A new bill filed by State Sen. Bob Brinson in the North Carolina Senate aims to improve electric utilities’ grid efficiency and guide future infrastructure decisions, according to the North Carolina State Senate.
The bill, filed as SB 1019 on April 30 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Grid Utilization.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill requires each electric public utility to file a grid utilization report as part of its biennial integrated resource plan, assessing how efficiently its transmission and distribution systems use existing grid assets and identifying ways to improve utilization, including through non-wires alternatives such as energy storage, distributed generation and virtual power plants. The Utilities Commission must issue final orders on these reports, set targets and timeframes, and approve grid utilization metrics that will also guide future decisions on cost recovery for capital investments. The bill appropriates $10,000 in nonrecurring funds for the 2026-27 fiscal year to implement the act, effective July 1, 2026, with the rest of the act effective when it becomes law.
Of the three sponsors of this bill, DeAndrea Salvador proposed the most bills (54) 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.
Brinson graduated from United States Military Academy at West Point in 1991 with a BA.
Brinson, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2025 to represent the state’s 3rd Senate district, replacing previous state senator Robert Hanig.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Brinson, DeAndrea Salvador, and Lisa S. Barnes | SB 1019 | 04/30/2026 | Grid Utilization. |
| Bob Brinson, Bobby Hanig, and Michael A. Lazzara | SB 1008 | 04/30/2026 | Pilot for Shoreline Stabilization Projects. |
| Bob Brinson, Bobby Hanig, and Michael A. Lazzara | SB 1009 | 04/30/2026 | Repeal Hardened Structure Ban. |
| Bob Brinson and Sophia Chitlik | SB 1018 | 04/30/2026 | The HEAL Act. |
| Bob Brinson, Michael V. Lee, and Norman W. Sanderson | SB 1066 | 04/30/2026 | Alternative Bridge Funding Formula. |
| Bob Brinson, Michael A. Lazzara, and Tom McInnis | SB 947 | 04/30/2026 | Military Influence Areas. |
| Bob Brinson, Kevin Corbin, and Michael A. Lazzara | SB 870 | 04/28/2026 | Funds for Veterans/HBOT. |
| Bob Brinson | SB 832 | 04/23/2026 | Washington Deannexation. |
| Bob Brinson | SB 818 | 04/22/2026 | Even-Yr Elections/Voting/Pink Hill. |
| Bob Brinson | SB 803 | 04/21/2026 | Beaufort Dist. B Occupancy Tax. |
| Bob Brinson, Carl Ford, and Tom McInnis | SB 816 | 04/21/2026 | Child. of Wartime Vets Sch’ship Funds & Flex. |
| Bob Brinson, Buck Newton, and Warren Daniel | SB 670 | 03/25/2025 | Drones/Certain Vendor Purchases Prohibited. |
| Bob Brinson, Bobby Hanig, and Timothy D. Moffitt | SB 394 | 03/24/2025 | Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land. |
| Bob Brinson, Gale Adcock, and Mark Hollo | SB 430 | 03/24/2025 | Revise Child Passenger Restraint System Law. |
| Bob Brinson | SB 356 | 03/20/2025 | Global Transpark Authority Sales Tax Mods. |
| Bob Brinson, Bobby Hanig, and Todd Johnson | SB 276 | 03/12/2025 | Study Residual Property Market Mechanisms. |
| Bob Brinson, Buck Newton, and Michael A. Lazzara | SB 245 | 03/05/2025 | The Rakim Shackleford Embalming Fluid Act. |
| Bob Brinson and Buck Newton | SB 228 | 03/04/2025 | Disabled Veterans Tax Relief Bill. |
| Bob Brinson, Amy S. Galey, and Kevin Corbin | SB 229 | 03/04/2025 | Authorize NIL Agency Contracts. |
| Bob Brinson, Dana Jones, and Jim Burgin | SB 31 | 01/30/2025 | The Wells Act. |
| Bob Brinson | SB 8 | 01/29/2025 | 3rd Senatorial District Local Act-1. |
