North Carolina 2025 Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 10 R · 7 D cosponsors

HB 542 — Child Care Mental and Behavioral Services/Funds.

Last action — Passed 1st Reading

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced March 26, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 18 sponsors

    3 primary, 15 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (10 R · 7 D) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

32 added · 31 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the updated version of House Bill 542, a significant change allows the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC) to hold up to five million dollars in cash at the end of each fiscal year, instead of having to spend all of its allocated funds. This adjustment means that the NCPC can better manage its resources and reallocate unused funds to local partnerships for children's programs without the pressure of losing money at the end of the year. This flexibility can help improve funding for early childhood initiatives in North Carolina.

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H.B.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H 1 HOUSE BILL 542 Short Title:
542 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA Mar 26, 2025 SESSION 2025 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK H D HOUSE BILL DRH30215-LUa-85 Short Title:
Representative Lambeth.
Representatives Lambeth, Arp, Paré, and Rhyne (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO THE NORTH CAROLINA PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN, INC., TO EXPAND MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND STAFF IN CHILD CARE FACILITY SETTINGS AND TO ESTABLISH THE NORTH CAROLINA PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN, INC., SPECIAL FUND.
Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House March 27, 2025 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO THE NORTH CAROLINA PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN, INC., TO EXPAND MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND STAFF IN CHILD CARE FACILITY SETTINGS AND TO ESTABLISH THE NORTH CAROLINA PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN, INC., SPECIAL FUND.
The NCPC shall spend the funds appropriated in this act in the following budget codes:
The NCPC shall spend the funds appropriated in this act in the followingbudget codes:
PSC 5415 HealthCareAccess and Support, PSC 5505 Parent Education, PSC 3125 Quality Child Care, and PSC 5509 Parents as Teachers.
PSC 5415 HealthCareAccess andSupport, PSC 5505Parent Education, PSC 3125 QualityChild Care, and PSC 5509 Parents as Teachers.
SECTION 1.(c) Additional funds allocated in this act to the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., from the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education, for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium are not subject to the administrative cost requirements under Section 9D.5(b) of S.L.
SECTION 1.(c) Additional funds allocated in this act to the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., from the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education, for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium are not *H542-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 subject to the administrative cost requirements under Section 9D.5(b) of S.L.
2023-134, child *DRH30215-LUa-85* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 care services funding requirements under G.S.
2023-134, child care services funding requirements under G.S.
Page 2 DRH30215-LUa-85
Page 2 House Bill 542-First Edition
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Action History

  1. Passed 1st Reading

  2. Ref to the Com on Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  3. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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3 sponsors · 15 co-sponsors · 161 not signed on

Sponsors (3)

Co-sponsors (15)

Not signed on (161)

161 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 161 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

healthcare education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HB 542?
HB 542 is sponsored by Shelly Willingham (Democratic), Donna McDowell White (Republican), Bill Ward (Republican), Larry C. Strickland (Republican), Reeder, Larry W. Potts (Republican), Ray Pickett (Republican), Howard Penny, Jr. (Republican), B. Ray Jeffers (Democratic), Pricey Harrison (Democratic), Maria Cervania (Democratic), Gloristine Brown (Democratic), Amber M. Baker (Democratic), Heather H. Rhyne (Republican), Erin Paré (Republican), Dean Arp (Republican), Donny Lambeth (Republican), and Charles Smith (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 542?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced March 26, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 542?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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