Rep. Davis files bill in North Carolina House to fund Fort Fisher improvements

A new bill filed by State Rep. Ted Davis, Jr. seeks to provide funding for capital improvements at Fort Fisher State Historic Site to enhance visitor facilities and preserve historic structures, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 408 on March 13 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Fort Fisher Capital Improvements Funds.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill allocates $869,000 in nonrecurring funds from the General Fund to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Office of Archives and History, for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The purpose is to complete phases one and two of capital improvements at the Fort Fisher State Historic Site. Phase one improvements include a new visitor’s center, parking lot, and maintenance facility, while phase two involves reconstructing original earthworks and gun chambers. Additional improvements needed include a visitor center tower sign, partitions and doors, various gun carriages, and an ammunition magazine. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025.

Davis proposed another six bills 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.

Davis graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA and again from Wake Forest University Law School with a JD.

Davis, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2021 to represent the state’s 20th House district, replacing previous state representative Holly Grange.