NCPoliSearch — NC Legislation Made Simple

Eliminating "DEI" in Public Higher Ed

This bill prohibits North Carolina public universities and community colleges from maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices or programs, requiring employees to affirm certain concepts, or endorsing what the bill defines as 'divisive concepts' related to race and sex. It requires institutions to certify annual compliance and allows instruction on these topics only if the institution makes clear it does not endorse them.

Senate2026-06-24

S227Passed

Eliminating "DEI" in Public Education

This bill prohibits North Carolina public schools from teaching, promoting, or requiring professional development related to what it defines as "divisive concepts" — including ideas that individuals should feel guilt based on race or sex, that meritocracy is inherently racist or sexist, or that character traits should be ascribed to people based on race or sex. Schools must certify annual compliance and cannot maintain offices or employ staff whose primary duties involve promoting these concepts or discriminatory practices.

Senate2026-06-24

S280Engrossed

Dominique Moody Act

The Dominique Moody Act makes comprehensive changes to North Carolina's child welfare system to improve child safety. Key provisions include creating a statewide Child Welfare Case Escalation Team to review high-risk cases, requiring photo/video documentation during abuse investigations, establishing a predictive risk modeling program to identify at-risk children, creating a public dashboard showing county-level child safety data, and requiring public disclosure of child fatalities and near-fatalities with prior protective services contact.

Senate2026-06-22

S889Passed

Property Tax Reappraisal Moratorium

This bill delays the use of new property values from 2026 reappraisals in counties with populations over 15,000 for the 2026-2027 tax year, requiring them to use the previous schedule of values instead. Starting in 2027-2028, counties will use the 2026 reappraisal values going forward. The bill also requires county assessors to pay a $20 examination fee to the Department of Revenue.

Senate2026-06-19

S394Engrossed

Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land

This bill prohibits entities from adversarial foreign governments (as defined by federal arms regulations) from purchasing, leasing, or holding agricultural land or property within 50 miles of North Carolina military installations. Entities that owned such land before the law takes effect must register with the Secretary of State and cannot buy additional land. Those acquiring such land after the effective date must divest within one year, or face civil penalties and forced sale through court receivership.

Senate2026-06-09

S1007Introduced

Human Trafficking Omnibus

This bill creates a new statewide human trafficking reporting and response system allowing the public and professionals to report suspected trafficking through multiple channels with AI-assisted analysis and real-time routing to law enforcement. It also imposes a 10% excise tax on materials deemed harmful to minors sold at physical retail locations, with proceeds funding anti-trafficking efforts and domestic violence services, while making technical clarifications about employee training requirements and government device usage.

Senate2026-06-02

S1084Introduced

Reduce Early Voting Period

This bill reduces the early voting period for North Carolina elections from the current period (beginning the third Thursday before an election) to a shorter period (beginning the second Thursday before an election). It also standardizes early voting periods for special elections and municipal elections to 10 consecutive days.

Senate2026-05-22

S1080Passed

Lower Taxes for All NC

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment that would lower North Carolina's maximum income tax rate from 7% to 3.5%. The amendment would be submitted to voters in the November 2026 election, and if approved, would take effect for tax years beginning January 1, 2027.

Senate2026-05-21

S1081Introduced

Constitutional Right to Farm

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment that would add a new section to the North Carolina Constitution explicitly protecting the right of people to engage in farming and forestry activities, including crop cultivation, livestock raising, dairy and apiary production, and timber harvesting. The amendment would be subject to voter approval in the November 2026 general election.

Senate2026-05-18

S985Introduced

HALO Law

The HALO Law creates a new crime in North Carolina that makes it illegal to approach within 25 feet of a first responder (police officers, firefighters, EMTs, probation officers, and corrections staff) after being warned not to do so, if the person intends to impede their duties, threaten them, or harass them. The law classifies this violation as a Class 2 misdemeanor and includes $25,000 in state funding for a public awareness campaign.

Senate2026-05-13

S1077Introduced

City of New Bern Even-Year Elections

This bill changes when the City of New Bern holds its municipal elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years. It skips the 2029 election, extends current officials' terms by one year, and moves regular elections to 2030 and every four years after that.

Senate2026-05-06

S866Introduced

Add Home Schools to Opportunity Scholarships

This bill expands North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship program to include home schools alongside private schools. Home school students would receive $1,500 per year in scholarship grants, with funds usable for books, equipment, and other required educational materials. The bill also increases overall funding for the scholarship program from $700-825 million annually to $950 million-$1.075 billion annually.

Senate2026-05-06

S316Engrossed

Lower Healthcare Costs

This bill increases healthcare price transparency and protects consumers from unexpected medical bills by requiring hospitals to publicly disclose pricing for common procedures, mandating advance notice of out-of-network providers, limiting facility fees, and establishing good-faith cost estimates for scheduled procedures. It also strengthens insurance appeals processes and removes requirements for certificate-of-need approval for rehabilitation facilities.

Senate2026-05-06

S986Introduced

Workforce Act of 2026

The Workforce Act of 2026 appropriates approximately $8.85 million to expand North Carolina's workforce development programs, including apprenticeships, industry-recognized credentials, short-term training grants, and career information resources. The bill also funds technology improvements to make it easier for students to transfer credits between colleges and universities.

Senate2026-05-05

S1019Introduced

Grid Utilization

This bill requires North Carolina electric utilities to submit detailed reports analyzing how efficiently they use their existing power grid infrastructure and to propose ways to improve that efficiency through alternatives like energy storage and distributed generation. The Utilities Commission will evaluate these reports and set performance targets to help utilities better utilize current grid assets.

Senate2026-05-04

S966Introduced

The SAVE Act

The SAVE Act defines the practice of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs)—which include nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists—and allows them to practice independently without physician supervision. The bill removes a prior requirement for joint oversight between medical and nursing boards and eliminates restrictions on APRN prescribing authority.

Senate2026-05-04

S955Introduced

Permit Self-Defense Devices on College Campus

This bill allows people age 18 and older to carry self-defense devices such as pepper spray, tasers, mace, and ordinary pocket knives on North Carolina college and university campuses. It also provides $10,000 in funding to publicize this change to students, staff, and the public.

Senate2026-05-04

S870Introduced

Funds for Veterans/HBOT

This bill appropriates $3 million in state funding for fiscal year 2026-2027 to provide free hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treatment to North Carolina veterans diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The funding will be directed to a nonprofit called HBOT 4 HEROES to deliver an estimated 15,000 treatments to approximately 350 veterans, with program oversight and outcome reporting required.

Senate2026-04-29

S855Introduced

Community-Based Pharmacy Protections

This bill expands the legal definition of 'independent pharmacy' in North Carolina to include community-based pharmacies under independent ownership that are either non-publicly traded or have pharmacy as their core business focus, rather than limiting the definition to groups of 10 or fewer pharmacies. It also appropriates $100,000 to the Department of Insurance for implementation of pharmacy-related regulations.

Senate2026-04-29

S851Introduced

America's Semiquincentennial License Plate

This bill authorizes North Carolina's Division of Motor Vehicles to create and issue a special license plate commemorating America's 250th anniversary (semiquincentennial), featuring the phrase 'America 250' and related imagery. Vehicle owners would be able to voluntarily purchase this plate if they choose to.

Senate2026-04-29

S861Introduced

Cut State Gov. Jobs Vacant 24 Months or More

This bill requires the state to eliminate job positions that have remained unfilled for 24 months or longer, effective July 1, 2026. The money saved from eliminating these positions will be held in a budget reserve for future legislative appropriation, with certain exceptions for positions held by court order, federally funded, or deemed critical for emergency response.

Senate2026-04-29

S50Vetoed

Freedom to Carry NC

This bill allows North Carolina citizens age 18 and older to carry concealed handguns without a permit, while still offering optional permits for reciprocity when traveling to other states. The bill maintains restrictions for people ineligible to possess firearms (such as convicted felons, domestic violence offenders, and those adjudicated mentally ill), increases line-of-duty death benefits for law enforcement families from $100,000 to $150,000, enhances penalties for assaulting emergency and law enforcement personnel, creates new felony charges for felons possessing or discharging firearms during felonies, and establishes a scholarship program for children of permanently disabled or killed law enforcement and first responder officers.

Senate2026-04-06

S773Passed

Confirm Governor's Appt/Investment Authority

This joint resolution confirms the Governor's appointment of Sallie Shuping-Russell from Orange County to the North Carolina Investment Authority Board of Directors for a four-year term beginning July 1, 2025. State law requires the General Assembly to confirm such gubernatorial appointments through a joint resolution.

Senate2025-09-24

S776Passed

Adjournment Resolution Changes

This resolution modifies the 2025 legislative session schedule by shifting adjournment and reconvening dates two days earlier (from Tuesdays to Mondays/Thursdays) and moving the start time from noon to 10:00 A.M. across multiple session breaks from September 2025 through April 2026. The changes maintain the same limited scope of business allowed during each reconvening period, focusing on disaster recovery bills and conference reports filed by the July 31/September 25 deadline.

Senate2025-09-24

S774Passed

Confirm Stephanie Lynch, Investment Authority

This joint resolution confirms Stephanie Lynch's appointment to the North Carolina Investment Authority Board of Directors for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2025. Under state law, the State Treasurer's appointments to this board require confirmation by the General Assembly.

Senate2025-09-24

S775Passed

General Assembly Appointments

This bill appoints individuals to various North Carolina state boards, commissions, and authorities based on recommendations from the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. It also makes corrections to the terms and appointees from previous appointment legislation.

Senate2025-09-24

S124Passed

State Hiring Accessibility and Modernization

This bill modernizes North Carolina's state hiring system by reducing educational barriers to state jobs, streamlining job applications, simplifying job postings, and giving state agencies more flexibility in recruiting, hiring, and compensating employees. It also allows agencies to hire temporary employees permanently and rehire qualified candidates from previous postings without reposting positions.

Senate2025-07-01

S771Introduced

Const Amend - Disaster Relief Emolument Excpt

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment that would add an exception to North Carolina's emoluments clause (which prohibits special privileges from government) to allow disaster relief assistance for restoring privately-owned structures damaged by federally-declared natural disasters. The amendment would be submitted to North Carolina voters in the March 2026 primary election.

Senate2025-06-26

S639Engrossed

North Carolina Farm Act of 2025

This bill makes multiple changes to North Carolina agricultural laws, including updating water protection plans, creating a feral swine control working group, allowing denial of special use permits that harm agricultural production, repealing a violation points system for swine farms, modifying composting rules, allowing school absences for agricultural events, increasing penalties for crop theft and aquaculture violations, and making various technical updates to pesticide registration, public weighmaster licensing, and propane assessments.

Senate2025-06-18

S122Engrossed

GSC Unif. Community Prop. Disp. at Death Act

This bill enacts the Uniform Community Property Disposition at Death Act in North Carolina, which establishes rules for how property acquired as community property (in marriages where community property law applies) is divided when one spouse dies. The bill specifies that the surviving spouse automatically receives half of the community property without it being subject to the deceased spouse's will, while the deceased spouse's half can be disposed of through their will.

Senate2025-05-29

S357Engrossed

Pharmacists/Collaborative Practice

This bill expands the role of pharmacists in North Carolina by allowing them to work under collaborative practice agreements with physicians to manage drug therapy, modify dosages, and order tests. It also requires health insurance plans to cover pharmacist-provided healthcare services when performed within their scope of practice and applies these coverage requirements to third-party administrators and pharmacy benefits managers.

Senate2025-05-05

S754Engrossed

School Calendar Flexibility:A New Alternative

This bill provides North Carolina local school boards with flexibility in setting school start and end dates while establishing enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance. It allows boards to choose between two calendar options (starting no earlier than August 26 or August 19) and creates reporting requirements, state oversight procedures, and allows private citizens to sue school boards for calendar violations.

Senate2025-05-05

S370Engrossed

Repeal Certificate of Need Laws

This bill repeals North Carolina's Certificate of Need (CON) laws, which currently require healthcare facilities to obtain state approval before making major purchases, expansions, or opening new services. The bill removes the requirement that healthcare providers get government permission for significant capital expenditures and facility changes, while making technical updates to state law to remove references to the repealed CON system.

Senate2025-04-28

S335Engrossed

Pharmacists/Test and Treat/Influenza & Strep

This bill allows North Carolina pharmacists to test for and treat influenza and streptococcal infections using FDA-approved tests, and requires health insurance plans to cover pharmacist-provided services that would be covered if performed by other healthcare providers. The bill also requires insurers, pharmacy benefits managers, and third-party administrators to reimburse pharmacists fairly for services within their scope of practice.

Senate2025-04-15

S63Introduced

Board of Motor Vehicles/Authority Study

This bill creates a 9-member Board of Motor Vehicles to appoint and oversee the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, replacing the current system where the Secretary of Transportation directly appoints the Commissioner. It also directs the Department of Transportation to study the feasibility of creating an independent Motor Vehicle Authority to potentially replace the Division of Motor Vehicles entirely, with findings due by January 1, 2026.

Senate2025-04-07

S537Introduced

APRN Definitions

This bill legally defines the scope of practice for four types of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) in North Carolina: Certified Nurse Practitioners, Certified Nurse Midwives, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, and Clinical Nurse Specialists. It establishes a separate APRN license and removes certain requirements for physician oversight of APRN prescribing and medical decision-making, aligning North Carolina with 36 other states that have expanded APRN practice authority.

Senate2025-03-26

S478Introduced

Enhancing Ag. Opportunities in Rural NC

This bill allows banks to deduct interest, fees, and penalties they receive from agricultural loans from their state income taxes. The deduction applies to loans that are secured by agricultural land, beginning in 2025.

Senate2025-03-26

S315Introduced

More Transparency/Efficiency in Utiliz. Rev

This bill increases transparency and efficiency in health insurance utilization reviews—the process insurers use to approve or deny medical services. It sets faster approval timelines (24 hours for urgent care, 3 business days for non-urgent), requires clearer notification to patients and doctors, mandates that qualified medical professionals (not just algorithms) make decisions, and requires insurers to disclose their prior authorization requirements on websites and membership cards.

Senate2025-03-18

S314Introduced

Eliminate ETJ Overlap

This bill prevents cities from exercising zoning and land use authority in areas outside their city limits (called extraterritorial jurisdiction or ETJ) if the county has already adopted its own zoning regulations. The bill aims to eliminate overlapping regulatory authority between cities and counties by giving counties primary control over unincorporated areas.

Senate2025-03-18

S312Introduced

The Stars and Stripes Commitment Act

This bill requires North Carolina public schools (traditional, charter, regional, and laboratory schools) to schedule daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance within one hour of the start of the school day, and requires the State Board of Education and local school governing bodies to begin their meetings with the Pledge. The bill specifies that no one can be compelled to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge, and requires age-appropriate instruction on the flag and Pledge's meaning and history.

Senate2025-03-18

S296Introduced

Buy American Steel

This bill requires North Carolina state and local governments to use American-produced iron and steel products in public works projects funded with state money. The requirement applies to construction materials like pipes, structural steel, and other iron/steel components, with exceptions for cases where American products aren't available, cost more than 20% extra, or involve minimal foreign materials.

Senate2025-03-18

S261Engrossed

Energy Security and Affordability Act

This bill modifies North Carolina's carbon reduction requirements for electric utilities by removing an interim 2030 target and keeping only the 2050 carbon neutrality goal. It also creates a new cost recovery mechanism allowing utilities to increase rates outside standard proceedings for baseload power plant construction costs, if the project shows long-term savings for customers.

Senate2025-03-18

S290Introduced

NC REINS Act

The NC REINS Act (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act) increases legislative oversight of state agency regulations by requiring public objections from 10 or more people to delay a rule's effective date pending potential legislative disapproval, and mandating that rules with an estimated cost of $1 million or more over 12 months must be approved by the General Assembly before taking effect.

Senate2025-03-17

S58Engrossed

AG/Restrict Challenge to Presidential EOs

This bill prohibits North Carolina's Attorney General from participating in lawsuits (as a party, supporting amicus, or other participant) that would result in invalidating presidential executive orders. It also requires the Attorney General to report on convictions for impersonating federal immigration agents between January 2021 and March 2025.

Senate2025-03-13

S264Introduced

Flags at Every School

This bill requires all public schools in North Carolina—including traditional public schools, charter schools, and university-operated schools—to display U.S. and North Carolina flags on school grounds and in every classroom. It also requires schools to schedule daily Pledge of Allegiance recitations and teach students about the flag's meaning and history. The bill provides $1 million in funding for the 2025-2026 school year and $100,000 annually after that to help schools purchase flags.

Senate2025-03-12

S250Introduced

Celebrate America's 250th-Let Freedom Ring!

This bill legalizes the sale and use of certain consumer fireworks in North Carolina starting January 1, 2026. It establishes a permitting system for fireworks retailers, sets safety requirements and restrictions on where and when fireworks can be used, and imposes a 5% excise tax on consumer fireworks sales, with 25% of proceeds funding firefighter education and training.

Senate2025-03-10

S240Introduced

Establish NCSTARS Grant Program

This bill establishes the NCSTARS Grant Program, which provides up to $500,000 per year to three community colleges that partner with public schools and local employers to create work-based learning programs in apprenticeships and preapprenticeships for students 16 and older. The program runs from 2026-2029 with $4.75 million in state funding and requires participants to secure local matching funds.

Senate2025-03-06

S128Introduced

Heroes Homestead Act

This bill increases the property tax homestead exclusion for disabled veterans in North Carolina from $45,000 to $76,500 of their home's appraised value. This means disabled veterans would pay property taxes on a smaller portion of their home's value, resulting in lower tax bills starting in 2026.

Senate2025-02-24

S113Introduced

Removal of Squatters from Private Property

This bill creates a faster legal process for property owners to remove squatters (unauthorized occupants with no legal right to be there) from residential property in North Carolina. A property owner can file a sworn affidavit with a clerk of court or magistrate, and law enforcement must remove the person within 24 hours if the conditions are met.

Senate2025-02-18

S24Engrossed

Govt Mandates Increase Healthcare Costs

This bill requires that any new state legislation creating health insurance mandates (such as requiring coverage of specific treatments or services) must also repeal an equal number of existing mandates and appropriate funds to cover the new mandate's cost. It applies to both private health insurance plans and the state employee health plan, with an exception if an actuarial analysis shows a mandate would actually decrease costs.

Senate2025-02-17

S71Introduced

Expedited Removal of Unauthorized Persons

This bill creates a new legal process allowing property owners to request law enforcement remove people from their residential property who are occupying it without permission, without a lease, and without paying rent. The property owner files a sworn affidavit with a clerk of court or magistrate, and law enforcement must remove the person within 24 hours.

Senate2025-02-12

S31Introduced

The Wells Act

The Wells Act directs the Legislative Library to request documentation and activity updates from all state boards, committees, and commissions. Any that don't respond within 120 days or haven't met in the past 12 months will be added to a list submitted to the Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee, which will then recommend legislation to repeal these inactive entities.

Senate2025-02-11

S56Introduced

Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part I

This bill establishes the legal framework for the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part I, which addresses recovery efforts in North Carolina counties affected by Hurricane Helene following a presidential major disaster declaration. The bill expresses the General Assembly's intent to transfer funds from the State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund (SERDRF) to the Hurricane Helene Disaster Recovery Fund to support relief and recovery assistance.

Senate2025-02-06

S47Introduced

State Emps./No Payroll Dues Deduction

This bill repeals the state law that allows public employees (including teachers and state workers) to have union and employee association dues automatically deducted from their paychecks. Currently, employees can authorize their employers to deduct membership fees for certain employee associations; this bill would eliminate that payroll deduction option.

Senate2025-02-05

Carl Ford

Carl Ford

Sponsored Bills (22)

Various Local Provisions X

Truth in Taxation

NC Right to Work Amendment

2026 DST Admin/Technical/Clarifying Changes.-AB

33rd Senatorial District Local Act-1

Child. of Wartime Vets Sch'ship Funds & Flex

Pooled Trust Transfers/Public Benefits Elig

Honoring Elizabeth Hanford Dole

China Grove Even Year Elections

DST Technical Corrections/Admin. Changes 2025.-AB

Retirement Death Benefits Rewrite.-AB

Pharmacists/Test and Treat

Newborn Safety Devices

LEO Special Separation Allowance Options

Expand Homestead Exclusion Inc. Elig. Limit

Update Register of Deeds' Supp. Pension Fund

Expand Homestead Exclusion Inc. Elig. Limit

Flags at Every School

Portability of Leave/Charter Schools

Released Time Education Act

Access to Sports and Extracurriculars for All

33rd Senatorial District Local Act-1

Cosponsored Bills (57)

Adjust Counties/Reappraisal Moratorium

Public Workforce Modernization Act

North Carolina Border Protection Act

Eliminating "DEI" in Public Higher Ed

Eliminating "DEI" in Public Education

Dominique Moody Act

Property Tax Reappraisal Moratorium

Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land

Human Trafficking Omnibus

Reduce Early Voting Period

Lower Taxes for All NC

Constitutional Right to Farm

HALO Law

City of New Bern Even-Year Elections

Add Home Schools to Opportunity Scholarships

Lower Healthcare Costs

Workforce Act of 2026

Grid Utilization

The SAVE Act

Permit Self-Defense Devices on College Campus

Funds for Veterans/HBOT

Community-Based Pharmacy Protections

America's Semiquincentennial License Plate

Cut State Gov. Jobs Vacant 24 Months or More

Freedom to Carry NC

Confirm Governor's Appt/Investment Authority

Adjournment Resolution Changes

Confirm Stephanie Lynch, Investment Authority

General Assembly Appointments

State Hiring Accessibility and Modernization

Const Amend - Disaster Relief Emolument Excpt

North Carolina Farm Act of 2025

GSC Unif. Community Prop. Disp. at Death Act

Pharmacists/Collaborative Practice

School Calendar Flexibility:A New Alternative

Repeal Certificate of Need Laws

Pharmacists/Test and Treat/Influenza & Strep

Board of Motor Vehicles/Authority Study

APRN Definitions

Enhancing Ag. Opportunities in Rural NC

More Transparency/Efficiency in Utiliz. Rev

Eliminate ETJ Overlap

The Stars and Stripes Commitment Act

Buy American Steel

Energy Security and Affordability Act

NC REINS Act

AG/Restrict Challenge to Presidential EOs

Flags at Every School

Celebrate America's 250th-Let Freedom Ring!

Establish NCSTARS Grant Program

Heroes Homestead Act

Removal of Squatters from Private Property

Govt Mandates Increase Healthcare Costs

Expedited Removal of Unauthorized Persons