SB 257

As engrossed: - 2025 Appropriations Act. - Appropriates funds from the Highway Trust Fund for the maintenance and operation for the Department of Transportation. (pg. 12) - Prohibits public agencies from collecting, disclosing, or releasing personal information about members, volunteers, and financial and nonfinancial donors to 501(c) nonprofit organizations, except as permitted by State or federal law or regulation. (p. 59) - Creates the North Carolina Community College System Customized Training Program to offer programs and training services to assist new and existing businesses and industries. (pg. 80) - Establishes the North Carolina Community College Short-Term Workforce Development Grant Program for programs of study in occupations that are in the highest demand. (pg. 81) - Removes all mentions of textbooks, substituting with the language "instructional materials". (pg. 72) - Requires all children in public elementary and secondary schools to be provided with free basic instructional materials. (pg. 72) - Expands diagnostic reading assessment requirements to include grades K-5. (pg. 81) - Adds English language arts to the automatic enrollment in advanced classes requirement. (pg. 84) - Allows the State Board to convert a limited teaching license to a continuing professional license if the teacher has available growth data under the EVAAS and has a positive average growth score for two of the three most recent years. (pg. 86) - Requires local boards of education operating school nutrition programs to provide school lunches, and if provided, breakfasts, to students at no cost if they qualify for reduced-price meals under the federal National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program. (pg. 93) - Requires public schools to offer the same meal selections to all students regardless of pay status. (pg. 97) - Allows students with military parents to enroll in public schools by remote means. (pg. 101) - Establishes the Teacher Apprenticeship Program to increase the number of professionally licensed teachers, allowing anyone who holds a bachelor's degree to join the program. (pg. 104) - Revises the scholarships for children of wartime veterans, clarifying requirements and outlining benefits. (pg. 148) - Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to implement a detailed data security and safeguarding plan, which includes privacy and security audits. (p. 260) - Creates fees for the inspection of various amusement rides, including major rides, bungee and trampoline rides, and kiddie rides. (pg. 324-325) - Increases the appropriations to fund repair and renovations at the North Carolina Zoo Park to $750,000. (pg. 333) - Allows the chief district court judge and the senior resident superior court judge of their respective districts to provide by rule for the court's manual signature of any orders, judgments, decrees, or other documents to be filed by the court. (p. 330) - Prohibits an agency from charging a surcharge for accepting electronic payments. (p. 398) - Appropriates contingency funds to the Department of Transportation for rural or small urban highway improvements and other transportation-related enhancements. (pg. 411) - Allows the Office of the Secretary of State to collect a fee of up to $10 each time a document is submitted for filing in typewritten or printed form when that same document could be accepted for filing in electronic form. (p. 432) - Changes requirements for military special registration plates. (p. 509) - Amends future revenue amounts that would trigger rate cuts for the income tax. (p. 525) - Reinstates the back-to-school sales tax holiday (p. 526-7) - Includes an $87 million appropriation for a Healthy Opportunities Program, a pilot program that would provide services to address health-related social needs to Medicaid members of rural areas. - Makes budget adjustments for the state to move forward with a Medicaid work requirement. - Sets fees for electric vehicle charging stations at rest areas. (p. 512) - NOTE: 5/19/25 substitute removes the House-passed provision that would have doubled the sports wagering tax from 18% to 36%, provision that alters the personal income tax to 2.99%, provision that amends the term "sales price", and provision that amends the franchise tax. - 5/19/25 House substitute removes sections making changes to the Utility's Commission's carbon emissions goals, and removes Commission's authority to grant rate increases for construction work in progress. Deletes section directing an AI application in schools. Deletes section regulating of AI in utilization review. - NOTE: 5/20/2025 substitute removes language about limited teaching license and converting a limited license to a full license. Also removes language concerning manual signatures on court orders.