A new bill filed by State Rep. David Willis in the North Carolina House aims to enhance workforce development tools and expand access to job training opportunities, according to the North Carolina State House.
The bill, filed as HB 1097 on April 29 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Government Website Access Act.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill appropriates $10 million from the Information Technology Reserve in the 2026-27 fiscal year for the Department of Information Technology to develop an artificial intelligence assistant to improve navigation, accessibility and connectivity among state and local workforce development websites, with attention to a memorable, state-related name. It allocates two separate $10 million General Fund appropriations for directed grants to local workforce development boards to create innovative job training programs for veterans and for people previously incarcerated. It also provides $1.5 million to support professional development and career planning tools for working adults. The act takes effect July 1, 2026.
Of the four sponsors of this bill, Grant L. Campbell, MD proposed the most bills (64) 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.
Willis graduated from Appalachian State University in 1996.
Willis, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2021 to represent the state’s 68th House district, replacing previous state representative D. Craig Horn.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Willis, Grant L. Campbell, MD, James Roberson, and Robert T. Reives, II | HB 1097 | 04/29/2026 | Government Website Access Act. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, Hugh Blackwell, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 1143 | 04/29/2026 | Principal Fellows & MSA Intern Stipends. |
| David Willis, Allen Chesser, Mike Schietzelt, and Stephen M. Ross | HB 1029 | 04/21/2026 | NC Digital Asset and Stablecoin Act. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, Erin Paré, and Matthew Winslow | HB 912 | 04/10/2025 | The Hometown Opp. for Mentoring Educators Act. |
| David Willis, Hugh Blackwell, and John A. Torbett | HB 918 | 04/10/2025 | Standardized Testing Choice Act. |
| David Willis, Blair Eddins, Diane Wheatley, and Grant L. Campbell, MD | HB 956 | 04/10/2025 | Enhance Financial Protections/Older Adults. |
| David Willis, Brian Echevarria, Mitchell S. Setzer, and Wyatt Gable | HB 966 | 04/10/2025 | College Cost Reduction Act. |
| David Willis, Hugh Blackwell, John A. Torbett, and Timothy Reeder, MD | HB 971 | 04/10/2025 | Career Development Adjustment. |
| David Willis, Mike Colvin, and Zack Hawkins | HB 978 | 04/10/2025 | Est. Youth Mentoring Comm./Mentoring Funds. |
| David Willis, Heather H. Rhyne, and Mike Schietzelt | HB 981 | 04/10/2025 | Local Schools Open Enrollment Study. |
| David Willis, Brian Echevarria, Grant L. Campbell, MD, and Mike Schietzelt | HB 846 | 04/09/2025 | Teacher Retention and Recruitment. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, Heather H. Rhyne, and Ray Pickett | HB 875 | 04/09/2025 | DPI to Redesign Math Instruction. |
| David Willis, Hugh Blackwell, Jake Johnson, and Wyatt Gable | HB 878 | 04/09/2025 | Increased Academic Transparency. |
| David Willis, Donnie Loftis, Erin Paré, and Grant L. Campbell, MD | HB 794 | 04/07/2025 | Study Highway Patrol Staffing/Salary Scale. |
| David Willis, Donnie Loftis, Erin Paré, and Grant L. Campbell, MD | HB 800 | 04/07/2025 | Review Effectiveness & Delivery of Child Care. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, and Heather H. Rhyne | HB 806 | 04/07/2025 | Public School Operational Relief. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, Heather H. Rhyne, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 773 | 04/03/2025 | School Performance Grade Changes. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, Neal Jackson, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 775 | 04/03/2025 | Criminal History Checks for School Positions. |
| David Willis, Brenden H. Jones, Destin Hall, and John R. Bell, IV | HB 780 | 04/03/2025 | All Pro Dads & Responsible Fatherhood NC. |
| David Willis and Brandon Lofton | HB 785 | 04/03/2025 | School Funding Flexibility Study. |
| David Willis, Jake Johnson, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 705 | 04/02/2025 | Study CTE Licensure Requirements. |
| David Willis, Brandon Lofton, and Terry M. Brown Jr. | HB 708 | 04/02/2025 | IROBOT – Increasing Robotics Opportunities. |
| David Willis, Donny Lambeth, Harry Warren, and Sam Watford | HB 761 | 04/02/2025 | Limit Session Length. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, Jennifer Balkcom, and Neal Jackson | HB 636 | 04/01/2025 | Promoting Wholesome Content for Students. |
| David Willis, Grant L. Campbell, MD, Mike Schietzelt, and Ray Pickett | HB 670 | 04/01/2025 | Workforce Credential Grant Program/CCP. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, Terry M. Brown Jr., and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 671 | 04/01/2025 | Competitive Speech and Debate Grant Pilot. |
| David Willis, Jake Johnson, Jeffrey C. McNeely, and Wyatt Gable | HB 584 | 03/31/2025 | Permit/Provisional License Modifications. |
| David Willis, Donnie Loftis, and Mark Brody | HB 591 | 03/31/2025 | Elec. Monitoring in Nursing/Adult Care Homes. |
| David Willis, Jake Johnson, Jeffrey C. McNeely, and Mike Schietzelt | HB 598 | 03/31/2025 | Live Event Ticketing Protections & Reforms. |
| David Willis and Timothy Reeder, MD | HB 602 | 03/31/2025 | Coach Safely Act. |
| David Willis, Donnie Loftis, Donny Lambeth, and Larry W. Potts | HB 615 | 03/31/2025 | Enrollment Stability for Military Students. |
| David Willis | HB 556 | 03/27/2025 | 2025 Charter Schools Review Board Omnibus. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, Hugh Blackwell, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 566 | 03/27/2025 | Principal Fellows Changes. |
| David Willis, Allen Chesser, Brenden H. Jones, and Grant L. Campbell, MD | HB 572 | 03/27/2025 | Veterans/eTMS Pilot Program. |
| David Willis, Charles Smith, Kyle Hall, and Terry M. Brown Jr. | HB 543 | 03/26/2025 | Criminal Background Check For Athlete Agents. |
| David Willis, Kyle Hall, Matthew Winslow, and Ray Pickett | HB 490 | 03/24/2025 | Propel NC Funding and Tuition Surcharge. |
| David Willis, Donnie Loftis, Grant L. Campbell, MD, and Stephen M. Ross | HB 430 | 03/18/2025 | Protect Youth From Harms of Vaping & Nicotine. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, Ray Pickett, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 414 | 03/17/2025 | 1-to-1 Credit for Career and College Promise. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, and Heather H. Rhyne | HB 415 | 03/17/2025 | Modify Math & Social Studies Grad. Req. |
| David Willis, Jake Johnson, Steve Tyson, and Zack Hawkins | HB 424 | 03/17/2025 | Gaming Laws/Allow Certain Social Games. |
| David Willis, Donnie Loftis, Grant L. Campbell, MD, and Stephen M. Ross | HB 425 | 03/17/2025 | Protect Youth From Harms of Vaping & Nicotine. |
| David Willis, Grant L. Campbell, MD, James Roberson, and Robert T. Reives, II | HB 365 | 03/11/2025 | Workforce Education Act. |
| David Willis, Allen Chesser, Grant L. Campbell, MD, and Ray Pickett | HB 373 | 03/11/2025 | UNC Tuition Discounts for Certain Students. |
| David Willis, Jeff Zenger, Jonathan L. Almond, and Neal Jackson | HB 301 | 03/05/2025 | Social Media Protections for Minors Under 16. |
| David Willis, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Bill Ward, and Charles W. Miller | HB 270 | 03/03/2025 | Revise Law on the Death Penalty. |
| David Willis and Dean Arp | HB 170 | 02/21/2025 | Restore Down-Zoning/Union Co. |
| David Willis, Brian Biggs, Hugh Blackwell, and John A. Torbett | HB 144 | 02/17/2025 | Elect SBE/Superintendent as SBE Chair. |
| David Willis, Paul Scott, and Todd Carver | HB 106 | 02/11/2025 | Revive High-Need Retired Teachers Program. |
| David Willis, Grant L. Campbell, MD, Harry Warren, and John R. Bell, IV | HB 12 | 01/29/2025 | Observe Standard Time All Year. |
| David Willis, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., and Charles W. Miller | HB 2 | 01/29/2025 | Entry Fees for Interscholastic Sports Events. |
| David Willis, Ben T. Moss, Jr., Celeste C. Cairns, and Keith Kidwell | HB 7 | 01/29/2025 | NC REACH Act. |
