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What went into effect Jan. 1.
Several laws quietly rang in the New Year in NC, officially going into effect Jan. 1. The new legislation covers a wide range of policy, from pension plans to prescription prices to sex and gender issues.
It’s worth noting that despite this wave of legislation, the state gov has yet to pass a budget for this fiscal year, which began six months ago in July 2025. Fun fact: NC is the only state in the country to head into 2026 with no budget. While legislators remain in a deadlock over the state’s piggy bank, here are a handful of notable laws they were able to push through.
HB 805 overcame Gov. Josh Stein’s veto thanks to a NC Republicans rallying a supermajority, and the content struck a nerve with many. The controversial law, inspired by an executive order via President Trump last January, excludes gender identity from state definitions of biological sex.
Earlier provisions included in the legislation went into effect Dec. 1 and allowed lawsuits against medical providers who perform gender-altering medical procedures and banned state funds from being used for transition surgeries. It also allowed students to opt out of school activities conflicting with religious beliefs and gave parents more control over which library books their children can access.
Republicans flipped three Democrats to enact the law: Nasif Majeed and Carla Cunningham of Mecklenburg County, and Edgecombe County’s Shelly Willingham.
HB 67 expands opportunities for internationally trained doctors to practice in NC, plus sets new standards for filtering “hidden killer” surgical smoke from operating rooms.
SB 479 (aka the SCRIPT Act) attempts to protect small pharmacies and make prescription drug costs more transparent by barring pharmacy benefit managers from steering patients to specific practices, as well as giving price cuts to certain pharmacies.
HB 506 formally shifted control of NC’s $139B pension plan to a new state agency, the North Carolina Investment Authority. In short, the legal authority for pension fund management belongs to a board now, rather than being solely in the Treasurer’s hands.
HB 74 excludes all temporary UNC employees—including instructional and research facilitators—from minimum wage and overtime regulations.
Clouded by less controversy, these laws also took effect: HB 388 allows electronically stored wills, SB 248 provides easier access to new birth certificates for adopted children and S.B. 321 makes becoming a public accountant more accessible.
Other much decried legislation, including the Freedom to Carry NC Act, North Carolina Border Protection Act, and multiple bills eliminating DEI in public ed, may be soon to follow. Stay tuned for coverage of bills on the docket for Jan. 12.
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