Bill > H268

This bill makes technical and clarifying changes to appropriations and other laws for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. * **Stabilization and Inflation Reserve:** Adjusts transfers from the Stabilization and Inflation Reserve, reducing the transfer to the Office of the State Auditor by $500,000 and increasing the transfer to the State Board of Elections by $500,000 for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. * **Directed Grant Disbursement Thresholds:** Clarifies the disbursement thresholds for directed grants, specifying that grants over $100,000 and up to $1,000,000 can be disbursed in monthly or quarterly installments, and grants over $1,000,000 will be disbursed in 25% installments. * **State Budget Act Budget Adjustment Authorization:** Modifies the State Budget Act to clarify when budget adjustments can be made using prior year earned revenue. * **Repeal of Claremont Building Height Limitation:** Repeals a provision related to building height limitations in Claremont. * **Kernersville Extraterritorial Jurisdiction:** Clarifies that the Town of Kernersville cannot exercise extraterritorial jurisdiction over a specific parcel of land, and that Forsyth County will have jurisdiction over it. * **Local Government Commission Board Technical Corrections:** Makes technical changes to the membership and powers of the Local Government Commission, including clarifying the roles of the State Treasurer, State Auditor, and Secretary of Revenue, and adjusting appointment procedures for members. * **EDPNC Board Appointment Authority:** Modifies the appointment authority for members of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) board, adjusting requirements for members from development tier one or two areas. * **Disaster Relief:** * Allocates $706,128,539 in nonrecurring funds for Hurricane Helene recovery, including $515,000,000 to the North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) for disaster recovery programs and $99,600,000 to the Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) for grants to Madison County ($27,000,000) and the Veterans Restoration Quarters of Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry ($5,000,000), among other allocations. * Expands allowable uses for disaster recovery match funds to include repaying costs associated with federal deobligations. * Amends a disaster recovery allocation to change a budget fund number. * Modifies a previous disaster recovery allocation to allow remaining funds to be used by Star Telephone Membership Corporation for equipment and land acquisition. * Amends the reversion date for the Agricultural Disaster Crop Loss Program, changing it from October 1, 2026, to January 1, 2027. * Amends the list of eligible dams under the Dam Safety Grant Program to include NC01850 and NC00290. * Modifies the Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program to allow projects with prior permitting or commencement of construction before Hurricane Helene to be eligible, with limitations. * Extends the interest-only period for the Golden LEAF Hurricane Helene Bridge Loan Program from 24 months to 30 months. * **Education:** * Changes the budget fund for Enterprise Resource Planning reductions within the Community Colleges System. * Adjusts budget funds for appropriations related to Customer Relationship Management Systems and Short-Term Workforce Credentials Financial Assistance for Community Colleges. * Makes technical changes to performance funding reductions for community colleges, clarifying evaluation measures and the allocation of funds. * Adjusts the deadline for a report on the Workforce Diploma Program. * Adjusts the deadline for a study on ApprenticeshipNC to March 15, 2027. * Makes a technical correction to a reference for shifting supplemental exceptional children funding for a regional school. * Changes the budget fund reduction for the North Carolina Association of School Business Officials. * Permits the TeachReadyNC Program to begin in the 2026-2027 school year. * Clarifies liability for public school units regarding cardiac emergency response plans and AED use. * Clarifies allowable hours for released time religious instruction. * Establishes the North Carolina High School Redesign Commission to explore and recommend changes to high school and higher education policies. * Allows the Friday Institute to carry forward nonrecurring funds for AI professional development modules. * Clarifies bonuses for school nutrition and custodial personnel. * Removes a deadline for Educator Preparation Program rule adoption. * Changes the name of the Rural Residency Medical Education and Training Fund to the UNC System Health Care Access Fund and clarifies its uses. * Extends the deadline for a public school open enrollment study to June 1, 2027. * Extends the deadline for the Collaboratory's shellfish study report to December 1, 2027. * Clarifies the scope of the Collaboratory's study on judicially managed accountability and recovery courts. * Clarifies the use of funds for emerging contaminant research, expanding it beyond PFAS. * Clarifies the applicability of early graduate high school scholarship funds. * Clarifies public records exemption for Opportunity Scholarship testing records. * Allows the Advise NC College Access Initiative to carry forward funds. * Specifies procedures following the removal of an educator preparation program from the Teaching Fellows Program. * Conforms the Nursing Fellows Pilot Program to existing forgivable loan programs. * Establishes a Competitive Speech and Debate Team Grant Program. * **Justice and Public Safety:** * Revises the effective date for the transfer of a magistrate. * Increases the dollar limit on IOLTA grants from $2,000,000 to $2,500,000 per fiscal year. * Provides $1,000,000 in nonrecurring funds for Campbell University's Second Chance Initiative. * Adjusts the date by which the Department of Public Safety must move out of the Archdale Building to April 1, 2027. * Adjusts funding for the transfer of the Samarcand Training Academy to the State Bureau of Investigation. * Provides $105,000 in nonrecurring funds for operational costs related to a National Guard facility closing. * Amends various budget codes for the Department of Justice and Public Safety. * Increases the number of exempt positions under the State Human Resources Act at the State Bureau of Investigation from 10 to 15. * Exempts the State Bureau of Investigation and the State Highway Patrol from certain procurement, contract, and public contract requirements. * **General Government:** * Allocates $500,000 in nonrecurring funds to the Office of Administrative Hearings for litigation costs. * Adjusts budget codes for the Department of the State Auditor, reallocating FTEs and funds for field audit divisions and Medicaid waste and abuse investigations. * Provides $10,000,000 in nonrecurring funds for the Rural Health Care Stabilization Program. * Modifies directed grants allocated by the Office of State Budget and Management, including changes to grants for the Town of Yanceyville, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Wilkes Community College, and others. * Extends the reversion date for a directed grant to the Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport. * Extends the reversion date for a directed grant to Johnston County for the Bentonville State Historic Site. * Allows Edgecombe County to use remaining funds from a QVC facility fire and employee support program for economic development purposes. * Corrects a directed grant allocation from the Department of Public Instruction to the Office of State Budget and Management. * Modifies CAGC grant funding for community colleges, establishing a new section for the program. * Modifies the senatorial advice and consent process for gubernatorial appointments. * Directs the Department of Insurance and the Office of State Fire Marshal to lease State-owned property. * Reduces staffing cuts to the Department of Insurance. * Allows the Department of Insurance to use up to $1,200,000 from the Insurance Regulatory Fund for legal expenses. * Makes a technical correction to transfer $20,000,000 from the State Property Fire Insurance Fund to the Public School Insurance Fund. * Allocates $100,000 in recurring funds to the Office of the State Fire Marshal for motor fleet management. * Grants the Office of the State Fire Marshal administrative independence from the Department of Insurance and appropriates funds for new positions. * Modifies budget code management for the Office of the State Fire Marshal. * Makes statutory changes to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs regarding the expenditure of funds from the North Carolina Veterans Home Trust Fund. * Provides recurring and nonrecurring funds to the Secretary of State for implementing annual report requirements and trademark registration prosecutor funding. * Provides recurring funds to the Secretary of State for implementing the Prohibited Foreign Party Land Registry. * Validates emergency video notarizations and video witnessing performed between July 1, 2026, and July 7, 2026. * Allows the North Carolina Investment Authority to retain the services of recruitment firms. * Modifies technical corrections to the investment of local government idle funds. * Addresses unexpended bond proceeds, allowing them to be used for debt retirement or reimbursement of the State Capital and Infrastructure Fund. * **Information Technology:** * Makes changes to CJLEADS/GDAC to improve data collection and sharing for involuntary commitment determinations. * **Salaries and Benefits:** * Clarifies that community college recruitment and retention funds are to be used for hard-to-recruit and hard-to-retain faculty in high-demand fields. * Clarifies the use of Labor Market Adjustment Reserve funds. * **Capital:** * Allows Fayetteville State University to retain and use net proceeds from the sale of the Chancellor's residence for purchasing another residence. * Expands allowable uses for existing youth detention facilities to include expansion. * **Transportation:** * Repeals a provision related to DMV in-home driver license renewal pilot programs and adds a study requirement. * Requires the DMV to establish or amend rules to clarify the application of rules controlling the operation of safety or emissions inspection stations for public school units and community colleges. * Modifies a study on pavement preservation, changing the report deadline to March 1, 2027. * Grants the Board of Transportation authority to set fees for various services. * Makes a technical correction regarding the Wake Forest/Rolesville Driver License Office. * Makes technical corrections to the elimination of motor vehicle registration cards. * Modifies outdoor advertising rules regarding relocation of signs and permit application/revocation processes. * **Finance:** * Modifies the effective date for Sampson County local sales tax. * Clarifies vapor registry rules regarding manufacturer certifications and compliance with federal law.