Sen. Caleb Theodros

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 summaryThe CARDINAL Act establishes a new state program that provides an additional $1,000 to children born in North Carolina between 2025 and 2028 who receive federal contributions into a specific type of savings account known as a Trump Account. To fund this initiative, the bill redirects $192 million from the state's existing Opportunity Scholarship Grant Fund Reserve, which was originally set aside for the 2026-2027 school year. The legislation also modifies the priority order for awarding opportunity scholarships in 2026-2027, ensuring that students who received grants in the previous year are processed first if funds are insufficient to cover all applicants.

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill removes state funding limits on light rail and commuter rail projects and allocates money for rail safety. It amends existing statutes to allow the Department of Transportation to provide more than the current ten percent cap on state funding for these rail initiatives. Additionally, the legislation directs one million dollars from the Highway Fund to the Department of Transportation specifically for safety and security measures on the CATS Blue Lynx rail line. The changes are scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026.

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 summarySB 1024, titled 'My Power Bill Is Too High,' aims to protect North Carolina electricity customers by repealing the authority for multiyear rate plans that allow utility rates to increase automatically without annual review. The bill requires that all future electric utility rates be set only through a standard annual general rate case, eliminating preauthorized rate adjustments. Additionally, it modifies performance-based regulation rules to limit automatic rate increases to a maximum of four percent in the second and third years of any multiyear plan, while excluding large new generation projects from these automatic hikes. This legislation directly affects electric public utilities and their customers by ensuring more frequent regulatory oversight and greater transparency in how utility rates are determined.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes two separate constitutional amendments to North Carolina that would legalize the possession of limited amounts of cannabis for personal use and for medical purposes by patients with qualifying conditions. If passed by voters in the November 2026 election, these changes would remove criminal penalties for these specific activities while requiring the state legislature to create detailed laws governing their implementation. The amendments do not take effect immediately upon passage by the General Assembly but instead go directly to the public for a vote, with the results determining whether the new rules become part of the state constitution.

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 bill repeals a previous law that expanded cooperation between local jails and federal immigration enforcement and requires a judicial warrant based on probable cause before federal agents can arrest, search, or detain individuals within North Carolina. It also prohibits state and local facilities from holding people solely on immigration detainers beyond their scheduled release time and allows local law enforcement to decline cooperation with federal immigration requests. To support these changes, the legislation appropriates four million dollars to fund legal services for immigrants, specifically directing grants to four nonprofit organizations for representation, asylum applications, and community legal education. The measures are designed to increase transparency in enforcement actions and restore community trust by limiting the use of administrative warrants and ensuring access to legal counsel.

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 allocates $4.2 million in recurring state funds starting in the 2026-2027 fiscal year to support local courts that handle cases involving substance use and mental health issues. The money is designated for the Administrative Office of the Courts to establish and maintain judicially managed accountability and recovery courts, which are designed to help defendants diagnosed with alcoholism, substance use disorders, or mental health conditions. These courts will operate by creating personalized treatment plans for participants and monitoring their progress while they remain involved in the criminal justice system. The funding applies to both new and existing programs that fall under specific state statutes governing these specialized courts.