Sen. Val Applewhite

Maddy summarySB 801 protects the personal information of North Carolina special operations personnel and their families by making their addresses, phone numbers, and school details confidential. The bill requires state agencies to keep this data private unless the individual requests disclosure and confirms they have taken steps to protect it through other means. It also expands the state's Address Confidentiality Program to include these individuals, allowing them to use a substitute address for receiving mail and legal documents. Additionally, the legislation creates a new civil liability law against doxing and allocates funds to implement these protections.

Maddy summarySB 675 sets a 2% maximum fee limit for second or junior lien mortgages in North Carolina, aligning state rules with federal Qualified Mortgage standards. It allows up to 3% total fees across all lenders for such loans, referencing federal guidelines (12 C.F.R. §1026.43(e)(3)). The bill directly affects borrowers taking second mortgages and lenders who charge fees on these loans. It requires lenders to comply with these fee limits on loans secured by real property, effective upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill allocates state funds to enhance workforce training for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in North Carolina community colleges. It establishes a program to offer micro-credentials and on-the-job training, while funding specific roles to connect colleges with business partners and expand career pathways for high school students. Additionally, the legislation directs money toward a study on creating faster routes for apprentices to become teachers and provides resources to implement a secure digital wallet system for managing academic credentials.

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to study health challenges faced by women serving in the military. The study will examine how to improve maternity care coordination, access to community resources, and mental health support for pregnant and postpartum veterans, while also looking at ways to reduce maternal mortality and address racial disparities. To complete this research, the state has allocated $100,000 for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, and the final report with recommendations is due by April 1, 2027.

Maddy summarySB 1030 expands North Carolina's Weatherization Assistance Program for low-income families by requiring health and safety improvements, such as better indoor air quality measures, alongside standard energy efficiency upgrades. The bill authorizes community-scale projects that target multiple homes in neighborhoods facing shared environmental or economic challenges, allowing local agencies and utilities to submit proposals for these initiatives. To fund these changes, the legislation appropriates $10 million for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, with rules established to prioritize projects that maximize energy savings and address housing vulnerabilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the Military Family Food Security and Readiness Act, aims to assist North Carolina military families by adjusting how their income is calculated for food assistance programs during deployments or activations. It would temporarily exclude certain military allowances, such as housing and subsistence pay, from income counts and allow eligible households to qualify for benefits with up to 25% higher income limits. For families who still do not meet standard criteria, the state would provide a supplemental nutrition program offering monthly benefits between $150 and $300, with an expedited application process to ensure quick access. The legislation applies to active-duty personnel, National Guard members, and reservists and includes funding to support these new provisions starting in the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

Maddy summaryThe Workforce Act of 2026 allocates state funding to modernize education-to-workforce pathways and improve credit transfer for students in North Carolina. A primary provision directs $3.1 million to the ApprenticeshipNC program to support work-based learning and increase employer participation in apprenticeships. The bill also provides $350,000 to the Department of Commerce to create a list of industry-valued credentials and link them to labor market data such as wages and job placement. Additionally, it increases funding for short-term workforce development grants and requires private colleges to be included in the state's common digital transcript system by March 2027.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the North Carolina Small Business Capital Access Act to help small businesses and companies in underserved areas get the money they need to start, run, and grow. It creates a new state office and an oversight board to manage a program that includes loan guarantees, direct investments, and technical assistance for eligible businesses. The loan guarantee component is designed to encourage private lenders to provide financing by covering up to 90% of the loan amount for businesses in the most disadvantaged regions. The program specifically targets small businesses with fewer than 500 employees and those operating in low-income or rural census tracts.

Maddy summarySB 1045, titled the Utility Profit Oversight Act, requires the North Carolina General Assembly to explicitly approve any proposed electric utility rate increases that would raise the utility's authorized return on equity. Under this bill, the Public Service Commission must immediately suspend such rate changes until the legislature passes a specific act ratifying them, ensuring that significant profit increases receive direct legislative oversight. The legislation also mandates a study by the Commission to evaluate the cost of equity capital for electric utilities in the state. By shifting the approval power for these specific financial adjustments from the regulatory commission to the state legislature, the bill aims to add a layer of political accountability to utility pricing decisions.

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina legislation creates a Military Sexual Trauma Study Commission and a two-year pilot program to assist survivors of military sexual trauma. The Commission will investigate barriers to reporting and support access among active duty, reserve, and veteran populations, with a requirement to submit findings to the General Assembly by April 2027. The pilot program, managed by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, provides a confidential hotline, counseling, legal referrals, and emergency assistance to affected service members and families. These provisions aim to improve care coordination and inform future statewide implementation without duplicating existing federal services.