North Carolina House advances wide package of bills, defeats Guilford sales-tax shift

The North Carolina House spent its crossover day moving a large bundle of legislation to the Senate while sharply dividing on several high-profile measures.

The chamber rejected House Bill 305, a local-sales-tax redistribution that would have shifted about $400,000 annually to the town of Stokesdale. Sponsor Representative Bluffs urged the House to support the change, saying the impact was "like a rounding error." Opponents framed the measure as dangerous precedent: Representative Quicke warned it would amount to “the equivalent of eating from the trough without throwing in any slot,” arguing a small municipality would receive revenue without contributing to the taxed base. The bill failed on second reading, 54–57, and was placed on the unfavorable calendar.

Among the bills the House approved and sent to the Senate were measures on school safety, health coverage and utilities. House Bill 4, "Sam’s Law," which requires schools with students who need plans for conditions such as epilepsy or diabetes to designate trained staff and have…