Veterans

House Bill 288 requires the official Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) flag to be displayed at all state-owned buildings and public schools in North Carolina. This applies whenever the United States flag is flown, provided an existing flagpole can accommodate the POW/MIA flag. The state will purchase these flags for state-owned buildings, while local boards of education may accept donations or use available funds for their schools.

HB 250 modifies the annual report filing requirements and fees for certain business entities in North Carolina. It directly affects domestic and foreign corporations and Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) where more than 50% of the ownership is held by one or more deployed members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The bill waives the annual report requirement and associated fees for these businesses while the owner is deployed. Instead, qualifying businesses must file a notice of deployment and can submit their annual report after the deployment ends (90 business days for corporations, April 15 of the following year for LLCs).

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.

HB 69, the Military and Veterans Educational Promise Act, provides two key benefits for military-affiliated individuals and veterans at North Carolina's University of North Carolina (UNC) schools. First, it requires UNC institutions to allow eligible military members (including reservists) and their spouses to defer admission for up to five years (for active duty) or two years (for reserve service) upon enrollment notice. Second, it establishes in-state tuition rates for honorably discharged veterans who served at least 90 days in the military, graduated from a North Carolina high school after 2004, had a North Carolina duty station, or received a Purple Heart. The bill applies to all UNC institutions beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year.

House Bill 213, titled "Post NC Veterans' Benefits," requires employers in North Carolina to display a notice about veterans' benefits. This bill mandates that employers with five or more persons working in a room post this information in a conspicuous place. The Commissioner of Labor will provide a digital or printed form of this notice. The poster must include details on services such as benefits and claims, employment and training, housing assistance, and how to request military records, with the Department of Labor consulting the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to create it.

HB 266 designates June 12th of each year as Women Veterans Day in North Carolina. The bill directly affects North Carolinians by establishing an annual state observance to recognize women veterans' service. It adds this date to North Carolina's official calendar through a simple statutory change in Chapter 103 of the General Statutes, requiring no new funding or administrative implementation. The bill creates a ceremonial recognition without altering existing veteran benefits or programs.