Senate committee approves amended House Bill 926, Regulatory Reform Act of 2025, and forwards substitute to rules

A North Carolina Senate committee advanced House Bill 926, the Regulatory Reform Act of 2025, after adopting three amendments and voting to roll the bill into a new committee substitute and refer it to the Senate Rules Committee.

The bill, described on the committee floor as a package of previously passed or agreed-upon measures, would make technical and substantive changes across state regulation. Sponsors said the bill includes provisions to streamline permitting, adjust notice periods for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), clarify local pavement and sidewalk standards, and update professional licensing and consumer-disclosure rules for audiologists and hearing-aid sales.

Committee members debated and adopted three amendments offered by Senator Moffitt. The first amendment (H926-ABE-41 v7) clarifies an ATR (Alternative Teacher Receivership) provision by adding language to authorize ATR schools within the ATR unit. The second amendment (H926-ARI-87 v1) removes stormwater permitting language from a section that the sponsor said was not yet ready for inclusion with the sewer permitting changes; Senate staff described that removal as eliminating the original section 20. The third amendment (H926-ARI-88 v3) adjusts DEQ notice periods—changing one 60-day notice period to 45 days, another from 30 to 45 days—and inserts a cross-reference in the bill text. All three amendments were adopted by voice vote.

Senator Moffitt, who explained the amendments, summarized the bill's principal sections for the committee. She said Section 1 authorizes certain on-site wastewater evaluators to issue denials to speed alternate septic-system approvals (language previously in House Bill 376). Section 2 clarifies…