Rowan County legislators file flurry of bills on first days of long session

Published 12:05 am Friday, January 31, 2025

RALEIGH — North Carolina Representative Harry Warren has had a busy start to 2025, introducing five bills with effects ranging from the elimination of daylight savings time, to the elimination of taxes of tips to limiting credit and debit card fees from merchants.

Warren introduced the five bills, which range from HB 8 to HB 13, on Wednesday, the first day for filing for the 2025 long session of the N.C General Assembly.

Senator Carl Ford also filed two bills SB 36, which changes the China Grove election cycle, and SB 22, which was a local bill that was filed blank.

Rowan County legislators also added their name as cosponsors to various bills that were filed on Wednesday.

HB 11: No tax on tips, overtime, bonus pay

HB 11 is one of two bills filed by Warren that follows President Donald Trump’s campaign promises. This bill aims to end taxes on three separate sources of income by adding deductions for any amount of overtime pay, any amount of tips and up to $2,500 in bonus pay.

“This is a common-sense way to reward hardworking hourly employees who go above and beyond to support their families. It also incentivizes workers to take on extra shifts and helps employers fill vacant positions,” said Warren in a press release about the bill.

The bill is co-sponsored by a bevy of Republican Representatives, including fellow Rowan Representative Grant Campbell.

HB 12: Observe standard time all year

HB 12 is the second bill that follows along with the newly-elected White House’s policy proposals by aiming to have the entire state follow standard time throughout the year.

The bill, if passed, would go into effect on March 8, 2026, and would effectively eliminate daylight savings time in the state, making it so that more morning daylight and nighttime darkness is experienced.

HB 12 is also sponsored by a group of Republicans including Campbell, who is a primary sponsor of the bill.

HB 13: Charges for payments by credit or debit card

HB 13 is a bill that aims to control merchant fees for credit or debit card payments. The bill would regulate the charges by making it so that the fees charged to the customer cannot exceed the payments made to the credit or debit card company to process or facilitate the payment.

The bill would also require merchants that advertise that they accept debit or credit card payments to clearly disclose any fees in the same advertisement.

Fees for violation of the bill would be $2,500 for the first violation and $5,000 for the subsequent violation.

The bill is co-sponsored by a bi-partisan group including Republicans David Willis, Jeffrey McNeely, Steve Tyson, Stephen Ross and Mitchell Setzer along with Democrats Mary Belk, Deb Butler, Pricey Harrison and Jordan Lopez.

SB 36: China Grove even-year elections

SB 36 was filed by Ford on Thursday and would change the election cycle for the China Grove Town Council so that it falls on even years.

As it currently stands, the bill would extend the sitting members of the council’s terms by a year in order to effect the change, meaning the terms for Don Bringle, Arthur Heggins and Cheryl Sheets would expire in 2026 while the terms for Rodney Phillips, Wayne Starnes and Lee Withers would run through 2028.

China Grove officials have been exploring the change for over a year. Members of the council have cited a potential increase in voter turnout and a decrease in costs for the town to hold their own elections as reasons to make the change.

To change election years, which are part of the town’s charters, the council could utilize several options, the simplest of which is asking Ford to file and have a bill passed effecting the change.

HB 8: NC Managing Environmental Waste Act of 2025

HB 8 aims to reduce the amount of environmental waste generated by food establishments in state departments, community colleges and school districts.

The act aims to do that by requiring the state entities to, when “economically practicable,” purchase compostable or recyclable supplies. The bill also implements a reporting requirement for all of the aforementioned state entities which would require them to report the amount and types of supplies purchased that were compostable or recyclable to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.

The bill would also require UNC Chapel’s Hills N.C. Collaboratory to research food service ware-related waste by looking into issues such as plastic waste and other states’ regulations. The bill gives the collaboratory $50,000 for the study.

HB 8 is co-sponsored by Belk and Harrison.

HB 10: Study state travel allowance reimbursements

HB 10 is a bill which would establish a seven-person committee to look into the state’s travel allowances for all employees, including legislators, teachers and more, and make recommendations on potential new policy or changes.

Two members of the committee would be appointed by the speaker of the house from recommendations by both House party leaders, two would be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate from recommendations by both Senate party leaders and three members would be appointed by the governor.

HB 10 is co-sponsored by Belk, Harrison, Butler, Lopez, McNeely, Willis and Republican Ben Moss Jr.

SB 22: 33rd Senatorial District Local Act-1

Ford introduced Senate Bill 22 on Wednesday, which is a blank bill allowing for local changes and funding appropriations after the filing deadline is passed.

Blank bills are a common practice utilized by legislators, with Ford’s being one of over a dozen filed on Wednesday and more following on Thursday. The bills allow legislators to have an empty placeholder bill that allows them to still make changes to local ordinances and city charters or allocate available funding after the Senate’s filing deadline has passed.

Other bills of note that were filed by other state legislators include:

  • HB 10: Fair Maps Act would establish and independent commission and process to establish electoral districts, each of which would be required to represent a similar amount of voters. The bill was filed by Harrison
  • SB 10: Mobile drivers licenses would require the NC DMV to provide mobile driver’s licenses upon request and set up public awareness services and law enforcement training around the mobile licenses. Mobile licenses are digitized versions of licenses that can be updated in real time.
  • SB 14: Constitutional amendment/repeal literacy test would repeal the section of the state Constitution that requires all registered voters to be able to read and write any section of the Constitution in English. The bill was filed by Senator Bobby Hanig.
  • SB 20: Prohibiting certain mass balloon releases would prohibit mass balloon releases by private citizens, with only releases being held for meteorological or scientific purposes being allowed. The bill was filed by Hanig.
  • HB 4: Sam’s Law is a bill that allows parents of students with seizure disorders to petition the child’s school for a seizure action plan, including medical provider and prescription information. The law is named after Samantha Watkins, an east Texas student who died in 2016 after experience a seizure and was filed by Keith Kidwell.
  • HB 7: REACH Act is a bill that requires students at UNC schools or community colleges to complete at least three credit hours in American history or American government, including vital documents from the country’s history. The bill was filed by Kidwell.

All of the bills still face a lengthy process before a vote is held, and many have already been referred to House and Senate commissions, where they could be changed or stalled.