By Dr. Mark Creech
Director of Government Relations
Return America
The following is a summary of bills that Return America has been monitoring more recently during the legislative session, including measures for which we have tracked committee activity, reviewed proposed changes, and, in some cases, offered testimony.
Bills Return America Has Addressed
Senate Bill 310 initially addressed religious property tax exemptions, but it was later rewritten in the House as a broader criminal law package. One provision of particular concern to Return America addressed the intentional disruption of religious worship services.
I testified before the House Judiciary Committee in support of the proposed committee substitute. I told lawmakers that “every citizen has the constitutional right to worship freely without intimidation, harassment, or deliberate interference.” I also emphasized that the proposal does not prohibit peaceful protest or disagreement with religious beliefs. It simply establishes a reasonable boundary between free expression and interfering with others’ lawful worship.
Return America supported both the underlying bill and the proposed committee substitute. Religious liberty is one of America’s most cherished freedoms, and if the right to gather peacefully for worship is not protected, that freedom becomes little more than words on paper.
The bill is currently in the House Rules Committee
HB 301 — Social Media and AI Safety
House Bill 301 – Social Media and AI Safety – is a child-protection measure aimed at addressing the growing dangers children face from social media platforms, addictive algorithms, and artificial intelligence. Return America monitored the bill closely because of its implications for parental support, children’s mental health, privacy, and the appropriate use of AI in education.
During public testimony, some speakers objected to the bill. During public comment, Former Rep. David Lewis opposed the measure as government overreach and argued that it would replace parental authority. Drew Heath of the John Locke Foundation supported the AI education provisions but warned of centralized control, compliance burdens, free speech concerns, and broad restrictions on social media. Kelly Stutz, meanwhile, urged stronger action, citing the tragic suicide of a 14-year-old linked to Character AI and warning of privacy risks, mental health harms, and the effects of AI on children’s development.
I addressed these concerns during the Senate Rules Committee hearing. I told lawmakers that HB 301 “does not replace parents—it helps them,” noting that parents today compete against powerful corporations that use sophisticated algorithms and artificial intelligence to keep children engaged for hours. I also argued that while every child-protection law imposes some burden, “when children’s privacy, mental health, and safety are at stake, they are necessary to be effective.”
I acknowledged that the bill could be stronger, especially if platforms such as Google and YouTube were included, but urged lawmakers not to reject meaningful protections merely because more work remains. As I told the committee, “The perfect should never become the enemy of the good.” Return America supported HB 301 because children are facing real harms in a rapidly changing digital environment, and doing nothing is no longer an acceptable option.
HB 301 has passed the Senate and is now back before the House for concurrence.
HB 921 and HB 198 — ABC and Gambling Omnibus Measures
Return America has also been closely monitoring House Bill 921 and House Bill 198, companion measures addressing North Carolina’s alcohol laws. HB 921 is a sweeping ABC and gaming omnibus bill that covers alcohol access, pricing, distribution, public consumption, mobile bars, premixed cocktails, ABC governance, nonprofit alcohol fundraising, and gaming. HB 198 began as a narrow bill titled Amend Law on Notice of ABC Violation, but it was later used in the Senate as a vehicle to move a much larger ABC omnibus bill as quickly as possible.
The history of HB 198 is especially important. The original bill passed the House unanimously in 2025 as a limited measure addressing notice requirements for ABC violations. Later, in the Senate, it was rewritten as the ABC Omnibus of 2026. In other words, a bill that had already cleared one chamber was transformed into a much broader alcohol package. Return America believes lawmakers should be cautious when a narrow bill is used as a vehicle for sweeping alcohol legislation, especially when that use speeds the bill through the process and reduces the opportunity for careful review.
Return America provided lawmakers with an analysis of HB 921, warning that the bill removes too many safeguards from North Carolina’s alcohol-control system. Among the concerns were provisions allowing Sunday ABC sales, spirituous liquor-based premixed cocktails, happy-hour-style temporary drink pricing, the sale of two drinks to one patron at a time, alcohol service in more nontraditional settings, expanded social districts, mobile bar expansion, nonprofit alcohol fundraising involving alcohol prizes, and changes to ABC Commission governance. Return America also objected to gaming provisions that would expand game nights and loosen restrictions on 50/50 raffles, warning that these changes would normalize gambling in civic and charitable life.
I also testified before the House ABC Committee against HB 921, telling members that after 26 years of working on alcohol policy in North Carolina, I have learned that alcohol policy is highly sensitive. I compared it to “squeezing a balloon” — a change that may seem narrow or harmless in one place can create new problems elsewhere. For that reason, alcohol legislation should be handled carefully, with one or two major provisions at a time, rather than through a sweeping omnibus bill.
I told the committee that HB 921 is the largest alcohol bill I have seen in my 26 years of working on alcohol policy. It reflects the business side of alcohol policy almost entirely, but what is missing is the “C” in ABC. The “C” stands for control — the recognition that alcohol is not an ordinary commodity and must be regulated with caution. Alcohol controls are not needless red tape. They are safeguards that slow things down, create friction, and promote moderation. HB 921 removes too many of those safeguards at once.
Return America’s lobbying activity appears to be having some effect on both HB 921 and HB 198. Some of the most troubling provisions have either been removed or omitted from the companion measure. HB 921 no longer includes ABC Sunday sales, a significant improvement over earlier versions of the bill. HB 198 is also narrower in several important respects: it does not include ABC Sunday sales, does not include spirituous liquor cocktails, and does not contain the gambling provisions that were among Return America’s major objections to HB 921.
These changes do not eliminate all concerns about the bills, but they show that lawmakers are hearing objections regarding public health, public safety, enforcement, local control, and gambling. Return America will continue urging lawmakers to preserve the “C” in ABC — control — and to resist efforts to weaken safeguards that protect families, communities, and public safety.
Bills Return America Continues to Monitor
SB 59 — Age 21: Hemp-Derived Consumables/Kratom
Senate Bill 59 would prohibit the sale, delivery, or possession of hemp-derived consumable products and kratom products by anyone under the age of 21. Return America supports the bill as a reasonable first step because intoxicating or judgment-impairing products should not be sold to, delivered to, or possessed by minors.
I prepared remarks in support of the measure for the House Agriculture and Environment Committee, but public comment was not permitted. In those remarks, I noted that an age limit is necessary but not the same as comprehensive regulation. As we have learned from alcohol, tobacco, and vaping, simply setting the age at 21 does not, by itself, keep harmful products out of young hands.
Return America believes the bill should be strengthened by imposing clearer duties on sellers. Businesses should be required to verify age with a valid ID for in-person sales, and online or delivery sellers should be required to use reliable age-verification systems. Otherwise, the law leaves too much room for a seller to claim, “I did not know.”
North Carolina also needs a comprehensive regulatory framework for hemp-derived THC products, including potency limits, independent testing, accurate labeling, child-resistant and non-child-attractive packaging, meaningful penalties for retailers, and strong enforcement authority. Return America supports SB 59 as a first step but believes much more is needed to protect children and families.
SB 1007 — Human Trafficking Omnibus
Senate Bill 1007 is a broad anti-human-trafficking measure. It would direct the North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission, in consultation with the Department of Information Technology, to develop a statewide reporting and response system for suspected human trafficking. The bill also imposes an excise tax on certain prurient materials, corrects exceptions to the prohibition on viewing pornography on government networks and devices, clarifies human-trafficking awareness training requirements for third-party contractors, and appropriates funds to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office for its task force combating human trafficking, child sexual assault, and child sexual exploitation. The bill was re-referred to the Senate Judiciary on May 21, 2026, and, on June 2, 2026, received a sequential referral to the Senate Rules after Finance.
HB 1121 — Added Fee for Sexually Oriented Businesses
House Bill 1121 would impose a $10 fee for each customer entry into a sexually oriented business that serves alcohol, with the revenue directed to the Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Center Fund. Return America is monitoring the bill because it addresses public harms associated with businesses that combine alcohol and sexually oriented entertainment. The bill has been favorably reported and is currently before the House Finance Committee.
HB 83 — Revise Laws on Minors/Human Trafficking
House Bill 83 began as a bill revising laws governing minors, including provisions on obscenity, harmful materials, and sex-offender registration. The bill passed the House in April 2025 by a vote of 107–9 and was later taken up in the Senate, where a committee substitute changed the title to Revise Laws on Minors/Human Trafficking. The latest Senate version was reported favorable as a committee substitute on June 10, 2026, adopted, and re-referred to Senate Rules.
The bill is now important not only as a minor-protection measure but also as the apparent vehicle for advancing key portions of SB 1007, the Human Trafficking Omnibus. The Senate version of HB 83 includes provisions directing the Human Trafficking Commission to examine the development of a statewide human-trafficking reporting and response system, along with related training and technical corrections. While SB 1007 remains a separate bill, HB 83 appears to carry much of that policy forward.
Return America is monitoring HB 83 because it addresses issues central to the protection of children and vulnerable persons, including obscenity-related offenses, harmful material to minors, sex-offender registration, and human-trafficking response. The bill’s progress also illustrates how policy from one measure can be incorporated into another bill that is already further along in the legislative process.
The measure currently resides in the Senate Rules Committee.
HB 437 — Drug-Free Zones/Unauthorized Public Camping
House Bill 437 would establish new drug-free zones around homeless service facilities and increase penalties for certain controlled-substance offenses committed in those areas. The purpose is to provide additional protection for vulnerable people receiving homeless services by discouraging drug activity near shelters and related facilities. The bill also addresses unauthorized public camping by generally prohibiting local governments from allowing regular overnight camping or sleeping on public property, while permitting designated camping areas for up to one year if safety, sanitation, restroom and water access, behavioral health, substance-abuse resources, and other standards are met. It also provides an enforcement mechanism that allows legal action if a local government fails to comply.
