Introduced Bills In the GA

March Madness: The Good, Bad, and the Controversial

Originally published in The Wilmington Conservative on April 2, 2025

This past month has certainly been March Madness at the North Carolina General Assembly. Our legislators have been busy introducing hundreds of new bills that, if signed into law, can have a huge impact on our region and state. The reason March is so busy is because March 25 was the Senate’s bill filing deadline, and April 3 is the House bill filing deadline. May 8th is the bill crossover deadline, meaning that a bill must “cross over” to the other chamber to be considered in that legislative session. Here’s a chart from the NCGA that breaks down the legislative process. Yes, the whole process will make you dizzy. You can see that once a bill is introduced by a member, the work happens in the committees, where bills are debated, amended, or tabled. With Republicans just one vote shy of a supermajority in the House (71 to 48) and a supermajority in the Senate (30 to 20), Republicans will need to flip one Democrat vote or work with Governor Stein for their bills to become law. 

While this list doesn’t even scratch the surface, let’s take a look at some of the good, bad, and controversial bills that I’ve been following this past month. 

The Good 

NC REINS ACT: House Bill 402 (SB 290)

The REINS is one of several bills filed that are aimed at deregulation and government accountability. The REINS Act requires state agencies that seek to impose a regulation that would impact consumers or businesses over $1 million annually or if the proposed rule gets 10 stakeholder objections, then the proposed regulation would have additional review by the General Assembly to see if the regulation would be necessary or duplicate existing policy. The REINS Act has already been proposed in other states and Congress. This bill would allow more public scrutiny of policies that put limits on business owners and free market competition, like CON laws. 

The DAVE Act: SB 474 

Named after State Auditor Dave Boliek, the Dave Act or the Division of Accountability, Value, and Efficiency within the Office of the State Auditor would require each state agency to report to the Division on how it spends public funds and, second, to report on vacant positions that have stayed vacant for over six months. This Act, modeled after the Federal DOGE, seeks to hold agencies accountable for their spending and to eliminate any redundancy in spending. This would seem like something the auditor’s office would do anyway, but it codifies this into law. There is statewide favorability for this in NC. 

Repeal Certificate of Need Laws: SB 370  

This is another bill aimed at accountability and deregulating the state government. I wrote an op-ed previously about CON. Certificate of Need Laws determine what healthcare facilities can open in the state. For example, if a business wanted to open up an outpatient surgery center or a cardiac catheterization lab they would first have to submit an application to the state CON governing authority. This committee would determine if there is a need for that service and if the existing services can meet the needs of the area. This presents several problems. First, the oversight board is made up of appointed, unelected citizens. These appointees do not have to submit financial disclosures or conflict of interest statements as required by other state boards. Second, current CON laws unfairly favor the large corporate health systems in the state. As we’ve seen, this stifles competition and drives up patient healthcare costs. Patients should have the freedom to shop around for their healthcare. The NCHA and healthcare lobby are going to fight hard to defeat this in committee. They argue that repealing CON would allow for more for-profit companies to take advantage of patients, and it would also hurt health systems that provide services, often uncompensated, in rural areas. 

APRN Definitions: HB 514/ SB 537 

This is another healthcare-related bill. Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) are licensed nurses with master's and doctoral-level degrees. These APRNs work alongside physicians in clinics and hospital settings. This bill would expand and further define their scope of practice, allowing APRNs to see patients and have full practice authority. This is especially important in rural areas where primary care doctors are limited. It will also lower costs for patients. More than likely, you’ve been seen by an APRN and not even know it. The physician lobby is fighting this one hard. 

Lower Healthcare Costs: SB 316 

This is another healthcare bill aimed at providing more transparency to patients. It essentially adds to a patient’s “bill of rights.” First, it requires hospitals and medical facilities to disclose their facility prices and fees as well as disclose to patients before treatment whether a provider or service is covered in their insurance network. This bill also has a provision to repeal the CON review for rehabilitation services. Hospitals and healthcare networks say that the added reporting will raise the costs of care. So expect pushback from the healthcare and insurance lobby. Unlike full CON repeal, I’m more confident about this one.  

2025 Water Safety Act: SB 666  & PFAS Pollution and Polluter Liability: HB 569 

If you’re in Southeastern NC, water pollution has been on everyone’s mind since 2017 when Chemours got caught dumping GenX and forever chemicals into the Cape Fear River. Even today, we’re still recovering from the effects. I also wrote more in this issue. SB 666, the 2025 Water Safety Act, seeks to establish state standards for dumping and establish safe maximum levels for drinking water. This bill also allocates more funding for PFAS research through the NC Collaboratory. HB 569 focuses more on holding water polluters accountable for mitigation and cleanup costs instead of putting the cost burden on ratepayers. Both of these bills are critical to setting enforceable standards for safe drinking water and dumping, along with having an avenue for recourse if companies don’t comply. However, we can expect the NC Manufacturing Alliance, NC Chamber, Chemours/DuPont, and other manufacturing groups to fight these bills, but I’m hopeful a (nontoxic) middle ground can be found. 

City of Wilmington/Property Conveyances: SB 203 

This bill would authorize the City of Wilmington to sell real property through private negotiation without the need to comply with additional rules. The City Council can still choose to go through a public bidding process for selling property, however, this gives the Council an option to move quickly on selling property, which can entice buyers and save the City time. Other cities like Raleigh, Cary, and High Point have passed similar measures, which have helped them sell off surplus property. 

Protecting Our Community Act: SB 265 

There have been a series of cannabis and hemp bills introduced. Previous efforts to pass a medicinal cannabis bill passed the Senate but didn’t make it out of the House last session. A recent Meredith Poll found that 7 in 10 North Carolinians support medical marijuana legalization.  The first I’ll point out is HB 413. This bill is for full legalization of cannabis, very similar to DC’s legalization. While I agree that regulating the sale and distribution of cannabis like alcohol will put a pin in the illicit market, the legislation is too much, too soon. North Carolina is in a prime position to learn from the mistakes of states like Colorado and California. This is why SB 265 is better positioned to move through. The Protecting Our Community Act is about consumer protection. It places guardrails and testing requirements for Hemp-derived consumable products so that products on shelves are safe. The bill also bans consumable products from school grounds. This bill lays the groundwork for a strong and sustainable Hemp industry in NC. I’m told there is bipartisan support in the House and Senate for SB 265. 

The Bad 

Energy Security and Affordability Act: SB 261 

SB 261 has two main objectives. First, it reverses Duke Energy's carbon emission reduction goals. These carbon reduction goals would raise consumer rates even more if implemented. It’s good that these goals are being adjusted. However, the second part of this bill would allow Duke Energy to ask the NC Utilities Commission to start charging customers higher rates to offset costs for power plants before they are even built. Georgia and South Carolina already allow utility companies to do this, resulting in nuclear plants that far surpassed original cost estimates. In South Carolina, their nuclear plant was never finished, leaving power customers with a $9 billion loss. I realize this bill has overwhelming support in the Senate, but NC power customers shouldn’t be on the hook for a power plant that isn’t even built yet. 

Economic Security Act: HB 339

This bill is a small business killer. It proposes an increase of the state minimum wage to $22 per hour and also calls for an increase in employment benefits. It’s clear that the cost of living in Wilmington and other areas of the state are much higher than someone making $7.25 can afford, yet putting the pressure on business owners to pay more will kill the Main Street economy. This is a terrible bill; just read it for yourself. 

In-State Tuition Equity: SB 691 

This is another asinine bill that would do more harm than good. It allows illegal immigrants (without lawful status) to receive in-state tuition at UNC system schools and our community colleges. It should be common sense that if you don’t have legal residence in this state, you shouldn’t qualify for resident tuition. 

The Controversial 

Women's Safety and Protection Act: SB 516 

This bill has already been compared with NC’s infamous Bathroom Bill: HB2, which garnered national attention, caused a boycott from businesses, and thwarted Governor Pat McCrory’s reelection bid. SB 516 itself seems like a no-brainer. A Pew Research Center poll shows that over 66% of Americans support some restrictions on trans people according to their sex at birth when it comes to using bathrooms and participating in sports. While I see the merits in this bill, it’s sure to cause public outrage like HB2 did years ago. 

Freedom to Carry NC: SB 50

SB 50 would allow for the concealed carrying of a firearm without a permit. Advocates say this does away with unnecessary fees and costs of carrying a firearm. Also, they believe this is covered as a second amendment protection. This is a good bill and one gun rights advocates have been pushing for a long time. However, opponents to the bill question the safety of the measure since individuals would no longer need a background check through the Sheriff's office, and they would no longer need eight hours of required firearms safety training. If it passes, NC would become the 30th state that allows constitutional carry. 

Cell Phone Free Education: HB 87 

This bill seems like another no-brainer. This instructs public school districts to adopt cell-phone free policies in classrooms. No one would doubt that cell phone use, especially among school-aged children, has gotten out of hand. But it leaves many questions unanswered, including how these policies will be enforced. Will each district have different criteria and exceptions? What happens when parents start complaining when their children get in trouble with a cell phone in class? If this bill passes, school districts will have to figure out an ideal model for implementation that helps improve learning outcomes, not create an even bigger distraction in the classroom. 

Gambling Losses Tax Deduction: HB 14

Who doesn’t like tax deductions? With a growing number of support for casinos in the state, we once again see another casino related bill. While it seems like a great idea to be able to deduct gambling losses on your tax returns, I fear this will encourage unhealthy gambling. Sure, the government shouldn’t restrict what people do with their money, however, the government should also promote responsible citizenship.