A new bill filed by State Sen. Gladys A. Robinson in the North Carolina Senate aims to provide financial relief to small businesses impacted by the pandemic, according to the North Carolina State Senate.
The bill, filed as SB 891 on April 28 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Small Business Investment Grant.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill appropriates $250 million in one-time General Fund money to the Department of Commerce for a COVID-19 Small Business Recovery Program that provides one-time grants to qualifying small businesses. The bill authorizes grants to North Carolina businesses subject to state income tax with 2019 receipts of $8 million or less and at least a 25% drop in 2020 sales tax collections compared with 2019, capped at the lesser of $250,000 or the documented reduction. It allows applications until funds are exhausted, requires Revenue Department data sharing to verify eligibility, and mandates grant clawbacks if a recipient does not operate for at least six months. It also excludes grant amounts from state taxable income for tax years beginning in 2025 only. The tax provision takes effect Jan. 1, 2025, and expires Jan. 1, 2026; the rest takes effect when the bill becomes law.
Of the three sponsors of this bill, Natalie S. Murdock proposed the most bills (80) 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.
Robinson graduated from Bennett College for Women with a BA.
Robinson, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2011 to represent the state’s 28th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Katie Dorsett.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gladys A. Robinson, Kandie D. Smith, and Natalie S. Murdock | SB 891 | 04/28/2026 | Small Business Investment Grant. |
| Gladys A. Robinson and Jay J. Chaudhuri | SB 822 | 04/22/2026 | Every School Has Resources Act. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Dan Blue, and Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 534 | 03/25/2025 | Capital Project Funding at NCA&T/WSSU. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Dan Blue, and Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 542 | 03/25/2025 | Western NC Support; Expand Comm. Eco. Dev. |
| Gladys A. Robinson and Michael Garrett | SB 547 | 03/25/2025 | Clarify Ballot Language for Art. 46 Tax. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Natalie S. Murdock, and Sydney Batch | SB 571 | 03/25/2025 | MOMnibus 3.0. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Dan Blue, and Michael V. Lee | SB 596 | 03/25/2025 | Critical Campus Funding Repairs. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Graig Meyer, and Michael Garrett | SB 612 | 03/25/2025 | Convert School Buses to Electric by 2050. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Michael Garrett, and Terence Everitt | SB 646 | 03/25/2025 | Make NC Insurrection-Free. |
| Gladys A. Robinson | SB 658 | 03/25/2025 | Funds/Greensboro Blandwood Mansion. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Kandie D. Smith, and Val Applewhite | SB 660 | 03/25/2025 | Honoring Sacrifice: NC Veterans Relief Act. |
| Gladys A. Robinson | SB 714 | 03/25/2025 | Prohibit Corporal Punishment in Schools. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, DeAndrea Salvador, and Graig Meyer | SB 732 | 03/25/2025 | NC Economic Progress and Well Being. |
| Gladys A. Robinson and Michael Garrett | SB 751 | 03/25/2025 | Protect Children from Leaking Garbage Trucks. |
| Gladys A. Robinson and Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 367 | 03/20/2025 | Capital Project Funding at HBCUs. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Caleb Theodros, and Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 343 | 03/19/2025 | Secure Home, Secure Future Act. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Caleb Theodros, and Val Applewhite | SB 348 | 03/19/2025 | Home Comfort Act. |
| Gladys A. Robinson and Val Applewhite | SB 323 | 03/18/2025 | Student Health and Responsibility Act. |
| Gladys A. Robinson and Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 301 | 03/17/2025 | Film and Entertainment Grant Fund Mods. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Sophia Chitlik, and Woodson Bradley | SB 281 | 03/13/2025 | Essential Relief for Child Care Act. |
| Gladys A. Robinson and Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 283 | 03/13/2025 | Expand Sickle Cell Disease Programs & Svcs. |
| Gladys A. Robinson and Michael Garrett | SB 284 | 03/13/2025 | Guilford County Schools Funding Requests. |
| Gladys A. Robinson and Michael Garrett | SB 285 | 03/13/2025 | Teacher Salary Supplement/Guilford Cnty Schs. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Michael Garrett, and Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 243 | 03/05/2025 | Commuter Rail Study/Piedmont Triad. |
| Gladys A. Robinson | SB 215 | 02/27/2025 | 28th Senatorial District Local Act-1. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Graig Meyer, and Natalie S. Murdock | SB 167 | 02/25/2025 | Revise, Study, and Fund LEP Allotment. |
| Gladys A. Robinson, Graig Meyer, and Natalie S. Murdock | SB 99 | 02/13/2025 | Extended-Year Teacher Contracts. |
