Rep. Reives files bill in North Carolina House to fund rural development projects

A new bill filed by State Rep. Robert T. Reives, II seeks to reinvest in rural North Carolina through funding for infrastructure, public safety, economic development, education, and healthcare initiatives, 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, Reives 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.

Reives graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1992 with a BA and again in 1995 from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a JD.

Reives, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2014 to represent the state’s 54th House district, replacing previous state representative Deb McManus.