A bill introduced by State Rep. Laura Budd in the North Carolina House seeks to aid municipalities in covering winter road operations expenses, according to the North Carolina State House.
Filed as HB 1207 on April 30 for the 2025 regular session, the measure appears under the short title: ‘Keeping NC Open for Business.’
Based on the bill text, here is an outline of its main provisions for clarity.
The legislation would establish a Municipal Winter Road Operations Cost Share Program under the Department of Transportation, reimbursing municipalities up to 75% of qualifying snow and ice response costs, including equipment, personnel, materials, data systems and in-state private contractors. Municipalities would be required to work with in-state private vendors, install cameras and GPS on all funded vehicles, and provide a real-time public plowing status map. The agency must set application guidelines, rank awards by need and impact, and give annual reports to lawmakers. Included in the bill is an allocation of $10 million in recurring funds, $20 million in nonrecurring funds from the General Fund, and $5 million from the Highway Fund for salt and brine reserves. If enacted, the measure takes effect July 1, 2026.
Of the two primary sponsors, Cynthia Ball introduced the most bills during the 2025 regular session, with 29.
The legislative process in North Carolina follows a multi-step process before a bill becomes law. After a bill is filed by a lawmaker and assigned to a committee, it must receive three readings in each chamber. Should one chamber make changes after the other has passed the bill, both must come to agreement on the final version. After passage in both chambers, the bill advances to the governor, who has 10 days—or 30 days if the legislature is not in session—to sign, veto or allow the measure to become law without a signature.
Further information on legislation and other measures is available here.
Budd earned her BA from Ohio University in 1999 and her JD from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2002.
A Democrat, Budd was elected to represent North Carolina’s 103rd House district in 2023, succeeding Rachel Hunt.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura Budd and Cynthia Ball | HB 1207 | 04/30/2026 | Keeping NC Open for Business. |
| Laura Budd, Carolyn G. Logan, James Roberson, and Phil Rubin | HB 1164 | 04/30/2026 | NSF for Taxes Penalty Modification. |
| Laura Budd | HB 1165 | 04/30/2026 | Hygiene Products Protections/Sales Tax. |
| Laura Budd, Carolyn G. Logan, and Maria Cervania | HB 1180 | 04/30/2026 | Data Center Amendments. |
| Laura Budd, Phil Rubin, and Ya Liu | HB 1206 | 04/30/2026 | Pregnant Workers Fairness Act/Funds. |
| Laura Budd | HB 1208 | 04/30/2026 | Community Safety Risk Protection Act. |
| Laura Budd, Cynthia Ball, Lindsey Prather, and Rodney D. Pierce | HB 1209 | 04/30/2026 | Strengthen Ed by Embedded New Teacher Support. |
| Laura Budd | HB 1210 | 04/30/2026 | Firearm & Conflict De-escalation Training Act. |
| Laura Budd, Julia Greenfield, Marcia Morey, and Phil Rubin | HB 1060 | 04/27/2026 | AG Investigations/Certain ICE & CBP Incidents. |
| Laura Budd, Carla D. Cunningham, Carolyn G. Logan, and Nasif Majeed | HB 903 | 04/10/2025 | Highway and Road Safety Act. |
| Laura Budd, Dean Arp, Dudley Greene, and Mark Brody | HB 924 | 04/10/2025 | Board for Gen. Contractors/Crim. Referrals. |
| Laura Budd, Carson Smith, and Terry M. Brown Jr. | HB 953 | 04/10/2025 | Study Committee on ADA/APD/PAC Pay. |
| Laura Budd and Maria Cervania | HB 982 | 04/10/2025 | NC Highway Safety Act of 2025. |
| Laura Budd, Carolyn G. Logan, Frances Jackson, PhD, and Tracy Clark | HB 989 | 04/10/2025 | Build Safer Communities and Schools Act. |
| Laura Budd, Frank Iler, and Ya Liu | HB 993 | 04/10/2025 | HOA Organization and Reporting Act. |
| Laura Budd, Beth Helfrich, Brandon Lofton, and Mary Belk | HB 840 | 04/09/2025 | Reward Schools for Student Growth. |
| Laura Budd and Sarah Stevens | HB 866 | 04/09/2025 | Automatic Ord/Equitable Distribution Claim. |
| Laura Budd, Donny Lambeth, Ray Pickett, and Zack Hawkins | HB 578 | 03/31/2025 | The Jason Flatt Act of North Carolina. |
| Laura Budd, Bryan Cohn, Charles Smith, and Terry M. Brown Jr. | HB 499 | 03/24/2025 | NC Paid Family Leave Insurance Act. |
| Laura Budd and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 504 | 03/24/2025 | Pilot Co-Responder Police Program. |
| Laura Budd, Brian Biggs, and Ray Pickett | HB 475 | 03/20/2025 | State ID Cards for High School Students. |
| Laura Budd, Deb Butler, Julia Greenfield, and Pricey Harrison | HB 459 | 03/19/2025 | Income Tax Rate Reduction Trigger Mods. |
| Laura Budd, Brian Biggs, Sarah Stevens, and Ya Liu | HB 431 | 03/18/2025 | Preventing Deed Fraud. |
| Laura Budd | HB 320 | 03/06/2025 | Town of Pineville/Reserve Police. |
| Laura Budd | HB 290 | 03/04/2025 | Funds for Pineville Pedestrian Beacon. |
| Laura Budd, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Carolyn G. Logan, and Carson Smith | HB 199 | 02/25/2025 | Nonconsensual Booting and Towing Reform. |