while working. The bill requires the state to seek federal CMS approval within 90 days to remove these limits, with implementation effective after CMS approval (targeting a July 2025 effective date). This change directly affects individuals with disabilities who currently face penalties for saving money or receiving certain benefits while enrolled in Medicaid, allowing them to retain healthcare coverage without losing eligibility due to income or asset thresholds. The state will provide $165,000 annually in funding for implementation starting July 2025.
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Medicaid
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People with Disabilities
