North Carolina House

Samuel Watford

RepublicanRepresentative · District 80

sam.watford@ncleg.gov

Running for Reelection · November 2026

Election Day: November 3, 2026 · Register to vote at ncsbe.gov

North Carolina House

Samuel Watford

RepublicanRepresentative · District 80

sam.watford@ncleg.gov

Running for Reelection · November 2026

Election Day: November 3, 2026 · Register to vote at ncsbe.gov

Bills Sponsored

Bills Cosponsored

802

Votes Cast

100%

Party Unity Score

Cosponsored Bills (12)

H171Vetoed

Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI

This bill prohibits North Carolina state agencies and local governments from spending money on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, policies, or staff positions. It defines DEI as initiatives that influence hiring or employment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, nationality, country of origin, or sexual orientation outside of merit-based processes, and establishes penalties for violations including fines up to $10,000 and potential removal from employment.

House2026-06-24

H258Passed

Worker Safety Act of 2026

This bill clarifies the process for filing complaints about workplace retaliation under North Carolina's worker protection laws. It specifies what information complaints must contain, allows employers to submit response statements within seven days, requires extra materials submitted with complaints to be destroyed and kept confidential, and establishes how time periods are calculated in these cases.

House2026-06-22

H1089Passed

Const. Amend. Property Tax Levy Limit

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment that would require the North Carolina General Assembly to pass laws limiting how much local governments (counties, cities, towns, and special districts) can increase their property tax levies each year. The amendment would be submitted to North Carolina voters in the November 2026 general election, and if approved by a majority of voters, would become part of the state constitution.

House2026-05-21

H1019Engrossed

Mike Clampitt 1st Responder Tax Fairness Act

This bill expands the highway use tax exemption for volunteer fire departments and rescue squads that are not part of local government and have no more than two paid employees. The exemption now applies to fire trucks, pump trucks, tanker trucks, ladder trucks, four-wheel drive forest fire fighting vehicles, and emergency services vehicles.

House2026-05-18

H1231Introduced

No Voter Registration Changes At DMV

This bill removes the ability for voters to update their existing voter registration (such as address changes, name changes, or party affiliation changes) through the DMV website or at DMV physical locations. Voters seeking to make these changes would instead be required to do so directly at their county board of elections. New voter registration applications at the DMV would continue to be allowed.

House2026-05-12

H192Engrossed

Defund Planned Parenthood & Cost Transparency

This bill has two main parts: it prohibits Planned Parenthood from participating in North Carolina's Medicaid program, and it establishes new billing transparency and collections practices for hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities. The billing provisions require hospitals to provide itemized cost estimates for scheduled services, limit final bills to within 5% of the estimate, and prohibit sending bills to collections without first providing an itemized breakdown.

House2025-09-22

H661Engrossed

Building Industry Efficiency Act of 2025

This bill makes multiple changes to North Carolina's building and construction regulations. It streamlines inspection processes (allowing cancellations without fees, exempting certain HVAC replacements from inspections), modifies street design requirements for developers, exempts certain small construction services from licensing, updates contractor board rules and disciplinary procedures, clarifies exemptions for certain pools and flotation systems, and increases the threshold for formal bidding on public construction contracts.

House2025-06-19

H729Introduced

Farmland Protection Act

This bill gradually reduces the property tax exemption for solar energy systems in North Carolina over four years, starting in 2026. By July 1, 2029, solar systems will no longer receive any property tax exclusion and will be taxed at full appraised value like other property.

House2025-04-30

H411Introduced

Reduce Early Voting Period for Primaries

This bill reduces the early voting period for primary elections, runoff elections, and special elections from 17 days to 6 days, while keeping the early voting period for general elections unchanged. The bill also applies the 6-day early voting limit to municipal elections and special elections not held at regular times.

House2025-03-18

Voting Record (802)

802

Votes Cast

658

Yea

Nay

90%

Participation

Absent
H875HousePassed
DPI to Redesign Math Instruction
2025-05-01
Absent
H406HousePassed
Clarify Motor Vehicle Dealer Laws
2025-05-01
Absent
H97HousePassed
Support Firefighters Fighting Cancer
2025-05-01
Absent
H97HousePassed
Support Firefighters Fighting Cancer
2025-05-01
Yea
H156HousePassed
Increase Access for Small Employers/Insurance
2025-04-30
Yea
H307HousePassed
Iryna's Law
2025-04-30
Yea
H637HousePassed
Community of Practice ATR Supplement
2025-04-30
Yea
H575HousePassed
The Hunter Robinson Act
2025-04-30
Yea
H801HousePassed
LRC Study Paper Towns
2025-04-30
Yea
H171HousePassed
Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI
2025-04-30

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Samuel Watford

Samuel Watford

Sponsored Bills (2)

Underground Safety Revisions

Limit Session Length

Cosponsored Bills (12)

Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI

Worker Safety Act of 2026

Const. Amend. Property Tax Levy Limit

Mike Clampitt 1st Responder Tax Fairness Act

No Voter Registration Changes At DMV

Defund Planned Parenthood & Cost Transparency

Building Industry Efficiency Act of 2025

Farmland Protection Act

Reduce Early Voting Period for Primaries

Align Benefits for Firefighters with Cancer

Support for the Senior Tar Heel Legislature

State of the State Invitation

Voting Record (802)