A new bill filed by State Rep. Pittman in the North Carolina House seeks to support rural communities through targeted investments in infrastructure, public safety, education, and healthcare, according to the North Carolina State House.
The bill, filed as HB 685 on April 1 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Rural NC Reinvestment Act.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, the bill appropriates funds for various projects aimed at reinvesting in rural North Carolina, effective July 1, 2025. It allocates $200 million to the Department of Environmental Quality for water and sewer infrastructure grants to local governments, $10 million to the Department of Public Safety for equipment grants to local and volunteer fire and police departments, and $20 million to the Department of Commerce to assist with land acquisition for economic development. It also designates $5 million for the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation to support healthcare in underserved areas, $10 million to the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund via the Department of Agriculture, $200 million to rural school districts for construction and capital improvements, $50 million to broadband expansion via the Department of Information Technology, and $100 million to early learning programs under the Department of Health and Human Services.
Of the four sponsors of this bill, Robert T. Reives, II proposed the most bills (26) during the 2025 regular session.
Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
Pittman graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2018 with a BA.
Pittman, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2025 to represent the state’s 24th House district, replacing previous state representative Ken Fontenot.
| Legislative Session | Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Dante Pittman, B. Ray Jeffers, Bryan Cohn, and Robert T. Reives, II | HB 685 | 04/01/2025 | Rural NC Reinvestment Act. |
| 2025 | Dante Pittman, Julia Greenfield, Rodney D. Pierce, and Shelly Willingham | HB 653 | 04/01/2025 | Adjust FMAP Trigger for Medicaid Expansion. |
| 2025 | Dante Pittman, Eric Ager, and Sarah Crawford | HB 683 | 04/01/2025 | Expand Disabled Veteran Prop. Tax Exclusion. |
| 2025 | Dante Pittman, B. Ray Jeffers, Eric Ager, and Rodney D. Pierce | HB 617 | 03/31/2025 | Supporting Small Farmers for NC’s Future Act. |
| 2025 | Dante Pittman, B. Ray Jeffers, Bryan Cohn, and Sarah Crawford | HB 619 | 03/31/2025 | Health Care Security Act. |
| 2025 | Dante Pittman, Amber M. Baker, Julie von Haefen, and Terry M. Brown Jr. | HB 521 | 03/26/2025 | Healthy Families & Workplaces/Paid Sick Leave. |
| 2025 | Dante Pittman, Lindsey Prather, Monika Johnson-Hostler, and Rodney D. Pierce | HB 507 | 03/25/2025 | The Children First Act. |
| 2025 | Dante Pittman, Beth Helfrich, Bryan Cohn, and Lindsey Prather | HB 473 | 03/20/2025 | Right to IVF. |
| 2025 | Dante Pittman, Donnie Loftis, Edward C. Goodwin, and Robert T. Reives, II | HB 110 | 02/12/2025 | Nat.l Guard Student Loan Repayment Program. |
| 2025 | Dante Pittman | HB 88 | 02/10/2025 | SchCalFlex/Wilson/Open Cal. |
| 2025 | Dante Pittman, Allen Chesser, Grant L. Campbell, MD, and Kelly E. Hastings | HB 69 | 02/06/2025 | Military and Veterans Educational Promise Act. |
| 2023 | Ken Fontenot | HB 1057 | 05/02/2024 | School Performance Grade Pilot. |
| 2023 | Frank Sossamon and Ken Fontenot | HB 982 | 05/02/2024 | Faith In Mental Health Pilot Program. |
| 2023 | Ken Fontenot | HB 833 | 04/19/2023 | Increase Teacher Diversity/Study. |
| 2023 | Ken Fontenot | HB 724 | 04/18/2023 | Clarify Slow Traffic Move Right Law. |
| 2023 | John R. Bradford, III and Ken Fontenot | HB 725 | 04/18/2023 | Create Anti-Littering Special Fund. |
| 2023 | Ken Fontenot | HB 808 | 04/18/2023 | Gender Transition/Minors. |
| 2023 | Ken Fontenot | HB 607 | 04/13/2023 | Prohibit Compelled Speech/Higher Ed. |
| 2023 | Ken Fontenot | HB 556 | 04/03/2023 | Tenancy in Com./E-Notary/SmallClaims Changes. |
| 2023 | Ken Fontenot | HB 537 | 03/29/2023 | Workforce Housing Act. |
| 2023 | Ken Fontenot | HB 278 | 03/06/2023 | The Rakim Shackleford Embalming Fluid Act. |
| 2023 | Ken Fontenot | HB 162 | 02/21/2023 | Living Donor Protection Act. |
| 2023 | George G. Cleveland and Ken Fontenot | HB 107 | 02/13/2023 | Repeal Certificate of Need Laws. |
| 2023 | Ken Fontenot | HB 60 | 02/07/2023 | SUDEP Awareness Week. |
| 2023 | Ken Fontenot | HB 11 | 01/25/2023 | Schools for the Deaf and Blind. |
