AN ACT to appropriate funds for various needs of the City and County of Durham and to require the department of transportation to reevaluate the funding of roads.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year to provide a directed grant to the City of Durham as follows:

(1)        Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for maintenance and equipment needs for city parks.

(2)        Five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for expansion of landfills.

SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year to provide a directed grant to Durham County to be used to enhance and upgrade County wastewater utility infrastructure in the Research Triangle Park area to support economic development and growth.

SECTION 3.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of two hundred thirty‑seven thousand dollars ($237,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year to provide a directed grant to The Stagville Memorial Project to support the design and development of an art installation honoring the history of the Stagville descendants on a plot of land across from the Museum of Durham History in the City of Durham.

SECTION 4.  There is appropriated from the Highway Fund to the Department of Transportation for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year the sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in nonrecurring funds to be allocated to Durham County for the repair and improvement of orphan roads, in non‑municipal areas of the county, to meet Department of Transportation minimum construction requirements for addition to the State highway system.

SECTION 5.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Administrative Office of the Courts the sum of five hundred three thousand four hundred eighty‑one dollars ($503,481) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year and the sum of fourteen million four thousand three hundred ninety‑three dollars ($14,004,393) in recurring funds for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year to provide 219 total positions statewide for staffing needs to implement the eCourts system to maintain court efficiency, reduce case processing delays, prevent case backlog, and ensure timely service to citizens.

SECTION 6.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year to provide a directed grant to Durham County for staffing, operational costs, and legal resource materials needed to establish a legal support center, modeled after Wake County's center, to provide legal information, procedural guidance, and assistance with forms to litigants without legal representation for the purpose of enhancing access to justice, reducing court congestion and staff overload, and improving case processing efficiency.

SECTION 7.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of one hundred eighty thousand dollars ($180,000) in recurring funds for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year to annually provide a directed grant to Durham County for salary enhancements and retention incentives for, and professional development of, court staff to increase retention of experienced personnel, improve institutional knowledge, and reduce hiring and training costs for the purpose of ensuring high‑quality service to the public.

SECTION 8.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of State Budget and Management the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year to provide a directed grant to Durham County to the Durham County Special Proceedings and Estates courtroom with CRAVE hardware to provide for remote hearing capability, meet other system hardware and software needs, and train personnel to improve court efficiency for the purposes of modernizing the judiciary, improving data security, and reducing long‑term administrative costs.

SECTION 9.  The Department of Transportation shall perform a study that reevaluates the procedures, policies, and criteria used in the funding of roadway projects and expansion in relation to rural counties and municipalities impacted by increases in population, residential development, and traffic congestion. The study shall include evaluating the need for improvements to how the Department and rural counties and municipalities work together, the need for increased State funding for new and existing construction and maintenance, and whether legislation is necessary to ensure that the State Transportation Improvement (STI) project funding formula recognizes that one size does not fit all and that projects in both rural and urban areas are prioritized and funded appropriately.

SECTION 10.  Sections 1 through 8 of this act become effective July 1, 2025. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.