Bills that Representative Ray Russell Sponsored in the 2019-20 Legislative Session

Key: The following is a representative list of bills that Representative Russell sponsored while in office. * indicates that he was a primary sponsor. # indicates that the bill passed the House but not the Senate. ! indicates that the bill was passed and enacted into law.

Affordability and Save/Affordable Housing

HB 359 – $15/Hour Minimum Pay for Noncertified School Employees. ($15/hour because of labor shortages is typical wages now, but it was certainly NOT the norm in 2019.)

HB 549 – Matching Funds for Affordable Housing. This bill proposed appropriating $2.5 million per year for FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21 to the Department of Commerce to provide matching grants to nonprofit organizations for the planning and construction of affordable housing projects. It required a dollar-for-dollar nonprofit match and directed the Department to establish grant guidelines and reporting requirements.

*HB 666 – DOT/Restore funds to SMAP. This bill appropriated $8.56 million from the Highway Fund for the 2019–20 fiscal year to support the State Maintenance Assistance Program within the North Carolina Department of Transportation, much of which would have come directly to AppalCart.

HB 763 – Home Modification Grand Fund. This bill proposed increasing grants available for modifying or retrofitting an existing home for accessibility and universal visitability.

HB 875 – Student Borrowers’ Bill of Rights. This bill proposed creating a Student Borrowers’ Bill of Rights by establishing a Student Loan Ombudsman and a comprehensive state licensing and oversight system for student loan servicers. It would have imposed consumer protections, disclosure and conduct standards, enforcement powers, penalties, and borrower remedies to regulate servicers and protect student loan borrowers in North Carolina.

HB 945 – Augment Disabled Veteran Property Tax Benefit. This bill proposed modifying the disabled veteran property tax exclusion by creating two different exclusion levels based on the veteran’s qualifying disability status. It would have increased the benefit for veterans (or surviving spouses) with a service-connected, permanent, and total disability while maintaining a smaller exclusion for those qualifying under other federal housing benefit criteria.

HB 1067 – Modernize Debt Settlement Prohibition. This bill proposed strengthening North Carolina’s consumer protections by recodifying and expanding prohibitions on debt adjusting and debt settlement practices, making both activities explicitly illegal and subject to criminal penalties and unfair trade practice enforcement. It clarified definitions, voided debt adjusting and debt settlement contracts, tightened limits on permissible credit counseling fees, and narrowed attorney exemptions to prevent arrangements that effectively facilitate prohibited debt settlement services.

HB 1075 – Unemployment Insurance Modifications/Increase Benefits/Funds. This bill proposed expanding and modernizing North Carolina’s unemployment insurance system by increasing the weekly benefit cap, restoring a standard 26-week benefit duration, and revising how weekly benefits are calculated. It also proposed broadening eligibility by recognizing caregiving, health-related, and spousal-relocation job separations, funding a public education campaign, and directing a study of a potential work-sharing unemployment program.

HB 1118 – Study on Fixed In-State Tuition Plan for UNC. This bill proposed requiring the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at NC State University to study the feasibility and impacts of offering a fixed in-state undergraduate tuition rate of $2,500 per semester for four consecutive academic years at most UNC constituent institutions. It also proposed appropriating $100,000 to fund the study and requiring a report to the General Assembly on affordability, enrollment effects, institutional finances, and long-term economic outcomes for students and families.

*HB 1127 – UNC Student Lease Hold Harmless. This bill proposed creating a COVID-19 Emergency Grant Program to help UNC students cover up to 70% of housing lease obligations entered into before March 15, 2020, when those obligations became a financial hardship due to the pandemic. It directed $50 million in federal relief funds to be distributed through UNC campuses to eligible students based on financial need, with payments made directly to landlords and safeguards to prevent overpayment or duplication of assistance.

HB 1133 – UI/Flexibility For Interstate Work. This bill proposed requiring the Division of Employment Security to use maximum flexibility, on a case-by-case basis, when determining unemployment insurance eligibility for workers whose jobs require them to work in North Carolina and other states during the same benefit year. It also would have funded a study to examine how multi-state employment affects unemployment eligibility and the impacts on employers.

HB 1134 – Housing and Foreclosure Prevention Assistance. This bill proposed creating a $100 million Home Protection Program to provide zero-interest, forgivable mortgage assistance loans to North Carolina homeowners who lost income due to COVID-19 and were at risk of foreclosure. It also would have established a new Emergency Housing Office within DHHS to coordinate homelessness data, emergency housing resources, and ongoing legislative recommendations related to housing instability during the pandemic.

HB 1135 – Housing & Utilities Assistance/COVID-19. This bill proposed allocating $100 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to create an emergency housing and utilities assistance program administered by DHHS for individuals and families facing homelessness or housing instability during the pandemic. It would have provided short-term rental, hotel, and utility assistance based on income thresholds tied to area median income, while also funding housing navigation and case management services and allowing limited funds for program administration.

HB 1200 – Foreclosure Prev. Grants/Rental & Utility Asst. This bill proposed transferring $200 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to create a comprehensive housing stability package, including mortgage, rental, and utility assistance for North Carolinians facing pandemic- related financial hardship. It established capped, time-limited direct payments to mortgage lenders, landlords, and utility providers; funded housing counseling and foreclosure- prevention legal services; exempted programs from standard rulemaking to speed implementation; and required detailed legislative reporting on demand, denials, and outcomes.

!HB 1208 – Funding for Workforce Housing Loan Program. This bill provided $20 million in nonrecurring funding for the Workforce Housing Loan Program administered by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency to support the development of affordable workforce housing. As enacted, it financed the appropriation by shifting funds within the General Fund— including transfers tied to the FICA Fund and insurance regulatory charge revenues—and required the full allocation of the funds during the 2020 housing credit award cycle.

Farm, Non-Profit, and Small Business Support

HB 970 – Enhance Ag Tax Benefits for Beginning Farmers. This bill proposed revising the income and ownership requirements for agricultural and horticultural land to qualify for the present- use value property tax benefit. It would have allowed newer applicants to meet the income test with either $1,000 in gross income in the prior year or a three-year average, and shortened the ownership-history requirement from four years to one year for eligible owners.

HB 1034 – Small Business Emergency Loans. This bill proposed creating a $75 million small- business emergency loan program using federal Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars, with funds routed through Golden LEAF to provide emergency loans during the COVID-19 economic downturn. It clarified funding sources, administration, and accounting rules to ensure the money was used specifically for pandemic-related small business relief rather than general state appropriations.

HB 1137 – Nonprofit Sales Tax Exemption. This bill proposed a temporary sales-tax exemption for certain nonprofit and public-service entities, including nonprofit hospitals, selected 501(c)(3) organizations, volunteer fire and EMS departments, university-affiliated nonprofits, and qualified retirement facilities, covering specified goods and services used in their work. The exemption included indirect purchases through contractors, imposed documentation and annual caps, excluded utilities and certain other items, added penalties for misuse, and was scheduled to apply to purchases from October 1, 2019, through June 30, 2021.

!HB 1201 – Local Meat Processors Grants/Marketing Funds. This bill appropriated $17.7 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to strengthen North Carolina’s meat processing supply chain disrupted by the pandemic. It funded grants for eligible meat processing facilities—including USDA-regulated plants and catfish aquaculture operations—for capacity expansion and workforce development, required applicant facilities to submit COVID-19 employee safety plans, and dedicated a portion of the funds to technology-based agricultural marketing initiatives, with reporting and matching-fund requirements.

HB 1224 – Pandemic Emergency Asst.: Restaurants/Lodging. This bill proposed creating a $125 million COVID-19 relief loan program, administered through community development financial institutions, to support North Carolina restaurants and lodging businesses that experienced revenue losses of more than 50% during the pandemic. It would have provided low-interest, partially forgivable loans of up to $50,000, prioritized smaller and independently owned businesses, prohibited duplicate aid, and required regular reporting and eventual repayment of unused funds back to the State’s Coronavirus Relief Reserve.

K-12 Education

*HB 207 – School Calendar Flex/Weather/Certain Counties. This bill would provide more calendar flexibility for mountain school districts to deal with weather-related issues.

HB 428 – K-3 Reading and Literacy Improvement Act. This act proposed the appropriation of $271 million to ensure every K–2 classroom has a full-time teacher assistant and every three third-grade classrooms share a full-time assistant, beginning in the 2019–2020 school year.

HB 457 – Restore Master’s Pay for Certain Teachers. This bill proposed repealing prior laws that phased out advanced-degree salary supplements and restoring eligibility for certain teachers and instructional support personnel to receive pay on the “M” salary schedule or related supplements. It would have defined specific eligibility categories, required annual reviews for some recipients, and limited eligibility for those with advanced degrees in school administration unless they met narrow criteria.

HB 524 – Additional Funds for School Nurses. This bill proposed a multi-year, recurring General Fund investment to significantly expand the number of school nurses statewide, scaling from $10 million in 2019–20 to $30.7 million by 2021–22. Funds would have been prioritized for districts with nurse-to-student ratios below the state average or with faster-than- average student growth, and were intended to supplement—not replace—existing local funding for school nurses.

HB 563 – 30 Minimum Duty-Free Lunch for Teachers. This bill proposed requiring all full-time classroom teachers in public schools and State-funded schools to receive at least 30 minutes of duty-free lunch time each school day during regular student contact hours. It also required school improvement plans to include specific provisions ensuring this daily duty-free lunch period for teachers.

HB 719 – Expanded Food/Nutrition Education programs. This bill proposed $750,000 in recurring funds to expand food/nutrition NC Cooperative Extension programs to more counties.

HB 742 – NCFFA Additional Coordinator Positions. This bill proposed appropriating $400,000 in recurring funds to the UNC Board of Governors to be allocated to North Carolina State University. The funds were intended to create two additional regional coordinator positions to support agricultural education programs and Future Farmers of America activities in North Carolina public schools.

HB 852- Historic School Preservation Act. This bill proposed creating a new 5% bonus tax credit for rehabilitation expenses on certified historic structures that are rehabilitated and used for educational purposes, subject to a $20 million cap. The bonus would apply only if the building was originally used for education, continues to be used for that purpose after rehabilitation, and remains in educational use while the credit or any carryforward is claimed.

HB 890 – Restore Master’s Pay for Certain Teachers. his bill proposed repealing prior laws that phased out advanced-degree salary supplements for teachers and instructional support personnel and restoring eligibility for certain educators to receive master’s- and doctoral-level pay supplements. It defined specific categories of teachers and support staff who could qualify for the “M” salary schedule going forward, while limiting eligibility for those with degrees in school administration unless additional criteria were met.

HB 891 – Tuition Grants for NCSSM Graduates. This bill proposed creating a tuition grant program for North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics graduates who enroll full-time at an in-state college or university, covering tuition for up to four academic years if eligibility requirements are met. It also established a dedicated reserve fund to administer the grants and appropriated recurring state funds to support the program.

HB 895 – Opportunity Gap Task Force. This bill proposed creating an Opportunity Gap Task Force to study disparities in K–12 education and recommend strategies to close those gaps by 2030, including issues such as teacher development, budgeting, and student access to technology. It also proposed adjusting the task force’s membership, expanding invited stakeholder input, adding a focus on technology access.

HB 931 – Extended-Year Teacher Contracts/Study. This bill proposed directing the Department of Public Instruction to commission a detailed study on extending certain teacher contracts from 10 to 11 months to expand professional development opportunities and potentially improve student achievement. It would have funded a $100,000 consultant-led analysis focused on specific categories of teachers, with findings reported to state education leaders and lawmakers in 2020.

HB 976 – Funds/NC New Teacher Support Program. This bill proposed appropriating $500,000 to the UNC Board of Governors to expand the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program by adding about 120 beginning teachers in low-performing public schools. It also aimed to help school districts that lack sufficient funding participate in the program through state-supported partnerships.

HB 979 – High-Quality Teacher Professional Development. This bill proposed requiring the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission, to offer at least five state-developed professional development courses using online, blended, instructor-led, or self-paced instructional models. It also proposed appropriating state funds to the Department of Public Instruction to develop and implement these teacher professional development courses.

HB 980 – Reward Excellence in Teaching – NBPTS. This bill proposed appropriating state funds to provide grants covering National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification application fees for up to 1,000 teachers each year of the 2019–21 biennium. It also proposed requiring participating teachers to receive up to three days of approved paid leave to support completion of the certification process.

HB 981 – Grow Your Own/Highly Effective Teachers/Cadet. This bill proposed appropriating state funds to support the North Carolina Teacher Cadet Program through grants to the North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children. The funding was intended to expand curriculum development, provide startup classroom grants, support student development, and strengthen recruitment efforts, particularly in Tier 1 counties and among male minority teacher candidates.

HB 986 – Restore LEA Sales Tax Benefit. This bill proposed restoring the authority for local school administrative units to receive sales tax refunds on their purchases by reenacting repealed provisions of state tax law. It also proposed adjusting related local and state sales tax statutes and replacing lost revenues to the State Public School Fund with a recurring General Fund appropriation.

HB 1088 – Invest NC Bond Act of 2020. This bill proposed authorizing North Carolina voters to approve up to $3.9 billion in general obligation bonds to fund major capital investments in public schools, water and sewer infrastructure, community colleges, the UNC system, and natural and cultural resources. It laid out detailed allocation formulas, matching requirements, oversight, and tracking rules to ensure the bond proceeds were used for long- term construction and infrastructure projects across the state.

*HB 1116 – Enhancing Accessibility to Teacher Prof. Dev. This bill proposed requiring the State Board of Education to offer at least five professional development courses for teachers, using a mix of instructor-led, self-paced, and limited live-session instructional models developed in consultation with the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission. It also proposed appropriating nonrecurring funds to the Department of Public Instruction to develop and deliver these courses and clarified how the appropriations would interact with existing state budget law.

HB 1123 – Study of Retention of K-12 Teachers. This bill proposed creating a statewide Teacher Retention Task Force to study the causes of teacher turnover in North Carolina and develop recommendations to improve retention, particularly in districts with the highest attrition rates. It also proposed strengthening existing reporting requirements by requiring the State Board of Education to incorporate Teacher Working Conditions Survey data and retention-focused recommendations into its annual report on the teaching profession, supported by a modest appropriation for the task force’s work.

HB 1129 – Ensure a Sound Basic Education. This bill proposed a sweeping, multi-part overhaul of North Carolina’s public education system centered on teacher compensation, equity, and accountability, while also restructuring and permanently authorizing the Advanced Teaching Roles program. It would have expanded performance-based teacher pay models statewide, created a new Office of Equity Oversight within DPI to monitor compliance with the constitutional duty to provide a sound basic education, and significantly reweighted school performance grades to emphasize student growth. The bill also proposed eliminating the Opportunity Scholarship (private school voucher) program, creating multiple task forces and studies to address opportunity gaps and school leadership, and granting districts greater budget and calendar flexibility. Taken together, it represented one of the most comprehensive education reform packages proposed in North Carolina during the 2019–2020 session, touching teacher pay, equity enforcement, accountability, governance, and funding priorities in a single legislative framework.

*HB 1130 – Invest in a Sound Basic Education. This bill proposed a large-scale reinvestment in North Carolina’s public education system, appropriating nearly $140 million to expand disadvantaged student funding, special education support, early childhood programs, teacher preparation, and broadband access for students. It would have significantly expanded the School Connectivity Initiative to improve off-campus internet access, increased per-child funding for students with disabilities, strengthened turnaround efforts for chronically low- performing schools, and boosted NC Pre-K and Smart Start investments. The bill also proposed major reforms to educator preparation, including required training to reduce racial bias in classrooms, expanded participation and revised service requirements for the NC Teaching Fellows Program, and additional support for beginning teachers in high-poverty schools. Collectively, it laid out a broad equity-focused vision linking student achievement, teacher retention, early childhood education, and universal broadband access as core responsibilities of the State.

HB 1132 – Study on K-12 Student Retention. This bill proposed creating a statewide study of K– 12 student retention practices to evaluate when and how students are retained and to develop recommendations for improving educational outcomes. It would have established a 20- member expert panel appointed by the State Board of Education, funded the work at $75,000, and required a final report to the General Assembly.

!HB 1136 – Funds for NCSSM-Morganton Campus. This bill proposed establishing and funding a western campus of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Morganton, including authorizing the campus, creating 46 new positions, and providing recurring operating funds through adjustments to state retirement contribution savings. It set out a multi-year funding and implementation plan to open the campus to students beginning in the 2022–23 school year.

HB 1139 – Local Boards of Education Budget Flexibility. This bill temporarily expanded budget flexibility for local boards of education in the 2020–21 fiscal year by allowing transfers between most allotment categories, while protecting funding for students with disabilities, limited English proficiency, academically or intellectually gifted programs, and restricting transfers into central office funding. It also required DPI to study the impact of this flexibility and report to the General Assembly, with $50,000 appropriated for the study.

HB 1148 – Restore Master’s Pay for Certain Teachers. This bill proposed to repeal prior laws phasing out education-based salary supplements and to more narrowly define which teachers and instructional support personnel could receive advanced-degree pay supplements beginning in the 2019–20 school year and beyond. It also directed the State Board of Education to review and report on the revised eligibility rules for these supplements, including whether some excluded teachers would have qualified under earlier policies.

HB 1212 – NC Teacher Support Program Funds. This bill proposed appropriating $4 million to allow approximately 1,700 new North Carolina public school teachers to participate in the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program at no cost to local districts. The funding would have provided blended support through instructional coaching, professional development, and participation in the program’s e-Institute.

Higher Education

HB 408 – Expand Teaching Fellows Program. This bill proposed to reinstate the Teaching Fellows program to App State and other UNC System universities.

HB 785 – Study Student Loan Alternatives. This bill proposed creating a joint task force led by the State Education Assistance Authority to study alternative higher-education financing models, such as human capital contracts, and assess whether they could replace traditional tuition and fee structures at North Carolina’s public colleges and universities. The task force was directed to examine costs, feasibility, and pilot program design.

HB 896 – In-State Tuition for Military Spouses.

HB 977 – Develop Homegrown Teachers-Pilot. This bill proposed creating a Homegrown Teachers pilot program within the North Carolina Community College System to increase the supply of teachers in underserved areas. It would have used 2+2 articulation agreements between selected community colleges and UNC institutions, required participants to complete at least 60 credits locally, and directed the system to study and report on the program’s outcomes.

*HB 978 – NC Teaching Fellows Enhancements/Funds. This bill proposed expanding the NC Teaching Fellows Program beyond STEM and special education to include elementary education, English language arts, and other hard-to-staff subject areas. It would have broadened recruitment priorities, strengthened partnerships with multiple UNC and private institutions, adjusted loan forgiveness terms to incentivize service in high-need schools, and added funding to support a larger cohort of teaching fellows.

HB 1084 – Bob Jordan Teaching Fellows Restoration Act. This bill proposed expanding the NC Teaching Fellows Program beyond its prior focus on STEM and special education to support preparation of teachers across all public school subject areas. It also proposed broadening participation to 17 educator preparation institutions statewide and increasing recurring funding to add more forgivable loan slots for future teaching cohorts.

HB 1131 – Teacher Pipeline Development. This bill proposed appropriating $75,000 to support and expand the NC Teacher Cadet Program, with a focus on statewide teacher training workshops, increased participation in Tier 1 counties, and targeted recruitment of underrepresented future teachers, including men and people of color. It aimed to strengthen the teacher pipeline by investing early in educator preparation and diversity while maintaining consistency with broader state budget provisions.

Families and Early Childhood Education

HB 124 – Smart Start Funds. This bill proposed appropriating $20 million per year for the 2019– 21 biennium from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services for early childhood education support. The funds were to be allocated to the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. for distribution to local Smart Start partnerships across the state.

*#HB 882 – Early Childhood Recommendations/DHHS. This bill proposed increasing education and credential requirements for lead teachers and operators in child care facilities, establishing graduated competency standards tied to community college and university programs. It also proposed studying and reporting on the early childhood workforce, including teachers’ educational attainment and compensation, and exploring a pilot program to improve pay, staffing ratios, and quality for classrooms serving children from birth to age three.

!HB 886 – Study Participation of Operators in NC Pre-K. This bill proposed directing the Department of Health and Human Services to study the barriers child care facility operators face in participating in the NC Pre-Kindergarten program, including a county-by-county assessment of local challenges. It aimed to use the findings to help increase enrollment toward a goal of serving 75% of eligible children in each county and required a report with recommendations to the General Assembly.

HB 948 – Funds for Universal NC Pre-K. This bill proposed significantly expanding the NC Pre-K program by appropriating new recurring funds to add thousands of additional preschool slots and support the administrative costs of that expansion. It also proposed making NC Pre-K universally accessible to all four-year-olds by eliminating income-based eligibility requirements.

HB 987 – State Employees/Paid Parental Leave. This bill proposed creating a statewide paid parental leave program for State employees and State-supported personnel, providing up to eight weeks of paid leave for full-time employees and prorated leave for part-time employees following the birth or adoption of a child. It also proposed funding the program with $10 million in recurring appropriations for each year of the 2019–21 biennium and required annual reporting on program usage.

HB 1117 – Protect Child Care Workers/COVID-19 Pandemic. This bill proposed transferring federal coronavirus relief funds and appropriating additional state funds to support child care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, including bonuses for teachers and staff, health and sanitation supplies, COVID-19 testing costs, expanded child health consultants, and two weeks of fully paid sick leave for child care workers. It also required reporting to the General Assembly on how the funds were used to address pandemic-related child care needs statewide.

Affordable and Available Healthcare

HB 5 – Close the Medicaid Coverage Gap. This bill became the defining battle in the 2019 legislative session. If House and Senate leadership had allowed it to come to the floor for a vote, it would have passed with bipartisan support. But they did not allow it. The bill proposed repealing North Carolina’s statutory prohibition on Medicaid expansion and extending Medicaid eligibility to adults in the coverage gap through an Alternative Benefit Plan administered by the Department of Health and Human Services. It also declared legislative intent to replace the existing hospital provider assessment with a new assessment to fund the State’s share and administrative costs of Medicaid expansion once coverage began.

HB 185 – The SAVE Act. This bill would establish a formal state licensure system for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) in North Carolina, defining who qualifies as an APRN and setting clear education, certification, renewal, and reinstatement requirements, while granting the Board of Nursing authority to license and regulate APRN practice. It also clarifies APRN scope of practice and independence.

*HB 399 – Extend Tax Credits/Other Finance Change. This bill proposed a package of tax and finance changes, including restoring an income exclusion for charitable IRA distributions by taxpayers age 701⁄2 and older, allowing deductions for certain state economic incentive grants, and extending multiple tax credits and exemptions (historic rehabilitation, aviation fuel, motorsports, and dry-cleaning cleanup programs).

HB 464 – Small Business Health Care Act. This bill established comprehensive state standards for Association Health Plans (AHPs), setting requirements for sponsoring business associations, coverage levels, solvency, non-discrimination, and consumer protections. The bill aims to expand health insurance options for small businesses while ensuring AHPs meet minimum coverage and financial safeguards under North Carolina law.

HB 721 – Increased Access to Telehealth Services. This bill proposed expanding access to telehealth services.

HB 728 – Increase Innovation Waiver Slots. Every year, children in NC who would qualify for Medicaid are denied access due to a lack of funding. This bill proposed to allocate funds so that DHHS could expand the North Carolina Innovations Medicaid waiver by up to 500 additional slots, with 125 reserved and the remainder allocated on a per-capita, first-come basis to counties

HB 753 – Increase Personal Needs Allowance/Medicaid. This bill proposed increasing the Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance for institutionalized recipients, raising it from $30 to $70 for individuals and from $60 to $140 for married couples when both spouses are institutionalized, ensuring more income is retained for personal expenses.

HB 854- Protect STATE Health Care Act. This bill proposed prohibiting health insurers in North Carolina from imposing preexisting condition exclusions and requiring them to accept all eligible individuals and employers who apply for coverage. It also proposed limiting how insurers set and adjust premiums by restricting rating factors and allowing changes no more than once per year, with narrow exceptions.

HB 884 – FQHC Medicaid Reimb./Telemed./CCPs. This bill proposed requiring Medicaid and NC Health Choice to cover telemedicine, telepsychiatry, and clinical pharmacist practitioner services provided through Federally Qualified Health Centers as core services. It also proposed reimbursing FQHCs for telemedicine and telepsychiatry at 100% of the prospective payment system rate and directing DHHS to make any necessary federal waivers or policy changes to implement the coverage.

HB 1040 – Healthcare for Working North Carolinians. This bill proposed repealing North Carolina’s statutory prohibition on Medicaid expansion and extending Medicaid coverage to adults in the coverage gap with incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level. It directed DHHS to implement the expansion through an alternative benefit plan consistent with Medicaid transformation and provided planning funds, while signaling intent to finance the state share through a revised hospital provider assessment.

Fair Elections and Voting

HB 69. – Nonpartisan Redistricting Commission. This bill proposed the creation of an independent, nonpartisan redistricting commission to draw North Carolina’s legislative and congressional maps instead of the General Assembly. It established strict eligibility rules, transparency and public-hearing requirements, clear redistricting standards banning partisan or incumbent favoritism, and a structured process requiring the legislature to vote up or down on commission-drawn maps with only limited corrective amendments allowed.

HB 140 – The FAIR Act – This bill proposed a constitutional amendment to create a nonpartisan redistricting process in North Carolina, setting strict, transparent rules for drawing congressional, legislative, and optional local election districts based on population, contiguity, compactness, and respect for county boundaries—while explicitly banning partisan, racial, or incumbent-based gerrymandering and the use of political or election data.

NC 510 – Reenact Nonpartisan Judicial Elections/Fund. This bill proposed a major overhaul of North Carolina’s judicial elections by establishing nonpartisan primaries for Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, superior court, and district court races, with detailed rules for filing, primaries, vacancies, and ballot procedures beginning in 2020. It also proposed creating a North Carolina Public Campaign Fund for Supreme Court and Court of Appeals candidates, offering public financing in exchange for strict fundraising and spending limits, funded through taxpayer designations, donations, returned funds, and a $50 annual surcharge on State Bar membership fees.

HB 574 – Fix Our Democracy. This wide-ranging bill creates a citizen-led redistricting commission, reforms judicial elections to be nonpartisan, strengthens lobbying “cooling-off” periods, expands online and automatic voter registration, and establishes a public financing (“Fair Elections”) program for state campaigns. It also increases legislative transparency through stronger public-notice rules, live video requirements, and limits on late or non- germane legislative actions.

HB 589 – Let NC Vote Act. This bill would significantly expand voter access in North Carolina by establishing automatic voter registration across multiple state agencies (including the DMV, public assistance offices, colleges, and universities), enabling online voter registration, allowing same-day registration and voting, and permitting preregistration for 16- and 17-year- olds. The bill also broadens acceptable photo ID options, ensures continued Saturday early voting, and requires statewide voter education on these new registration and voting procedures, with most provisions taking effect between 2020 and 2021.

!*HB 646 – ID Approval/Flex Muni One-Stop. This bill clarified and expanded the rules for using student, employee, and tribal ID cards as valid voter identification, streamlining the approval process and giving institutions more flexibility in certifying identity safeguards. It also adjusted early one-stop voting rules by allowing more flexibility in hours for odd-numbered year elections, while maintaining uniformity requirements once voting sites and schedules are approved.

HB 818 – Allow Curbside Voting for Caregivers. This bill proposed allowing a caregiver who transports a voter using curbside voting to also vote curbside, provided the caregiver is a qualified voter. It limited this provision to one caregiver per vehicle.

HB 827- N.C. Citizens Redistricting Commission. This bill proposed creating an independent North Carolina Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw and adopt legislative and congressional district maps using strict transparency, eligibility, and nonpartisan standards. It would have removed map-drawing from direct legislative control by requiring public hearings, clear criteria, and bipartisan approval before submitting final maps to the General Assembly for enactment.

*HB 893 – Allow Early Voting/Last Saturday/Flexibility. This bill proposed extending early voting through 5:00 p.m. on the last Saturday before an election and setting standardized hours for one-stop voting on that day. It also allowed counties to request variations in early voting hours, subject to unanimous approval by the State Board of Elections, and clarified uniform Saturday hours within each county.

HB 944 – Protect the Integrity of NC Elections Act. This bill proposed increasing funding for the State Board of Elections to hire additional investigators and data analysts while strengthening oversight of absentee ballot request practices. It also proposed new reporting requirements and criminal penalties to prevent the sale or paid collection of absentee ballot request forms.

*HB 994 – Top Four Open Primary/Elections. This bill proposed creating an open primary system for most state and federal offices in which all voters could vote for any candidate, with the top four finishers advancing to a general election decided by ranked-choice voting. It also proposed funding and directing the State Board of Elections to develop, implement, and educate voters on ranked-choice voting, including necessary ballot design and election system changes.

!HB1169 – Bipartisan Elections Act of 2020. This bill repealed prior statutory provisions that phased out education-based salary supplements and restored eligibility for certain teachers and instructional support personnel to receive advanced-degree pay. The act limited eligibility to specific categories, including certified school nurses and instructional support staff in positions requiring a master’s degree, educators grandfathered in prior to the 2014-15 school year, and teachers whose graduate coursework began before August 1, 2013 under prior State Board policy. It also allowed classroom teachers who spend at least 70% of their time teaching in their licensed field related to their graduate degree to qualify, with eligibility determined annually, while excluding most degrees in school administration. Finally, the State Board of Education was directed to evaluate the revised salary supplement structure and report to the General Assembly on its implementation and equity impacts.

Addiction and Mental Health

HB 318 – Opioid Prescription & Treatment Opt Out Act. This bill proposed creating a voluntary, portable non-opioid advance directive allowing patients to formally opt out of being offered, prescribed, or administered opioid medications. It would have required DHHS to develop a standardized statewide form and provided legal protections for health care providers who relied on the directive in good faith.

HB 573 – Give Workers’ Compensation for PTSD in First Responders. This bill proposed adding posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), without accompanying physical injury, as a compensable occupational disease under the Workers’ Compensation Act for first responders, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and qualifying volunteer firefighters. It set strict eligibility and evidentiary requirements, tied coverage to specified traumatic events, established notice and filing deadlines, and required employing agencies to provide mental health training for first responders.

#HB 822 – Comprehensive Behavioral Health Plan. This bill proposed requiring the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to develop and maintain a comprehensive, long-term plan for the publicly funded behavioral health system, covering Medicaid, county, and federally funded services. It emphasized stakeholder engagement, set deadlines for an initial plan and annual updates, and expanded the required analysis to include access, staffing, coordination, and long-term system goals.

HB 964 – Restore Single-Stream Funding for LME/MCOs. This bill proposed restoring recurring funding cuts to North Carolina’s local management entities/managed care organizations by appropriating over $36 million per year for mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services.

HB 1206 – Student Mental Health Well-Being/COVID-19. This bill proposed a major increase in recurring funding for public schools to significantly expand student mental health support services statewide. It would have required the Department of Public Instruction to use the funds to establish minimum staffing ratios for school psychologists, counselors, and social workers, with the explicit intent that the new funding supplement—rather than replace— existing support positions.

Fairness and Decency

!HB 29 – Stand Up for Rape Victims Act of 2019. This bill enacted a statewide requirement that all sexual assault examination kits be reviewed and tested under a uniform protocol, ending the practice of leaving kits untested. It required law enforcement agencies to submit new kits within strict timelines and to establish multidisciplinary review teams to prioritize testing of older kits, while directing certain unreported kits to secure storage. The law appropriated $3 million in nonrecurring funds in each year of the 2019–21 biennium to the Department of Justice to test untested kits, supplementing existing DNA testing resources, and required reporting to the General Assembly on the use of those funds. It also strengthened notification requirements for CODIS DNA matches to ensure timely investigative follow-up.

HB 271 – NC Adopt Equal Rights Amendment. This bill proposed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on behalf of North Carolina. It would have required the Governor to transmit certified copies of the ratification and its preamble to federal officials, including Congress and the Administrator of General Services.

HB 764 – Women’s Cancer Research & Prevention Task Force. This bill proposed creating a 17- member Women’s Cancer Research and Prevention Task Force within the Department of Health and Human Services to develop and promote evidence-based strategies for preventing cancer in women across North Carolina. The Task Force is charged with recommending policy, program, and legislative improvements and must report its findings to the Governor and General Assembly every two years.

HB 797 – Appropriate Funds to Special Olympics NC. This bill proposed appropriating $500,000 for each year of the 2019-21 biennium from the General Fund to the Department of Health and

Human Services to support Special Olympics North Carolina. The funds were intended to be allocated through the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services.

#HB 899 – Enact KinCare Act. This bill proposed requiring employers that offer job-protected sick leave to allow employees to use up to five consecutive days of their accrued sick leave each year to care for a family member, under the same rules that apply to personal sick leave. It also proposed protections against employer retaliation for exercising this right, while clarifying that the change would not expand federal FMLA leave or apply to certain federally regulated benefit plans.

Animal/Pet Issues

#HB 808 – Community Cats/Animal Shelter Disposition. This bill proposed allowing animals that are surrendered by their owners or not reclaimed from an animal shelter after the required holding period to be transferred to an approved animal advocate group. It defined an animal advocate group as a shelter, rescue, or nonprofit organization that complies with the federal Animal Welfare Act and made conforming changes to align state statutes with that definition.

*HB 856 – That Doggie in the Window is not for Lease. This bill proposed prohibiting the sale or lease of living animals under contracts that allow the animal to be used as collateral and repossessed if payments are not made. It would have made such practices a criminal offense and an unfair and deceptive trade practice, while still allowing animals to be purchased using unsecured personal loans.

Safety and Law Enforcement

!HB 75 – School Safety Funds, Programs, and Reports. This bill establishes a Nonpartisan Redistricting Commission within GS Chapter 120 to draw legislative and congressional districts. The 11-member commission consists of registered voters affiliated with the two largest political parties and unaffiliated voters, selected through a combination of legislative nominations and random selection by the State Auditor, with strict eligibility and post-service restrictions to ensure independence. The commission is required to conduct extensive public hearings, release all data used in map-drawing, and prohibit the use of partisan data, incumbent addresses, or election results when creating districts. Redistricting plans approved by a supermajority of the commission must be introduced in the General Assembly for an up- or-down vote with only corrective amendments allowed, with a structured process for resubmission if a plan is rejected.

HB 162 – Hands Free NC – This bill proposed requiring drivers to use hands-free technology when interacting with phones to improve driving safety for all.

NB 393 – Modernizing Sexual Assault Laws. This bill addressed definitions and standards in juvenile and criminal law, including how “caretaker” and “mentally incapacitated” are defined,

and clarified elements of sexual offense statutes. Over the course of revisions, it both expanded and later narrowed certain definitions, removed proposed changes to sexual offense language.

*HB 395 – Regulate Challenge Courses. This bill proposed standards for the ZIPline industry to improve the safety of these courses.

HB 998 – Independent Living Act. This bill proposed creating a North Carolina Independent Living Act to establish a 24-member Statewide Independent Living Council within DHHS to oversee independent living services for individuals with significant disabilities and to develop and monitor a statewide Independent Living Services Plan. It also proposed appropriating $100,000 per year for two years to support independent living centers, services, and training, while transitioning responsibilities from the existing nonprofit council to the new state- authorized body.

!HB 1001 – Raise the Age Funding. This bill proposed a large expansion of North Carolina’s judicial and public safety workforce by adding assistant district attorneys, district court judges, deputy clerks, and support staff across multiple prosecutorial and judicial districts over several years. It also proposed significant appropriations to fund these positions and to expand juvenile justice staffing, detention capacity, court services, and indigent defense training statewide.

HB 1085 – Front Line State Employee Hazard Pay/Funds. This bill proposed establishing statewide rules for how North Carolina agencies designate and manage mandatory (essential) employees during a pandemic or epidemic, including required operations, employee protections, and agency coordination with public health authorities. It also proposed guaranteed hazard pay or compensatory time for mandatory employees, clear exemption criteria, disciplinary and appeal processes, and appropriated funding to support hazard pay and implementation.

Environment and Sustainability

HB 329 – Renewable Energy Amends – The bill removes a regulatory barrier to EV charging infrastructure buildout.

*HB 545 – Protect the Military/Fisheries/Tourism. This bill proposed sweeping changes to North Carolina law to prohibit offshore oil and gas exploration, development, and production in the State’s estuarine and ocean waters, including banning related facilities and pipelines and prohibiting the leasing of submerged state lands for those purposes. It also strengthened environmental protections by expanding strict liability for offshore spills, removing federal- permit liability exemptions, and tightening spill notification and emergency response coordination requirements involving the Department of Environmental Quality.

HB 559 – The Pollinator Protection Act. This bill proposed restricting the retail sale and use of neonicotinoid pesticides by limiting sales to authorized sellers of restricted-use pesticides and

allowing use only by licensed applicators, farmers for agricultural purposes, or veterinarians, while exempting certain pet and personal care products. It also directed the North Carolina Pesticide Board to monitor federal pollinator risk assessments, report on needed legislative or regulatory changes to protect pollinators, and study whether the State should regulate seeds treated with systemic insecticides.

HB 560 – Ban PFAS in Fire Retardant Foam. This bill proposed reducing the use of toxic PFAS chemicals in firefighting by restricting Class B firefighting foam, including banning its use for training and, beginning in 2022, prohibiting its manufacture, sale, or distribution except where required by federal law, with limited facility exemptions. It also established notice, recall, reimbursement, certification, and enforcement requirements, authorizing the Department of Environmental Quality to oversee compliance and impose civil penalties for violations.

*HB 566 – Polluter Pays. This bill would strengthen the authority of the Department of Environmental Quality to order immediate action when water or air pollution threatens public health, including requiring polluters to provide temporary or permanent replacement water supplies and to pay cleanup costs. It also prevents electric utilities from passing coal ash– related cleanup and unlawful discharge costs on to ratepayers and appropriates funds to DEQ to enforce the law.

HB 567 – Coal Ash/Prohibit Cost Rcvr./Proper Disposal. This bill would bar electric utilities from passing coal ash management and unlawful discharge cleanup costs incurred since 2014 on to ratepayers and strengthens state oversight of coal ash disposal. It also mandates the dewatering, excavation, and landfill disposal of coal ash impoundments on a fixed schedule based on risk level, replacing prior closure rules with stricter requirements.

HB 568 – Add’l Measures for Emerging Contaminants. This bill would strengthen North Carolina’s environmental protections by restoring the state’s authority to adopt standards more protective than federal rules, tightening controls on toxic discharges into state waters, and requiring full disclosure of pollutants in discharge permits. It also increases DEQ’s enforcement powers, makes polluters financially responsible for downstream drinking water treatment, and funds additional staff and a mobile lab to improve environmental oversight and emergency response.

HB 592 – Check-Off Clean Water Mgmnt Tr. Fund. This bill would allow North Carolina taxpayers to voluntarily donate all or part of their state income tax refund to support conservation efforts. As amended, the bill gives taxpayers the option to direct those contributions to either the Clean Water Management Trust Fund or the Conservation Grant Fund by making a designation on their tax return.

*HB 632 – Hydraulic Fracturing/Statewide Ban. This bill proposed prohibiting any State agency from issuing permits for oil or gas exploration or development activities that use horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. It also repealed state law that preempted local regulation of oil and gas activities and restores local authority.

HB 759 – Electronics Recycling Amendments. This bill proposed strengthening North Carolina’s electronics recycling laws by requiring manufacturers, recyclers, collectors, and facilities handling discarded computers and televisions to follow certified, environmentally sound recycling practices, with stricter contracts, reporting, and financial assurance requirements. The bill also expands consumer recycling education, increases oversight by the Department of Environmental Quality, and directs DEQ to study and report on updates needed to the state’s electronics recycling program.

HB 765 – Toxic-Free Kids Act. This bill proposed prohibiting the sale of children’s products containing specified “chemicals of high concern,” including bisphenol A, certain phthalates, and TRIS, beginning July 1, 2019, with defined exceptions. The bill also requires retailers and distributors to report products containing these chemicals to the Department of Environmental Quality and directs the state to evaluate and report on chemical exposure risks to children.

HB 767 – State Clean Energy Goals for 2050. HB 767 proposed setting a statewide goal for North Carolina to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by December 31, 2050. The bill directs the State Energy Office, working with the Utilities Commission and Public Staff, to develop and submit a plan to achieve that goal to the General Assembly.

HB 828- Energy Savings Incentives/State Agencies. This bill proposed allowing state government units to carry forward utility budget savings resulting from energy conservation measures and reinvest those funds in additional energy-saving projects. It also would have prevented budget reductions based on those savings and required annual reporting on how the funds were used.

HB 965 – Climate Change/School Staff Dev. Funds. This bill proposed requiring North Carolina’s K–5 science curriculum to include instruction on climate change and its environmental, economic, and societal impacts, along with related professional development for teachers. It also proposed appropriating $15 million in recurring funds to restore and expand staff development funding, including training on how to teach climate change beginning in the 2020–21 school year.

HB 1108 – PFAS Contamination Mitigation Measures. This bill proposed significantly tightening water pollution controls in North Carolina by requiring expanded disclosure and regulation of pollutants—especially PFAS—in wastewater discharges, industrial pretreatment, biosolids, and landfill leachate, with a goal of reducing detectable PFAS to non-detect levels. It also proposed major state investments in PFAS monitoring, research, planning, and drinking water treatment, including more than $90 million for grants, studies, and remediation efforts to reduce public exposure to PFAS statewide.

HB 1109 – PFAS Manufacture/Use/Sale Ban. This bill proposed banning the manufacture, use, processing, and distribution of PFAS chemicals in North Carolina, except where their use is explicitly required or authorized under federal law. It also proposed creating a civil enforcement and penalty framework for violations and appropriating funds to DEQ to expand PFAS monitoring and enforcement efforts.

*HB 1110 – PFAS Studies. This bill proposed a comprehensive, multi-agency study of PFAS contamination in North Carolina, focusing on human health, ecological impacts, ongoing discharges, and the economic costs associated with PFAS exposure, with particular emphasis on the Cape Fear River Basin. It directed several state agencies and the NC Policy Collaboratory to conduct coordinated studies, report regularly to the legislature, assess disclosure requirements and green chemistry alternatives, and appropriated targeted funds to support this research and reporting work.

Government Transparency and Effectiveness

*HB 341 – North Carolina Sunshine Act. This bill is a General Assembly Transparency Act, requiring live streaming and archiving of all House, Senate, and committee sessions, along with advance public notice before bills or meetings are considered. It also strengthens transparency rules by limiting late-night sessions, enforcing single-subject and accurate-title requirements for bills, and ensuring amendments and budget provisions are clearly identified and germane. (The Republicans hated this bill so much that the Speaker gave it the longest list of committee approvals required for passage than any bill in NC history. However, they did separately enact the part about live streaming and archiving of sessions and committee meetings.)

!HB 902 – P&C Changes/Glob. Tranp./Prison Pilot. This bill proposed a wide-ranging set of changes touching state procurement oversight, property and insurance rules, corrections technology, homeowners’ association fees, criminal justice procedures, and limited COVID-19 liability protections, while also eliminating obsolete statutes and clarifying agency authorities. Over multiple versions, it evolved from studies and temporary pandemic responses into an enacted omnibus law that increased accountability in state purchasing, adjusted regulatory exemptions, launched a prison software pilot, and provided targeted legal clarifications and immunities.

HB 1121 – Legislative Transparency. This bill proposed appropriating $15,000 in nonrecurring funds to enhance the General Assembly’s web-based bill tracking system and to plan and deploy closed captioning for legislative video broadcasts and recorded committee meetings. It aimed to improve public access, transparency, and accessibility to legislative proceedings through technology upgrades.

HB 1202 – NCGA Transparency and Accessibility Act. This bill proposed creating a 15-member North Carolina General Assembly Technology Task Force to study how legislative technology could better support remote work, continuity of operations, and meaningful public participation, including for people with disabilities and those with limited internet access. It also proposed funding a one-year pilot of closed captioning for legislative proceedings and required the task force to develop a five-year technology plan for the General Assembly before the 2021 session.

HB 1207. Save Our Courts. This bill proposed emergency COVID-19 funding and temporary policy changes to help North Carolina’s court system continue operating safely and effectively.

It would have appropriated $20 million for court technology, protective supplies, facilities, and staffing; expanded the Chief Justice’s authority over emergency judges during the pandemic; and eased certain pretrial release requirements by allowing greater judicial discretion without mandatory secured bonds.

Retirement, Aging, and Senior Citizens

HB 754 – Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act. This bill proposed creating 10 new ombudsman positions in the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman in the Division.

HB 790 – Restore State Emp/Teacher Retiree Med Benefit. The State of NC no longer extends health care benefits to retirees before they reach the age of Medicare eligibility. This bill proposed restoring those benefits.

HB 811 – Raise Personal Needs Allowance/SA Recipients. This bill proposed increasing the personal needs allowance under the State-County Special Assistance program from $46 to $70 per month per recipient. It also appropriated recurring General Fund dollars to the Division of Aging and Adult Services to cover the increased cost of the higher allowance.

HB 876 – 1% COLA/Bonus/TSERS/Funds. This bill proposed a 1% cost-of-living increase to retirement benefits for members of the Teachers’ and State Employees’, Judicial, and Legislative Retirement Systems, along with a one-time 1% supplemental payment for eligible retirees in 2019. It also proposed appropriating state funds to cover the ongoing COLA and the one-time payment while clarifying that retirees would not gain a vested right to future supplements.

HB 915 – Establish Task Force on Aging.This bill proposed creating a 17-member Task Force on Aging within DHHS to study the availability, adequacy, and cost of supports and services for caregivers of older adults and people with disabilities in North Carolina. It directed the task force to gather stakeholder input and report findings and recommendations to the General Assembly before the 2021 session and every two years thereafter.

HB 997 – Funds for NC Senior Games. This bill proposed appropriating $175,000 per year for the 2019–20 and 2020–21 fiscal years from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services for distribution to North Carolina Senior Games, Inc. The funding was intended to support statewide Senior Games programs that promote health, fitness, and active living among older adults.

HR 1021 – Require Veto Vote W/I 5 Days of Calendaring. This bill proposed a change to the House rules to require that any vote to override a gubernatorial veto occur within five legislative days after the bill is placed on the calendar. The intent was to impose a firm timeline on veto override votes rather than allowing them to be delayed indefinitely.

HB 1115 – Retirement Allowance Beneficiary Flexibility. This bill proposed changes to the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System rules governing retirement benefit options,

clarifying when a retiree may no longer change an elected option after the first payment is issued. It also would have allowed retirees to revoke and change certain beneficiary nominations within 10 years of retirement under specified options, while making technical and conforming updates to existing revocation provisions.

Technology

HB 861 -Net Neutrality in Procurement. This bill proposed barring North Carolina state agencies from contracting with broadband providers that engage in practices violating net neutrality principles, such as blocking, throttling, or prioritizing internet traffic for payment or affiliate benefit. It would have allowed limited exceptions approved by the Department of Information Technology and funded oversight, disclosure requirements, and public reporting to enforce compliance.

*HB 1122 – Provide Affordable Broadband Access to NC. This bill proposed the most comprehensive statewide broadband expansion framework North Carolina had considered at the time, addressing access, affordability, competition, infrastructure, education, health care, and economic development in a single, multi-part package. It combined major investments in rural broadband grants, school and homework connectivity, municipal broadband authority, broadband conduit installation along highways, and reforms to existing programs to prioritize higher speeds and low-cost service options for low-income households. The bill also paired broadband expansion with related policies such as statewide telehealth parity, smart meter– supported last-mile deployment, and expanded local government authority to build and lease broadband infrastructure. Taken together, the proposal aimed to treat broadband as essential infrastructure—on par with roads, water, and electricity—while removing regulatory and financial barriers that had limited universal access across North Carolina.