Sen. Lee introduces measure in North Carolina Senate targeting PFAS and other contaminants

State Sen. Michael V. Lee has put forward a new bill in the North Carolina Senate designed to assist local water utilities with PFAS contamination and enhance research on emerging contaminants, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

Filed as SB 1043 on April 30 during the 2025 regular session, the legislation carries the short title: ‘2026 Water Safety Act.’

The following summary is based on the official bill text and aims to clarify its main components.

SB 1043 proposes the creation of an Emerging Contaminant Mitigation Fund to provide grants for local water and wastewater utilities supporting PFAS and 1,4-dioxane monitoring, treatment, emergency response, and technical support, prioritizing assistance for distressed systems. It allocates $56 million in recurring funds for 2026-27, directs $14 million to academic studies of emerging contaminants, and assigns $25 million for PFAS-related firefighter health and exposure research. The legislation establishes PFAS limits for drinking water, requires PFAS controls for industrial discharges, and institutes a temporary halt on most new or increased interbasin transfers from the upper Cape Fear River through June 1, 2030, while funding basin and wastewater system studies and expanding Department of Environmental Quality laboratory and drinking water assistance programs. The act is set to go into effect July 1, 2026.

Lee is one of two sponsors of this bill and introduced more bills—54 total—than any other senator during the 2025 regular session.

In North Carolina, bills undergo a multi-step process to become law. First, a legislator files a bill, which is then assigned for committee consideration. Each chamber must conduct three readings of the legislation. If amendments are made after passage by one chamber, both must reach consensus on the final language. Once passed by both, the bill moves to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the General Assembly is out of session) to sign, veto, or allow the measure to become law without a signature.

Further details on current bills and measures are available here.

Lee received his BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1991 and earned his JD from Wake Forest University Law School in 1997.

A Republican, Lee was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2023, representing the 7th Senate district, succeeding former senator Jim Perry.