Sen. Jonah Garson

Maddy summaryThis bill allocates $319 million from the state's General Fund to North Carolina's Medicaid program to cover anticipated changes in enrollment, service costs, and federal funding rates. The money is designated for the Department of Health and Human Services to use starting in the 2025-2027 fiscal year, with the funding officially beginning retroactively on July 1, 2025. By adjusting available funds based on projected healthcare shifts, the legislation aims to ensure the Medicaid program has sufficient resources to operate as demographics and costs evolve.

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill requires that the salaries of state legislators be held in escrow if the General Assembly does not pass a budget by June 30, 2026. If the Senate and House do not ratify a state budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year by that deadline, the pay earned by legislators from July 1, 2026, forward will be withheld. The withheld funds will be released only after the legislature ratifies a budget or adjourns for the year. The legislation also sets aside ten thousand dollars to cover the administrative costs of managing the escrow account.

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill establishes a new regulatory framework specifically for large nonresidential electricity customers who consume 50 megawatts or more. It requires electric utilities to file tariffs that include strict contract terms, such as a minimum 20-year service agreement, mandatory load usage guarantees, and significant upfront payments to cover the cost of infrastructure upgrades needed to serve these clients. The legislation also mandates that these customers pay exit fees if they terminate service early or fail to meet their contracted energy demands, ensuring that other ratepayers are not financially burdened by their departure. Additionally, the bill creates a program allowing these large customers to purchase dedicated clean energy resources while ensuring that residential and small commercial customers are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged by these arrangements.

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill updates high school graduation requirements for mathematics by replacing a single sequence of four courses with four distinct pathways aligned to student goals. Students must complete NC Math 1, NC Math 2, and two additional math courses chosen from options like college preparatory, career and technical education, quantitative reasoning, or STEM. The law also mandates that each student's career development plan include these specific math pathways and requires the State Board of Education to finalize the course rules by July 2027. Implementation begins in the 2028-2029 school year for students entering ninth grade, with funding provided to the Department of Public Instruction for rollout.

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill aims to improve access to affordable child care by increasing subsidy rates and providing financial support to providers. Starting in October 2026, the state will raise payment rates for licensed centers and homes to match the 75th percentile of market rates, with a specific provision to maintain higher local rates in counties with very few children if the statewide rate would be too low. The legislation appropriates $110 million in recurring funds to implement these rate increases and reinstitutes a $50 million stabilization grant program to help providers with compensation. Additionally, the bill allocates $50 million for matching grants to counties and private employers for physical improvements and capacity expansion, and $60 million for a two-year pilot program that offers subsidies to help child care workers afford care for their own children. To qualify for the worker assistance pilot, providers must be full-time employees earning below 85% of the state median income, and the program requires a 25% match from the employer while prioritizing areas with the highest unmet demand for care.

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill prevents public utilities from disconnecting residential service during declared periods of extreme heat, extreme cold, or poor air quality, requiring instead that customers be offered deferred payment plans. It also allows landlords to restrict tenants from installing portable cooling or air filtration devices only under specific conditions, such as when the device violates safety codes, damages the property, or requires electrical capacity that cannot be provided. Additionally, the legislation defines what constitutes an extreme weather or air quality event based on official alerts from agencies like the National Weather Service and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a Tropical Storm Chantal Mitigation Fund within North Carolina's Division of Emergency Management to assist homeowners in seven specific counties affected by the storm. The fund will provide financial support for buying out homes, relocating residents, or repairing and rebuilding properties, with each person eligible to receive up to $500,000. A total of $25 million is allocated from the state's general fund for these purposes, with unused money returning to a disaster relief fund by June 2028. The legislation is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026.

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 bill requires the North Carolina General Assembly to adopt a full spending plan before it can lower tax rates. If the state collects more revenue than specific thresholds set for each fiscal year, the income tax rate will automatically decrease by 0.5% or drop to a minimum of 2.49%, whichever is higher. These automatic reductions would take effect in the tax years following the fiscal year in which the revenue targets are exceeded, starting in 2027. The law applies to future tax years through 2034 and uses final revenue figures reported by the Office of State Controller to determine if the trigger is met.

Maddy summaryThis bill mandates that all public schools in North Carolina, including charter and laboratory schools, provide free breakfast and lunch to every student starting in the 2026-2027 school year. To support this requirement, the state will allocate $116 million from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction, with additional flexibility to use existing state aid if necessary. The legislation outlines specific criteria for distributing these funds, such as school size, the number of eligible students, and the quality of food provided, while ensuring that state money supplements rather than replaces other funding sources.